LONDON — Dolly Parton‘s performance at England’s Glastonbury music festival drew the biggest TV ratings for the BBC during the annual event.
The TV coverage Sunday night peaked with an audience of 2.6 million, or a share of 13.4 percent, of people watching TV in the U.K. at the time, at 6:40 p.m., according to ratings advisory firm Attentional.
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It was the first-ever Glastonbury performance by the 68-year-old country-western star.
Media coverage here lauded Parton’s performance, but Sky News host Kay Burley kicked off a Twitter debate when she accused the singer of lip-syncing. “Oh, Dolly is miming,” she tweeted. “How disappointing.”
Boy George responded, tweeting: “Leave our Dolly alone! Or I will tell about the fake tan and insteps too! Lol!”
And Stephen Fry said: “That’s not miming. If it appears not always to lip-sync that’s an HD live processor issue. You see it with reporters.”
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A Parton spokesman told British media: “She sings live. Some people don’t know an amazing singer when they hear one.”
The Independent was among the British newspapers that lauded Parton’s performance.
“Her appearance in a sparkling white pantsuit and with massive (fake) hair was, without exaggeration, surely the biggest attraction since The Rolling Stones packed out the Pyramid Stage last year, her swaying fans and their flags seeming to run right back to the barn doors of Worthy Farm,” it wrote.
Other Glastonbury performers included the Kaiser Chiefs, Disclosure, Paolo Nutini, Arcade Fire, Skrillex, Metallica, Kasabian, Massive Attack, Lana Del Rey, De La Soul, Kelis, Rudimental, The Pixies, Richie Hawtin and Suzanne Vega.
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