diff --git a/docs/changelog.rst b/docs/changelog.rst
index e6e3bcf4..f832716f 100644
--- a/docs/changelog.rst
+++ b/docs/changelog.rst
@@ -93,6 +93,10 @@ v0.20.0 (UNRELEASED)
   "database". If you insist on using a client that needs these commands change
   :confval:`mpd/command_blacklist`.
 
+**HTTP frontend**
+
+- Prevent race condition in webservice broadcast from breaking the server.
+
 **Audio**
 
 - Deprecated :meth:`mopidy.audio.Audio.emit_end_of_stream`. Pass a
diff --git a/tests/http/test_handlers.py b/tests/http/test_handlers.py
index 5803adaf..8bd82e11 100644
--- a/tests/http/test_handlers.py
+++ b/tests/http/test_handlers.py
@@ -40,45 +40,47 @@ class StaticFileHandlerTest(tornado.testing.AsyncHTTPTestCase):
             response.headers['Cache-Control'], 'no-cache')
 
 
-class WebSocketHandlerTest(tornado.testing.AsyncHTTPTestCase):
-    def get_app(self):
-        self.core = mock.Mock()
-        return tornado.web.Application([
-            (r'/ws/?', handlers.WebSocketHandler, {'core': self.core})
-        ])
+# We aren't bothering with skipIf as then we would need to "backport" gen_test
+if hasattr(tornado.websocket, 'websocket_connect'):
+    class WebSocketHandlerTest(tornado.testing.AsyncHTTPTestCase):
+        def get_app(self):
+            self.core = mock.Mock()
+            return tornado.web.Application([
+                (r'/ws/?', handlers.WebSocketHandler, {'core': self.core})
+            ])
 
-    def connection(self):
-        url = self.get_url('/ws').replace('http', 'ws')
-        return tornado.websocket.websocket_connect(url, self.io_loop)
+        def connection(self):
+            url = self.get_url('/ws').replace('http', 'ws')
+            return tornado.websocket.websocket_connect(url, self.io_loop)
 
-    @tornado.testing.gen_test
-    def test_invalid_json_rpc_request_doesnt_crash_handler(self):
-        # An uncaught error would result in no message, so this is just a
-        # simplistic test to verify this.
-        conn = yield self.connection()
-        conn.write_message('invalid request')
-        message = yield conn.read_message()
-        self.assertTrue(message)
+        @tornado.testing.gen_test
+        def test_invalid_json_rpc_request_doesnt_crash_handler(self):
+            # An uncaught error would result in no message, so this is just a
+            # simplistic test to verify this.
+            conn = yield self.connection()
+            conn.write_message('invalid request')
+            message = yield conn.read_message()
+            self.assertTrue(message)
 
-    @tornado.testing.gen_test
-    def test_broadcast_makes_it_to_client(self):
-        conn = yield self.connection()
-        handlers.WebSocketHandler.broadcast('message')
-        message = yield conn.read_message()
-        self.assertEqual(message, 'message')
+        @tornado.testing.gen_test
+        def test_broadcast_makes_it_to_client(self):
+            conn = yield self.connection()
+            handlers.WebSocketHandler.broadcast('message')
+            message = yield conn.read_message()
+            self.assertEqual(message, 'message')
 
-    @tornado.testing.gen_test
-    def test_broadcast_to_client_that_just_closed_connection(self):
-        conn = yield self.connection()
-        conn.close()
-        handlers.WebSocketHandler.broadcast('message')
+        @tornado.testing.gen_test
+        def test_broadcast_to_client_that_just_closed_connection(self):
+            conn = yield self.connection()
+            conn.stream.close()
+            handlers.WebSocketHandler.broadcast('message')
 
-    @tornado.testing.gen_test
-    def test_broadcast_to_client_without_ws_connection_present(self):
-        yield self.connection()
-        # Tornado checks for ws_connection and raises WebSocketClosedError
-        # if it is missing, this test case simulates winning a race were
-        # this has happened but we have not yet been removed from clients.
-        for client in handlers.WebSocketHandler.clients:
-            client.ws_connection = None
-        handlers.WebSocketHandler.broadcast('message')
+        @tornado.testing.gen_test
+        def test_broadcast_to_client_without_ws_connection_present(self):
+            yield self.connection()
+            # Tornado checks for ws_connection and raises WebSocketClosedError
+            # if it is missing, this test case simulates winning a race were
+            # this has happened but we have not yet been removed from clients.
+            for client in handlers.WebSocketHandler.clients:
+                client.ws_connection = None
+            handlers.WebSocketHandler.broadcast('message')