Features

”Big Night of Musicals” on the BBC – line-up, cast, numbers and more details from broadcast

Alex Wood

Alex Wood

| London |

24 March 2023

The cast of Hamilton on stage
The cast of Hamilton on stage
© Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for The National Lottery)
The Big Night of Musicals event, organised by the National Lottery, is heading for BBC One (and BBC iPlayer) and we’ve got a cheat sheet for everything that’s happening on the night! Want to know who’s performing, what they’re performing and more? Here’s the guide for you.

Starting at 7.50pm, the event (filmed at Manchester’s AO Arena last month) is being broadcast over 90 minutes, featuring 13 shows that we’re running through below.

Before we get to that, why not watch an exclusive video of stars from the show raving about their time in Manchester – and the one thing they think Manchester is known for:


The evening is hosted by the ever-vibrant Jason Manford. Here are the numbers appearing and the songs they’re performing (we’re not sure if the running order is being updated for the broadcast!) but this was the set list:

– Brenda Edwards and the cast of We Will Rock You perform the titular song

– Lauren Byrne and the Matilda cast perform a medley of “Naughty”, “Revolting Children” and “When I Grow Up”

– Helen George and Darren Lee perform “Shall We Dance” from The King and I

– The company of Six perform “Haus of Holbein” and “Six”

– Nathania Ong performs “On My Own” from Les Misérables

– Jason Manford, Flash Musicals and Pendleton Choir perform “From Now On” from The Greatest Showman

– Antony Lawrence, Joanne Clifton and Brandon Lee Sears perform “I’m A Believer” from Shrek the Musical

– Bronté Barbé and the cast of Newsies perform “King of New York”

– Melody Thornton performs “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard

– The cast of Ain’t Too Proud perform a medley of “My Girl” / “Get Ready” / “I Can’t Get Next To You”

– Laura Pick performs “Defying Gravity” from Wicked

– The cast of Hamilton perform “My Shot”

– Michael Ball performs “Love Changes Everything” from Aspects of Love

– The cast of Mamma Mia! perform “Mamma Mia” / “Dancing Queen”

The event will also include a special behind-the-scenes look at Heathers the Musical and an appearance from Aspects of Love composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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