The Royal Variety Performance 2009
ITV1 London, Wednesday 16 December 7:30pm - 10:00pm The last time this show was staged in Blackpool, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were treated to performances by Jimmy Jewel and Ben Warriss, George Formby, Arthur Askey and a pair of young comedians called Morecambe and Wise. But that was in 1955, long before Simon Cowell turned us into a nation of talent-show addicts. This year, the line-up includes dance troupe Diversity, mezzosoprano Faryl Smith (both from Britain's Got Talent) and last year's X Factor winner, Alexandra Burke, alongside some more, shall we say, seasoned performers such as Bette Midler and Whoopi Goldberg. The emphasis seems to be on singing: aside from host Peter Kay and turns from Jason Manford and Paddy McGuinness, comedy doesn't seem to feature heavily on the bill, so Her Majesty won't have much to be amused about. But there's certainly an interesting mix of styles. We imagine the royal party will enjoy listening to Katherine Jenkins, Lulu and Michael Bublé, but what on earth will they make of Lady Gaga and Mika?
VIDEO Plus+: 167413
Subtitled, Widescreen
Directed by: Simon Staffurth
Radiotimes
