When Cher met... Bradley Walsh! Royal Variety Performance reveals its 2023 line up

The nights are getting longer, the days are colder and Christmas is just around the corner.

All those events, when added up, can only mean one thing – it’s time for the Royal Variety Performance, that cheerful annual jamboree that, in a way, takes us back in time to an era when variety shows were the height of showbiz sophistication.

So, if you’re a fan of this cosily old fashioned form of entertainment, then this should be the highlight of your televisual year.

King George V and Queen Mary were the royal attendees for the first show back on July 1, 1912. The King must have enjoyed it a lot because he said from then on he would attend an annual variety show provided the profits went to the Variety Artistes Benevolent Fund.

It was later renamed the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund, and is now known simply as the Royal Variety Charity. But one thing that hasn’t altered over the years is the fact it enjoys royal patronage. Unfortunately, the event didn’t take place for 16 years due to the World Wars and various periods of royal mourning, but for the past few decades, it’s been a mainstay in our calendars.

This year’s shindig took place at London’s magnificent Royal Albert Hall on November 30, with the Prince and Princess of Wales in attendance, alongside the Crown Princess of Sweden and her husband Prince Daniel, Duke of Vastergotland. Now we’re getting a chance to see how the participants, including Britain’s Got Talent Winner, Norwegian comedian Viggo Venn, got on – if he was wearing his trademark hi-vis costume, we should certainly be able to spot him: “I wear so many high-vis because it’s really cold in Norway,” he told the audience during the BGT final.

It’s pretty chilly over here at this time of year, although we’re promised several heart-warming performances, as host Bradley Walsh was quick to note: “I am so excited to be presenting this year’s show. It’s been 30 years since I first performed at The Royal Variety Performance, so what an absolute honour to be hosting. The line-up is incredible and I can’t wait for you all to see what I have in store.”

Cher headlines the evening, performing a track from her new Christmas album, and there’s also a 100th anniversary celebration of Disney to enjoy featuring the casts of West End hits The Lion King, Frozen, Aladdin, Hercules and Beauty & the Beast. Be prepared for an emotional tribute to theatre impresario Bill Kenwright too, who passed away in October. It will be performed by his fellow Liverpudlian Melanie C and stage star Ben Forster.

Also appearing are McFly as part of their 20th anniversary celebrations, the mighty Hannah Waddingham, Rick Astley, Paloma Faith, Beverley Knight, Tom Allen, Rosie Jones and Ellie Taylor.

Plus, pianist Lang Lang appears alongside Lucy, the remarkable 14-year-old winner of Channel 4’s The Piano.

We’re sure everything went well, but even if the odd moment misfires, the acts and routines come thick and fast – so there’s always something else to look forward to.