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.
