Beverley Knight has earned praise following a powerful performance of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” at Last Night of the Proms 2026. The singer took to the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night (12 September) as part of To Dolly, With Love, a special tribute celebrating the music of the late country legend. Knight was joined by Sheridan Smith and country-pop duo Ward Thomas for the three-song medley, backed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and the BBC Singers.

Smith opened the tribute with “9 to 5”, before Knight performed “I Will Always Love You” and Ward Thomas completed the medley with “Jolene”. The arrangement was created by Fiona Brice and formed part of the second half of this year’s Last Night of the Proms programme.

Knight’s rendition proved to be one of the most talked-about performances from the tribute following the broadcast. Viewers discussing the performance online have praised Knight’s vocals, with her appearance prompting renewed interest the morning after the concert.

The song has an interesting connection to Knight’s own career. Dolly Parton wrote and first released “I Will Always Love You” in 1974, before Whitney Houston transformed it into a worldwide hit with her recording for 1992 film The Bodyguard. Knight later starred as Rachel Marron in the West End production of The Bodyguard, a role built around Houston’s catalogue and featuring the song.

Saturday’s tribute came following Parton’s death in August at the age of 80. To Dolly, With Love was one part of a packed programme bringing the eight-week 2026 BBC Proms season to a close, with pianist Yuja Wang, Scottish tenor Nicky Spence and conductor Sakari Oramo also among those appearing at the Royal Albert Hall.

The concert concluded with the traditional Last Night favourites including “Rule, Britannia!”, “Jerusalem”, “Land of Hope and Glory” and “Auld Lang Syne”.

For anyone who missed Knight’s performance on Saturday night, Last Night of the Proms 2026 is available to watch again on BBC iPlayer. The BBC has confirmed that television broadcasts from this year’s Proms will remain available on iPlayer for up to a year after transmission.

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