![Royal Variety Performance 2025 – What we know so far: Paddington, Les Misérables & more [Updated]](https://www.westendtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/The-Royal-Variety-Performance-2025-hosted-by-Jason-Manford-Main-photo-ITV-with-Johannes-Radebe-in-Kinky-Boots-Photo-Pamela-Raith-and-Paddington-Photo-Jay-Brooks.jpg "Royal Variety Performance 2025 – What we know so far: Paddington, Les Misérables & more [Updated]")
The latest news and updates about the Royal Variety Charity’s annual Royal Variety Performance 2025, the UK’s biggest showbiz charity event attended by the Royal Family, and starring a spectacular line-up of West End shows, pop stars, comedians, entertainers and more.
Held every November at the spectacular Royal Albert Hall in London, the Royal Variety Performance is one of the theatrical highlights of the year, showcasing a number of big West End musicals.
UPDATES
- Watch the Royal Variety Performance 2025 on streaming platform ITVX in the UK
- Photos released of this year’s Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall
- Watch the ITV trailer for the Royal Variety Performance
- The Royal Variety Performance 2025 is broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK on Sunday 21 December 2025 at 7.05pm
- Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales to attend this year’s Royal Variety Performance
- Paddington appears at the Royal Variety Performance, with the cast of hit West End show Paddington The Musical
- Book tickets to the West End shows featured on the Royal Variety Performance
What date was the Royal Variety Performance 2025?
This year’s Royal Variety Performance 2025 was held on Wednesday 19 November 2025. The date was first announced by the Royal Variety Charity on 27 February 2025.
Where is the Royal Variety Performance 2025?
As in previous years the 2025 Royal Variety Performance was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, one of the UK’s finest concert halls, seating over 5,000 people.
Can I watch the Royal Variety Performance on TV?
Yes, ITV broadcast the Royal Variety Performance in the UK. This year’s Royal Variety Performance is to be broadcast on ITV on Sunday 21 December 2025, at 7.05pm.
Watch the ITV trailer
Who hosted the 2025 Royal Variety Performance?
This year’s hosting duties went to acclaimed comedian and actor Jason Manford (Something Rotten).
Check out these first-look photos of Jason, on stage at the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance 2025.
Which members of the Royal Family attended this year’s Royal Variety Performance?
The Royal Variety Charity confirmed that Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales attended this year’s Royal Variety Performance.
This is the sixth time that Their Royal Highnesses have supported the annual fundraiser, with previous visits in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Last year, the Royal Variety Performance was attended by the Royal Variety Charity’s new Patron, HM The King.
Photos from the Royal Variety Performance 2025
Check out the latest photos of the Royal Variety Performance, released by ITV. The photos feature the West End shows performing on the night, including Les Misérables, Kinky Boots, Just For One Day and Paddington The Musical. (Photos courtesy of ITV).
More photos from the Royal Variety Performance
Also take a look at the other acts playing at this year’s Royal Variety Performance, including Westlife, Madness, Laufey, Jessie J and Katherine Jenkins.
The Prince and Princess of Wales & Paddington
Also released following the show in November, were photos of The Prince and Princess of Wales attending the Royal Variety Performance.
The Prince and Princess of Wales Attend the Royal Variety Performance 2025. Photos by Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace
Further photos of the show, including performers and on-stage shots, will be added to this article over the coming weeks.
Reviews of this year’s Royal Variety Performance
Reviews from the critics are coming out for this year’s Royal Variety Performance 2025.
★★★★★ Paul Vale in The Stage gave this year’s show five stars, saying that, “host Jason Manford is a joyful presence, providing a healthy dose of Northern wit and a celebration of pantomime as we head into the festive season” and that the Les Misérables finale to the show was the “largest and most spectacular finale to a Royal Variety Performance ever.”
Further reviews to be added.
Who are the performers of this year’s Royal Variety Performance?
Performers were announced in October for this year’s 2025 show, and a number of big name music stars, comedians, and the casts of some of London’s biggest West End shows took part.
West End shows: Les Misérables, Paddington the Musical, Stephen Fry & more
Les Misérables played the Royal Variety Performance this year, in a special year for the show as it celebrates its 40th anniversary in London.
Les Misérables was the finale act of the whole Performance, introduced by the musical’s composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyricist Alain Boublil and producer Cameron Mackintosh. 400 performers from 11 amateur productions of Les Mis took over the vast stage of the Royal Albert Hall with a stirring rendition of ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’. They were joined by Les Misérables stars from across the 40 years including Michael Ball, Matt Lucas, Katy Secombe, Bradley Jaden and Killian Donnelly, and the Paris cast of the show.
The casts of the West End and Paris shows also performed, alongside amateur companies from all over the UK, singing a medley of the show’s hits.
New shows who made their debut at the Royal Variety Performance included Paddington The Musical, the hugely anticipated new West End musical which opened at the Savoy Theatre in London on 1 November. The musical was introduced to the audience by its composer and lyricist, McFly’s Tom Fletcher. There was also a very special guest appearance by Paddington Bear!
More West End fun came from Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe, who is starring in a revival of award-winning show Kinky Boots the Musical. Johannes plays drag queen Lolo in the musical, and performed scene-stealing number ‘Sex Is in the Heel’ on the Albert Hall stage, ahead of the show returning to the West End’s Coliseum Theatre next year.
Other musicals performing on the night included Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical, with a special introduction from pop stars Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, and moving testimony from former BBC journalist Michael Buerk, and Anglo-Swiss nurse and advocate on behalf of suffering people in the developing world, Claire Bertschinger. The joyous West End musical Just For One Day is now in its final months at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London.
Finally, Sir Stephen Fry made a special guest appearance at the Royal Variety Performance as Lady Bracknell! Stephen Fry is currently starring in a glittering new production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest at the Noel Coward Theatre in London.
Book tickets to shows featured on the Royal Variety Performance
Singers & musicians
- Westlife performed a rousing version of ‘World of Our Own’ at the event this year
- Opera star Katherine Jenkins led the National Anthem at the event
- Jessie J performed ‘I’ll Never Know Why’ from her upcoming album
- Much-loved band Madness made their Royal Albert Hall debut at this year’s Royal Variety Performance
- Grammy award-winning Laufey brought her music to the Royal Albert Hall, singing ‘Lover Girl’
- Katherine Jenkins sang ‘Golden’ with the KPop Demon Hunters
Magicians & Entertainment
- Magical mind-reading illusions came from Britain’s Got Talent winner Harry Moulding
- Japanese acrobatic dance troupe Airfootworks performed their fusion of street dance and acrobatics
Stand-up & Comedy
- Comedy from Tom Davis and Mick Miller
- The cast of hit BBC series Dead Ringers
- America’s Got Talent winners Adrian Stoica and his border collie, Hurricane
The Royal Variety Performance 2024
Read more about last year’s Royal Variety Performance 2024, including videos, photos, reviews of the performance and more.
You can also watch the show on ITVX.
See more Photos of the Royal Variety Performance 2024 and check out Videos of the performance
Savoy Theatre, London
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