The Royal Variety Performance is a gala evening held annually in the United Kingdom, which is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family.
The performance showcases a variety of family entertainment including comedy, singing, dance, magic and other speciality acts. The event is organised on behalf of the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund of which Queen Elizabeth is patron. All proceeds are donated to the fund.
The Royal Variety Performance traditionally aired annually in South Africa on M-Net on New Year's Eve. The show moved to DStv's BBC Entertainment channel for 2010 and back to M-Net (simulcast in HD) in 2011.
The 85th Royal Variety Performance took place in the UK at the London Palladium on 25 November, 2013 and aired in the UK on ITV on 9 December, 2013.
The 85th Royal Variety Performance aired in South Africa on M-Net on Tuesday 31 December 2013, at 23h00. The special was two hours long.
About the Show
There isn't a show in the history of show-business, nor indeed in the history of television, that compares to the Royal Variety Performance.
With numerous shows over more than 100 years is a feat unsurpassed, and the very best in entertainment from around the globe has been presented year after year since the show's origins in 1912.
The quality and diversity of legendary performers over the years is both extraordinary and breathtaking and The Royal Variety Performance continues to thrive to this day, forming a major part of the entertainment industry's annual calendar with a worldwide TV audience of over 150 million.
The Royal Variety Performance is presented annually in aid of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund (the EABF), now often known as simply the Royal Variety Charity; the first show being staged in 1912 when His Majesty King George V and Her Majesty Queen Mary attended the first Royal Performance.
The Royal Variety Performance is attended by senior members of the British Royal Family, usually the reigning monarch. The reigning monarch either attends in person or is represented by another member of the royal family.
Almost every conceivable sort of act has at one time or another been presented to the monarch at the Royal Command Performance, including The Beatles in 1963, The Supremes in 1968 and The Blue Man Group in 2005.
Since 2007, one act of the Royal Variety show has been selected by the British public through the ITV1 television talent show Britain's Got Talent.