Lee Mack will be taking charge at the prestigious event (Picture: Reuters)
Lee Mack went back to his roots to practice for the 2022 Royal Variety Performance.
The 54-year-old comedian and Not Going Out star will host the prestigious event at London’s Royal Albert Hall as the nation pays tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II following her death in September.
Tonight is a big one for Lee, who has performed on the show before but will be hosting for the first time.
Reflecting on his preparation, he said: ‘Whenever I’m doing a tour or a new stand-up show I always go along to my local comedy club and try out loads of nights there, but of course this is a bit different.
‘So, I’ve been to my local comedy club and I literally said to them, ‘This is the Royal Albert Hall, you are a member of the Royal Family and you are in the Royal Box”.
‘I pointed at people in the audience and gave them all a job and then performed like it was the Royal Variety Performance and tried some things out. It’s the first time I’ve ever turned up at a gig in my suit and a dicky bow.’
Queen Elizabeth II will be honoured at the event (Picture: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Despite the pressure, Lee is ‘excited’ to be following in the footsteps of some of the show’s iconic hosts over the years, including late icons like Sir Bruce Forsyth and Bob Hope.
‘Very excited. I used to watch it growing up with the family so I’m so pleased to be able to host this big wonderful variety show,’ he added.
‘I’ve performed at the Royal Variety before, but to host it feels very different because the amount of people who have hosted the show over the years, some of the greats like Bob Hope and Bruce Forsyth.’
There’s also the joy of just trying something new, and he has promised viewers that the organisers have ‘lots of surprises’ planned.
He said: ‘I’m looking forward to be able to do things I wouldn’t normally be doing and getting involved with other things. I’m a massive fan of doing stuff that I don’t normally do, like playing in Soccer Aid or being a magician’s assistant. So, things that weren’t part of the job when I started.
Lee Mack has performed at the show before (Picture: Jonathan Hordle/ITV/Shutterstock)
‘We’ve got lots of surprises up our sleeves and to be able to host a night where you are literally swinging the pendulum from a slow song to acrobats, the variety is incredible and to be able to welcome these people on stage is going to be great.’
The Queen will be honoured at this year’s show – the first since her death – as composer Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber, singer Gary Barlow and choirmaster Gareth Malone are accompanied by members of the London Youth Choir to perform a version of Sing.
Stars also lined up to appear at the prestigious event are Disco Soul R&B band Nile Rodgers & Chic, Brit Award winner George Ezra, multi-award winner Ellie Goulding, Eurovision star Sam Ryder and pop star Becky Hill.
The cast of the musical Cabaret, who have won seven Olivier Awards, will take to the stage, and Disney’s Broadway musical Newsies will perform an extract from the Tony award-winning show.
In terms of comedians, Al Murray as The Pub Landlord, Maisie Adam, Omid Djalili and 2022’s Britain’s Got Talent winner Axel Blake are part of the stacked lineup, which also features a duet from Rita Wilson and Gregory Porter, Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and The Lightning Seeds, and a performance from Cirque Du Soleil.
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MORE : The Queen will be honoured at 2022 Royal Variety Performance, hosted by Lee Mack
The Not Going Out star will be at the helm.
