From Lifted Entertainment, part
of ITV Studios/ Matt Crossick THE ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE TUESDAY
20TH DECEMBER 2022 on ITV1 Pictured: Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
and Sophie, Countess of Wessex Photographer: Matt Crossick Multi
award winning comedian and actor Lee Mack is to host The Royal
Variety Performance 2022 from the magnificent Royal Albert Hall in
London. The event will be held in the presence of The Earl and
Countess of Wessex. In honour of Queen Elizabeth II long
association with The Royal Variety Performance there will be a
unique celebration as world-renowned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber,
award-winning Gary Barlow and Gareth Malone accompanied by members
of the London Youth Choir, perform a very special version of
‘Sing’. The evening will be a spectacular celebration featuring
exceptional performers, world class theatre, outstanding singers
and hilarious British comedy. Stars lined up to appear are Disco
Soul R&B sensations Nile Rodgers & Chic, Brit Award winner
George Ezra, multi award-winner Ellie Goulding, Eurovision star and
singer Sam Ryder, and powerhouse pop star Becky Hill. After winning
a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, the dazzling cast of the
musical Cabaret take to the stage with an exclusive performance.
Plus, Disney’s Newsies perform a sensational extract from their
Tony award-winning musical, which opens in London later this month.
Returning to the RVP stage with a death-defying display from their
latest show Kurios are Cirque Du Soleil. Hollywood star Rita Wilson
and Grammy Award winner Gregory Porter will perform a stunning
duet, plus Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and The Lightning Seeds
entertain the audience with a very special rendition of their hit
‘Three Lions’. The evening will also feature magic from the
phenomenal German duo The Ehrlich Brothers, a classical moment from
soprano Fatma Said, plus a hair-raising performance from Giffords
Circus. Plus, comedy from Al Murray - The Pub Landlord, Maisie
Adam, Omid Djalili and this year’s Britain’s Got Talent winner Axel
Blake. The event is staged in aid of the Royal Variety Charity. The
money raised from the show helps those people from the world of
entertainment in need of care and assistance. (C) ITV For further
information please contact Peter Gray Mob 07831460662 /
peter.gray@itv.com This photograph is (C) ITV and can only be
reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the
programme ROYAL VARIETY PERFORMANCE 2022 or ITV. Once made
available by the ITV Picture Desk, this photograph can be
reproduced once only up until the Transmission date and no
reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a
fee. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other
publication or website, or permanently archived, without the
express written permission of ITV Picture Desk. Full Terms and
conditions are available on the website www.itvpictures.com
The Earl and Countess of Wessex and
Forfar have attended Royal Variety for the first time. This is also
the first time this event has been held since the death of Queen
Elizabeth II.
Their Royal Highnesses arrived at the
Royal Albert Hall, behind Prince Albert Gate of Kensington Park, in
the evening of Thursday, 1st December.
They were welcomed by residents of
Brinsworth House, an elderly care facility that is one of the
charities supported by the event.
They were gifted a copy of the
evening’s programme and a bouquet of flowers for the Countess. The
programme featured all of the acts of the evening, as well as a
tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, who has been the
organisation’s sole patron for the last 70 years.
The Earl and Countess of Wessex at the Royal Variety
Show (ITV press centre)
The bouquet of white flowers also
included foliage picked on that same morning at Brinsworth House
gardens, and was delivered by two little girls in their sparkly
dresses.
The Earl and Countess also stopped to
chat with Ms Joan Williams, a Brinsworth House resident who shares
a very special connection to the Royal Family, as she was part of
the crew that shot footage and photographs between 1968 and 1969
for BBC’s landmark documentary “Royal Family”.
Some of her photographs are now a
part of the permanent exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery
of London, of which the now-Princess of Wales is patron.
Once the Royal couple took their
seats, the performance and its recording started. The show was
hosted by Lee Mack and included appearances from singers Gary
Barlow, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra and Tom Ryder, actress Rita
Wilson, comedian Axel Blake (the winner of this year’s edition of
Britain’s Got Talent) and many many more.
It will air for the public on ITV1
and ITVX on the 20th of December, just 4 days before the same
television chain will also air the Princess of Wales’ Christmas
concert.
The Royal Variety Performance is a
star-studded gala performance that includes acts from different
personalities, and it supports the Royal Variety Charity, which
works with former employees of the entertainment industry, offering
them help if they need it.
The event is usually attended by
members of the Royal Family, with the duty usually falling on the
late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the now-King Charles and
Queen Camilla, Prince William and the Princess of Wales, or the
Princess Royal. Now that the line of succession to the throne has
changed and many members of the family are no longer considered
actively working Royals, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Forfar
have stepped up to undertake this duty, and there is little doubt
that they will become part of the royal couples that rotate through
the years for attendance.
