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Operation Mincemeat, Samantha Barks, Fleur East, Brian Cox, Keala Settle, Derek Jacobi, Nigel Havers & Daniel Mays perform at the concert

West End stars took centre stage last night, at the BBC’s VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember concert on 8 May 2025.

The final event of the BBC’s coverage marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day, VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember was a spectacular live concert for 12,000 people at Horse Guards Parade in London, presented by Zoe Ball.

A wealth of stage and screen stars performed at the concert, including the West End cast of hit World War II musical Operation Mincemeat, who sang ‘Sail on, Boys’ from the show.

Also performing were West End stars Samantha Barks (Les Miserables, Frozen), Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman); and the new star of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, Fleur East.

VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember
Watch now on BBC iPlayer >

Samantha Barks sang wartime anthem ‘We’ll Meet Again’ at the concert, with Calum Scott singing “The White Cliffs of Dover”.

Keala Settle performed ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ accompanied by renowned cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Fleur East opened the show, backed by Strictly Come Dancing professionals Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Karen Hauer, Neil Jones, Lauren Oakley and Kai Widdrington.

Photos: VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember

Celebrated West End actor Brian Cox (Succession, The Score, Make It Happen) delivered a powerful re-enactment of Winston Churchill’s iconic wartime speech during the event; and actor Richard Armitage read the wartime experiences of Jeff Borsack before Jeff joined Richard on stage.

Also audiences enjoyed a nostalgic revival of Dad’s Army, featuring Kevin Eldon, Iain Glen, Nigel Havers, Sir Derek Jacobi, Larry Lamb, Alex Macqueen and Daniel Mays.

Other performances at the concert came from John Newman, Victor Ray and Freya Ridings, alongside The Darkness, Toploader, Tom Walker, and legendary classical singer Sir Willard White sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’.

Also, Emma Barton (EastEnders), Claire Sweeney (Coronation Street) and Michelle Hardwick (Emmerdale) performed as the Beverley Sisters in the show.

In addition to the musical performances, Dames Joan Collins, Mary Berry and Sheila Hancock spoke in recorded segments about the commemoration of VE Day.

Throughout the concert, veterans told their stories of love, loss and resilience, and shared their unique experiences of VE Day.

VE Day 80 - A Celebration to Remember
VE Day 80 – A Celebration to Remember, hosted by Zoe Ball

Zoe Ball said in a statement ahead of the event: “I’m truly honoured to play a small role in the celebrations of such a momentous occasion. My dear Dad Johnny Ball was six years old on VE Day, his memories of that time are incredible. Our great grandparents, and grandparents, our families, our nation went through so much. The bravery and sacrifices of so many for our freedom, we must always remember and this will be a very special night with some magnificent performances.”

Before the concert started, Sophie Raworth was in St James’s Park in London with celebrity guests, and backstage reporters joined the performers taking part and veterans sharing their wartime memories.

The two hour event was broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, from 8pm on 8 May 2025. You can now watch the concert on BBC iPlayer.

In other events yesterday, Wicked star Zizi Strallen performed ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’ at the VE Day 80th anniversary service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on 8 May.

UPDATES: First published 7 May 2025 with the line-up for the event; Updated 8 May 2025 with further details of the line-up; Updated 9 May 2025 with further details and a link to BBC iPlayer.

Operation Mincemeat

Fortune Theatre, London

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Operation Mincemeat
Main photo: VE Day 80 - A Celebration to Remember - BBC. Samantha Barks and Keala Settle (Screenshots)

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