Attenborough closes the BBC Proms

Sir David Attenborough admitted the performance was "nerve-wracking"

Sir David Attenborough brought the 115th BBC Proms season to a close on Saturday night by playing a floor polisher as a musical instrument.

Sir David was joined on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in London by pianist Stephen Hough on the vacuum cleaner.

Comedian Rory Bremner also took part in the performance of Sir Malcolm Arnold's piece A Grand, Grand Overture.

The eight-minute work has parts for two other vacuum cleaners, four rifles, an organ a and full orchestra.

Hough was joined on vacuum cleaner in the comic piece by conductor Jiri Belohlavek and violinist Jennifer Pike, 19, a former winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year.

Bremner "played" a rifle with journalist Martha Kearney, double bassist and Radio 3 presenter Chi-chi Nwanoku, and drum and bass DJ Goldie.

All the participants have played a role in this year's Proms, which opened on 17 July.

Sir David made a guest appearance at the Darwin Extravaganza For Kids last month, where he revealed he feared his performance would be "nerve-wracking".

"A charging rhinoceros is absolutely nothing compared to this," he added.

Goldie also contributed to the musical festival by composing a classical piece, Sine Tempore, on the theme of evolution.

For the first time, the Proms finale was screened via satellite to cinemas on every continent of the world.

The corporation said the two-month classical music festival had been the most successful yet with a 32% increase in under-16s attending.

Proms director Roger Wright said the event had included "outstanding and inspiring music-making".

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