Revisit the Royal Variety Performance 2025 with videos of Paddington, Les Misérables & more

It may have been last year already, but we are still glowing from the spectacular West End musicals that performed at the Royal Variety Performance 2025!

The Royal Variety Performance is the annual fundraising event for the Royal Variety Charity, and the latest event – the 98th! – was attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales at the Royal Albert Hall.

You can watch highlights of the Royal Variety Performance on ITVX in the UK.

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.

Alongside these videos of performances from the 2025 Royal Variety Performance, also take a look at photos from this year’s Performance.

Book the shows featured in the Royal Variety Performance 2025 >

Les Misérables celebrates its 40th birthday

The finale of the Royal Variety Performance saw a spectacular, show-stopping performance from Les Misérables, as the show celebrates its 40th anniversary in London.

The world’s longest-running musical was 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 then 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 ‘One Day More’.

Do You Hear The People Sing

One Day More

Les Mis in rehearsals

Paddington in the Royal Albert Hall

Smash-hit new West End show Paddington The Musical was one of the big shows to perform at the Royal Albert Hall.

Paddington has now officially opened at the Savoy Theatre in London – and 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 musical was introduced to the audience by the musical’s composer and lyricist, McFly’s Tom Fletcher.

Jason Manford interviews Paddington at the Royal Albert Hall

Highlights from the Paddington performance

Kinky Boots starring Johannes Radebe

The award-winning musical Kinky Boots wowed audiences at the Royal Albert Hall during the Performance.

The hit show is coming back to the West End in March, starring Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe, who joined the cast of the show for a rousing rendition of ‘Raise You Up’.

Kinky Boots is playing at the London Coliseum for a strictly limited West End season from 17 March to 11 July 2026.

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Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical

Also at the 2025 Royal Variety Performance, Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure introduced the cast of West End show Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical.

There was also 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 weeks at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, and must end on 7 February 2026.

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More West End shows & Performers

Other West End shows featured at the Royal Variety Performance included a special guest appearance by 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.

Music and entertainment acts this year include 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.