Royal Variety Show: Michael Ball, Samantha Barks, Marisha Wallace and Sheridan Smith among line-up

The Royal Variety Show will be going ahead this year!

Taking place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, the televised event will be shown via ITV in December, highlighting all the best of the performing arts live on stage.

Samantha Barks will give her first televised performance from Frozen ahead of next year's eagerly anticipated West End premiere, while Sheridan Smith will perform as Cilla Black, a glimpse of her touring role in Cilla – which had its 2020 run postponed due to the pandemic.

Marisha Wallace will perform live, while Stephen Mulhern will entertain audiences with his menagerie of magical tricks. Kenyan acrobats The Black Blues Brothers will be present, while comedy comes courtesy of Jon Courtenay, Jo Caulfield and Daliso Chaponda.

Celeste, Melanie C and Steps are also on the bill, while Michael Ball will be accompanied by the NHS Choir and a virtual Captain Thomas More to sing "You'll Never Walk Alone". Gary Barlow will also feature, while the evening will be hosted by comedian and performer Jason Manford.

Taking place on 29 November, a broadcast date is to be revealed, with the Prince of Wales set to attend.

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