The TV broadcast date has been announced for the 98th Royal Variety Performance, the annual fundraising event for the Royal Variety Charity.
Attended this year by their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales, The Royal Variety Performance will be broadcast by ITV on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 21 December 2025 at 7.05pm.
Hosted by Jason Manford, this year’s Royal Variety Performance took place on 19 November 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and featured a number of West End musicals.
Paddington at the Royal Variety Performance
Smash-hit new West End show Paddington The Musical was one of the big shows to have performed at the Royal Albert Hall this year.
Paddington started performances in November, and officially opened last Sunday at the Savoy Theatre in London. Paddington reviews from the critics have been stellar, with five stars from the Guardian, Evening Standard, Daily Mail and more.
Their Royal Highnesses met Paddington Bear for the first time at the show, with Paddington and the cast performing live on stage. The show was introduced to the audience by the musical’s composer and lyricist, McFly’s Tom Fletcher.
Tom Fletcher’s song ‘One of Us’ from Paddington has been tipped as a Christmas Number One.
More photos of The Prince and Princess of Wales at the Royal Variety Performance >
More West End Shows
Other West End shows to perform at the event included Les Misérables, which celebrated its 40th anniversary with a 400-strong finale led by Michael Ball.
Also, Strictly’s Johannes Radebe sang a number from Kinky Boots the Musical, ahead of him bringing the show back to the West End next year; and Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure introduced the cast of West End show Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical.
Other special guest appearances included Stephen Fry, who appeared as Lady Bracknell direct from his acclaimed performance in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Noël Coward Theatre in London.
Laufey, Westlife, Jessie J & more
Music and entertainment acts included Westlife, Jessie J, Madness, Laufey, Harry Moulding, Tom Davis, Mick Miller, the cast of Dead Ringers, and America’s Got Talent winners Adrian Stoica and his dog Hurricane.
The Royal Variety Charity supports members of the entertainment industry with a nationwide grants scheme, supporting those who’ve worked or are still working professionally in the entertainment industry, but who are in need of financial assistance and other support.
Watching the Royal Variety Performance on TV
ITV broadcast the Royal Variety Performance in the UK, and the show will air on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 21 December 2025.
Also see: Royal Variety Performance 2025 – What we know so far
Savoy Theatre, London
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