It gave the first broadcast performances of many famous English works, including Elgar's Dream of Gerontius and Enigma Variations and Holst's The Planets.

The orchestra played at its first Prom in 1961, and regularly gave concerts at the Free Trade Hall, sharing the venue with the Hallé.

In July 2010, the orchestra announced the appointment of Juanjo Mena as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2011–2012 season, with an initial contract of three years.

In March 2011, the orchestra announced the appointment of John Storgårds as its next principal guest conductor, effective January 2012.

On the basis of this appearance, in October 2018, the orchestra announced the appointment of Wellber as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2019-2020 season, with an initial contract of 4 years.

[6] Following his withdrawal from his two scheduled 2022 Proms appearances,[7][8] Wellber was no longer listed as affiliated with the BBC Philharmonic as of the summer of 2022.

Since 1996, most of the orchestra's live performances have been at the city's Bridgewater Hall, although it frequently tours the UK and internationally.

[17] In more recent years, the orchestra has collaborated with BBC Radio 1 in producing orchestral performance with modern artists, including symphonies with bands Nero, The xx and The 1975.