The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash

The last day of each year is traditionally when we take a moment to pause and reflect on the 12 months that brought us here – but it’s also time for a knees up.

Hosted by Jason Manford and Alesha Dixon, this spectacular show is packed with unique performances and one-off collaborations from the likes of Westlife, Sugababes, Tom Grennan, Adam Lambert, Joel Corry, RAYE, Katherine Jenkins, Cirque du Soleil to name but a few.

It will also take a closer look at some of the popular culture highlights, key sporting moments and worldwide events that have impacted the UK throughout the year.

This year was full of highs and lows, none more so than Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which marked 70 years on the throne, and her death in September at the age of 96.

Hundreds of thousands of people filed past her coffin as she lay in state at Westminster Hall, before she was buried with her parents and beloved Prince Philip.

In May, legendary Swedish band ABBA launched Voyage, a concert held at a purpose-built arena near London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, while Sam Ryder notched up the best UK performance at Eurovision for years, a more-than respectable second place behind Ukraine.

That same month, Real Madrid beat English club Liverpool by a single goal to win the UEFA Champions League final.

Sticking with football, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 kicked off in July, and England’s Lionesses brought home the bacon – making rightful household names of scorers Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly, while the nation basked in the hottest summers ever, with 40°C recorded for the first time in the UK.

Politics was an eventful arena in 2022, from Boris Johnson’s resignation to Liz Truss entering the history books as the country’s shortest-ever serving PM, taking office on 6 September and stepping down on 20 October. In between, her and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini budget caused economic chaos for the UK.

Meanwhile, in July, the country held its breath as the long-awaited verdict in the ‘Wagatha Christie’ trial, between Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy, was handed down.

Reader, the latter lost.

August saw the launch of the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where England again took a healthy second place in the medals table, while Ofgem unveiled an 80% rise in the price cap on household energy bills.

October saw Just Stop Oil protesters throw soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting in the National Gallery, and the Rugby League World Cup. delayed from 2021, finally kicked off.

It remains to be seen whether any of these will feature in the New Year’s Eve Big Bash, but Jason Manford’s looking forward to a great evening. He says: “I’m delighted to be hosting with Alesha. It’s going to be an incredible show, bringing the nation together to celebrate the most memorable moments of 2022.”

Alesha chimed in: “Think of it as a huge house party with an amazing line-up and a few hidden extras along the way! Get dressed up and come party with us – we’ve got your evening sorted.”

Sounds like our kind of invitation.