Miranda Hart to host The Royal Variety Performance 2017
ITV has confirmed Miranda Hart as the 2017 host of The Royal Variety Performance.
Miranda is best known for her self-titled semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom.
The award-winning comedy writer and actress will preside over an ‘unforgettable evening’ of entertainment, in the presence of members from the Royal family.
On the roster this year are the legendary Kelsey Grammer who will be performing, with his cast, an exclusive extract from new musical Big Fish; plus The Killers, Seal, James Blunt, Louis Tomlinson, The Leading Ladies – Beverly Knight, Cassidy Janson and Amber Riley – and The Script, and Paloma Faith.
Also taking to the stage will be Britain’s Got Talent winner, pianist Tokio Myers; the West End casts of ‘Annie’ and ‘42nd Street’; the incredible Circus Abyssinia; Michael Ball and Alfie Boe; the mesmerising Cirque du Soleil plus comedians Jason Manford and Tom Allen.
“If you don’t mind me I am just going to smash a glass ceiling and be the first woman* to host the Royal Variety. That felt GOOD! It’s thrilling for me because of that, and because I am hugely proud to be part of such an important event in our comedy and variety heritage as the Royal Variety Performance. The young-wannabe-comedian me who watched the show every year, would be just as excited to hear that grown-up me is going to be hosting – only I’ll be doing it without the 1970’s pudding bowl haircut that made me look like a young male monk!” – Miranda Hart
The event is staged in aid of the Royal Variety Charity of which Her Majesty The Queen is a patron. Proceeds from the show help those people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance. The star studded event will take place on Friday 24th November with a screening – produced by ITV Studios – on ITV in December. The London palladium will once again play location host; the 41st time the event has come from the iconic venue.
*West end actress and television pioneer Noele Gordon became the first female to host the Royal Variety Performance in 1974. Noele hosted the show, alternating a small section with with Sunday Night at the London Palladium host Ted Rogers. ATV star Shaw Taylor introduced the series that year, providing backstage coverage at the start of proceedings. Miranda will be the first woman to host the evening as a solo presenter ITV state, however the Royal Variety archives, and the brochure for the 1974 evening, notes Noele Gordon as the solo host with Ted Rogers just one of the many guest stars on the bill.
“As much as ITV may want to rewrite history, thankfully the RVP documents of the time show the 1974 host as being Ms Noele Gordon, not Noele Gordon and Ted Rogers, not Noele Gordon, Ted Rogers and Shaw Taylor. No. Just Noele. Fact. End of.” – TV Critic Vivian Summers
