Jazz hands at the ready… to celebrate a whopping 30 years of National Lottery funds helping theatre and performing arts projects across the UK, Big Night of Musicals 2025 returns for a spectacular night featuring performances from some of the best musical theatre shows around.
Here’s what we know so far…
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals 2025 release date
The event itself took place on Monday, January 27 at the AO Arena Manchester, and will be broadcast on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer on Saturday, March 22 at 18.50pm.
The show will air for 1 hour and 35 minutes on the BBC.
Who’s hosting Big Night of Musicals?
Pulling the whole thing together and making sure the night runs smoothly is actor, comedian and West End star Jason Manford, who fronts the show for the fourth time. "It's a real treat," he says. "It's a real honour to host this lovely show and I’m chuffed it’s in my hometown of Manchester for its fourth year. I'm an advocate of theatre, and I'm really proud that, with Big Night of Musicals, we're able to bring West End quality shows up to the northwest."
What's the atmosphere like in the AO Arena on the night?
"It’s absolutely incredible," says Jason. "You've got 12,000 people in there; kids with their parents and sometimes two or three generations of the same family. So it’s a really special night and it's free… and we know everyone loves a free night out!"
What musical performances can we expect to see?
Among the all-singing, all-dancing productions taking to the stage will be Mean Girls, Bat Out of Hell, Calamity Jane, Dear Evan Hansen, Disney’s Hercules and Here & Now: The Steps Musical, which Jason is particularly looking forward to catching a glimpse of.
"There were musicals I knew nothing about, like Titanique, a parody of the film Titanic told through Celine Dion songs. It rocked the room and I reckon it’ll be one of those sleeper hits," says Jason. "There’s also Here & Now: The Steps Musical. I appeared in Curtains in 2020 alongside its star Rebecca Lock, who’s got a cracking voice.
"Musicals are not all ‘jazz hands’; some will make you laugh, some you’ll cry - but all our performances give theatre-goers an insight into what musicals could be coming to a town or city near you!"
Will Jason be performing himself?
A seasoned theatre performer, Big Night of Musicals just wouldn’t be the same without a star turn from the host with the most. And this time Jason's teaming up with Line of Duty actor Daniel Mays to perform the song A Musical from West End show Something Rotten!
"I was in Something Rotten! last summer, so I knew the song already - Daniel had to learn it en route to Manchester," explains Jason. "We had two hours on Sunday to learn the dance routine, then perform it with the dancers. On Monday - show day - we rehearsed with the orchestra, then worked the routine into the show, walking through the audience and onto the stage. Danny’s a generous performer - and the matching sequin jackets were all his idea!"
We also know that Vicky McClure's Our Dementia Choir graces the stage for a special performance...
That's right! The members of Our Dementia Choir are joined by none other than theatre legend - and their singing hero - Michael Ball OBE for an emotional rendition of The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha.
"All the singers in that choir either have dementia themselves or are affected by it - many are fans of Michael Ball, so getting to perform with him in front of thousands is incredible," says Jason. "When your memory starts fading, musical memories are often the last thing to go. You hear of those with dementia not remembering names, faces or where they are but then a song comes on and they know every word. It’s a beautiful performance that really shows what music can do."
There must be lots of challenges to keeping a show like this running smoothly?
There certainly are! Luckily, Big Night of Musicals is in a very safe pair of hands.
"There's lots of plates to spin: Rehearsing a musical number, keeping the 13,000-strong arena audience engaged, while playing down the camera to all those watching at home, too," says Jason. "We had a technical glitch, so I was asked if I could fill time - as a stand-up comedian, that’s literally my job! When we had a technical problem in The Wizard of Oz, I was fully dressed as Cowardly Lion doing stand-up - I'd never done stand-up with a tail!
How are these theatre productions supported by The National Lottery?
They say ‘the show must go on’ but there are instances where that may not have been possible for some theatre productions without financial support from the National Lottery.
"To put £1.3 billion into theatre alone is amazing. Following the pandemic, a lot of these theatres wouldn't be open or these shows still in production, if it wasn't for National Lottery funding," says Jason, who can’t believe the national lottery has been running for 30 years. "It’s amazing, isn't it? I remember when it first started - but I've still only ever won a tenner!"
Is there a trailer for the Big Night of Musicals 2025?
No, sadly there isn't a trailer yet, but as soon as one is released by the BBC we will add it to this guide.
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