National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals announces full lineup

The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals has revealed its full lineup and announced a final release of tickets for the event, which takes place on Monday 26 January at Manchester’s AO Arena.

Now in its fifth year, the event will be hosted by Jason Manford and brings together performances from West End productions, touring shows and National Lottery-funded organisations. The evening marks more than £1.4 billion of funding awarded to over 29,000 theatre-related projects across the UK over the past 31 years.

Newly announced productions joining the programme include The Lion King, Oliver!, Sunny Afternoon and Paddington The Musical. The night will also feature a performance from Annie, with La Voix appearing as Miss Hannigan, alongside a Disney medley and a special number involving a National Lottery-funded choir with The Choir of Man.

These join previously announced performances from Miss Saigon, Jesus Christ Superstar featuring Sam Ryder, The Producers, Wicked and I’m Every Woman: The Chaka Khan Musical, with Alexandra Burke playing Chaka Khan.

Each National Lottery player may reserve up to four tickets, subject to availability, with proof of purchase of a National Lottery product required. Further details and registration information can be found via the event’s official website.

The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in spring 2026, with a compilation programme of highlights from previous years currently available on BBC iPlayer.