Jason Manford will host for the third time. The show is on 20 November at the Royal Albert Hall and will air on television in December.
Andrea Bocelli, James Blunt and Idina Menzel will lead the stars at this year’s Royal Variety Performance. Comedian Jason Manford will host for the third time, which the source describes as his sixth appearance on the show, “in line with Tommy Cooper and Ken Dodd”. Bocelli will mark 30 years since he became an international star. The 99th Royal Variety Performance takes place on Friday 20 November 2026 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The line-up
Menzel, the original Elphaba in Wicked, will sing “The Wizard and I” with the musical’s composer, Stephen Schwartz. Blunt, a star of Celebrity Traitors, will perform, as will the former Desperate Housewives actress Vanessa Williams, who will sing her 1992 hit “Save the Best for Last”. Singer Jack Savoretti will make his Royal Variety debut. There will be a medley from the revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar, led by Sam Ryder.
The cast of Billy Elliot the Musical will perform “Electricity” before the show returns to the West End. There will also be a preview of “The Greatest Show” from the upcoming West End musical The Greatest Showman. This year’s Britain’s Got Talent winners, the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir, will perform after becoming the first choir to win the show.
Comedy comes from Mock the Week star Milton Jones and the comedian Phil Wang. The acrobatic duo the Ramadhani Brothers, and head balancer Veronika Ivanova from the circus show Cirque Alice, will make their European debuts. The musical Operation Mincemeat will bring current and original cast members together. They will be joined on stage by the Royal Naval Association Choir, members of the Band of His Majesty’s Royal Marines, the Band of the Irish Guards and the Band of the Welsh Guards Fanfare Team. Tenor Alfie Boe will lead the national anthem.
Mr Manford said: “What a huge privilege to be asked to host The Royal Variety Performance for a third time. It’s an amazing line-up in aid of a wonderful charity, so I can’t wait for everybody to see what surprises we have up our sleeves this year.”
Tickets and the aftershow
The Royal Variety Charity said on 26 February that the show would be staged on 20 November at the Royal Albert Hall, according to the research notes, and tickets went on general sale the next day. They have now sold out. One route remains, a VIP prize draw, which is a fundraising competition and not a guaranteed ticket. Entries start at £5. The prize is two premier seats, access to the aftershow party and a night in a four-star hotel with breakfast.
The aftershow will be at London’s Natural History Museum and includes a reception, food, drinks, live entertainment and dancing. The charity says a limited number of separate aftershow tickets remain.
The performance is recorded for television and not shown live. It will air in the UK in December, with international broadcasts over Christmas and New Year, but no exact UK date or time has been confirmed.
The charity and the audience
King Charles has been patron of the Royal Variety Charity since May 2024, succeeding Queen Elizabeth II, and attended the 2024 show. The Prince and Princess of Wales attended in 2025, according to the notes. Organisers say senior royals will attend this year, but no individuals have been named.
The performance raises money for Brinsworth House in Twickenham, a residential and nursing care home for people who have worked professionally in entertainment. The charity says it has 32 bedrooms and a recently refurbished wing, following a renovation completed in 2023. It also gives financial grants to entertainment professionals facing illness, accidents or hardship, and in 2024 set up a service for mental health difficulties including anxiety, depression and addiction. The charity says the show reaches a combined international television audience of more than 152 million. It began in 1912, radio broadcasts started in 1926, and it has been televised annually since 1960. The 2026 show is the 99th performance, which is not the same as the 99th consecutive year.
