VIDEO: On the Red Carpet of The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals

For one night only, The National Lottery brought the biggest shows from the world of musical theatre together in Manchester for a spectacular celebration that will be aired on BBC One this Saturday (29th January 2022).

Check out red carpet interviews below!

Hosted by Jason Manford and filmed at the AO Arena in Manchester in front of an audience of 13,000, The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals shined a light on the magic of live musical shows as theatres across the UK look to welcome audiences back after a challenging two years. The evening also celebrated the £228 million of funding that has supported performing arts and more than 2,000 theatres throughout the pandemic, all thanks to National Lottery players.

Jason Manford opened the one-off event with a special rendition of Razzle Dazzle and All That Jazz, which set the stage for performances from 13 of the UK's best-selling shows, including numbers from Andrew Lloyd Webber's School of Rock, Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical, Dear Evan Hansen, and Dreamgirls.

The show was full of surprises and saw, for the first time ever, the casts of Frozen the Musical, Beauty and the Beast and Disney's The Lion King come together for a special medley of their iconic hits. Beverley Knight also took to the stage as part of her starring role in The Drifters Girl, before a showstopping finale from the cast of Tina - The Tina Turner Musical who performed a trio of the show's hit songs.

Jason Manford, the host of The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals, said: "The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals was a truly unforgettable night and I am honoured to have been the host for an evening that saw some of the best shows perform from the West End and from touring productions across the UK. The National Lottery has been supporting the arts for many years and I'm delighted to be part of an event that raised awareness and encouraged people to get back out there and see live performances once more."

Nigel Railton, CEO of National Lottery operator Camelot, comments: "Thanks to players, The National Lottery has and will continue to provide vital support to the performing arts industry, at a time when they need it most. Without funding, many theatres would not have been able to survive the impact of the pandemic, so this event was a way of saying a massive thank you to all of the National Lottery players who have helped contribute to keeping the theatre industry alive. We hope this incredible show will inspire many to get back to their local theatre and enjoy live performances once more!"

The National Lottery's Big Night of Musicals will be aired on BBC One this Saturday (29th January 2022) at 7pm. Performances from the event will also be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday 30th January, 1-3pm, and will be available both live and for 30 days afterwards on BBC iPlayer.