Classic FM’s Pet Classics returns for its eighth year to calm pets during fireworks
16 October 2025, 08:30 | Updated: 17 October 2025, 13:42
Dan Walker and Charlotte Hawkins will host two special programmes to help keep anxious pets and their owners calm and relaxed during fireworks season.
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As the UK gets ready for fireworks season, we are bringing back our popular programme, Classic FM’s Pet Classics, which returns for its eighth year!
Classic FM Breakfast host and dog-lover Dan Walker, and Pet Classics favourite Charlotte Hawkins, will host two specially created programmes.
Dan will present the first programme, on Bonfire Night, Wednesday 5 November from 5pm to 9pm, followed by a second programme with Charlotte on Saturday 8 November, to coincide with the busiest night for public and private fireworks displays, also from 5pm to 9pm.
In addition, in the build-up to the main Pet Classics programmes, Charlotte is presenting a new Friday night Pet Classics mini-series from 9pm, running until Friday 31 October. Each week, Charlotte eases listeners into the weekend with the perfect blend of classical music written about or inspired by animals, as well as stories about pet-loving composers.
Brand-new for 2025, Charlotte’s Friday night series, the two Pet Classics programmes in November, plus a special New Year’s Eve Pet Classics programme, are all sponsored by Go.Compare Pet Insurance.
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Once again, Classic FM is partnering with the RSPCA to create the Pet Classics programmes and provide an audio sanctuary for the nation’s animals. A survey by the RSPCA revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of animal owners reported their pet was distressed during fireworks season, and that playing relaxing music was the most common way (36%) to help calm or prepare their animal.
Ahead of Bonfire Night, we will share practical advice and key tips from the RSPCA to help listeners prepare their pets, with further advice read out during the programmes.
Both Pet Classics programmes have been specially curated to feature the most soothing classical music to calm any nervous pet or anxious owner. Many of the music choices and composers are connected with animals, such as Camille Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals: The Swan; Elgar’s Mina, his last work which he named after his Cairn Terrier, and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.17.
Alongside the music, Charlotte and Dan will read out personal dedications to listeners’ pets. Last year, we received thousands of photos of listeners’ pets and animals, relaxing to the programmes, ranging from dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters, to horses, tortoises, hedgehogs, goldfish, a spider and snakes!
Since its launch in 2018, Classic FM’s Pet Classics has grown to become one of our most popular programmes of the year. Last year, #PetClassics trended No.2 on X, with impressions for Classic FM reaching more than 12 million unique users across social media during the programmes.
Classic FM Breakfast host Dan Walker said: “I am excited to be joining Charlotte and the Pet Classics team again this year. It’s such a special programme to present, with its unique blend of calming classical music, practical advice for pet owners, and thousands of heart-warming messages and photos from listeners. We know that fireworks can be a problem for pets and animals, so we created Pet Classics to provide the perfect sanctuary for them. I’m looking forward to hearing from all our dedicated fans, along with our new listeners. Everyone is welcome!”
Classic FM presenter Charlotte Hawkins said: “It’s a joy to present Classic FM’s Pet Classics again this year and to welcome all our furry, feathered, and scaly friends to our oasis of calm. It is one of my favourite shows of the year to present. We know that classical music has a positive and calming effect on humans and animals, and I can’t wait to see that in action, through the thousands of photos and videos we receive of listeners’ pets relaxing to the programmes.”
Joseph Zubier, Classic FM’s Deputy Managing Editor, said: “Pet Classics has become one of our most popular shows of the year on Classic FM, bringing the perfect mix of music, comfort and community to listeners and their pets. We are pleased to continue our partnership with the RSPCA and – for the first time – to welcome our brand-new sponsor, Go.Compare Pet Insurance, who both share our mission to make fireworks season a more relaxed experience for pets and animals across the UK.”
