With tickets priced at just £2, plus proof of purchase of a Lottery ticket, The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals is always the best deal in town. Now the price drops even lower—to free—as the show is broadcast on BBC One and made available on iPlayer.
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals 2025 was filmed in front of an audience of over 12,000 at AO Arena Manchester in January to mark 30 years of The National Lottery supporting and funding over 20,000 theatre related projects. The show provides musical numbers from ten of the UK’s best West End and touring productions.
It is hosted by Jason Manford with special guests including Daniel Mays, Michael Ball and Marisha Wallace. There is a particularly moving performance of "The Impossible Dream" by Vicky McClure’s Our Dementia Choir accompanying Michael Ball, and musical theatre stars of the future unite for a special performance from Billy Elliot.
Marisha Wallace takes to the stage to perform "Maybe This Time" from Cabaret, Layton Williams stars in hilarious new comedy Titanique and Carrie Hope Fletcher takes viewers to the wild, wild west with Calamity Jane. Other highlights include numbers from the casts of Chicago, Mary Poppins, Mean Girls and a UK TV first from Disney’s Hercules. Performances from Here and Now: the Steps Musical, Jim Steinberg’s Bat Out Of Hell and Dear Evan Hansen complete the line-up.
The show also takes audiences behind the curtain to follow Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe’s musical theatre debut in Kinky Boots and offers a preview of the exciting shows set to hit UK theatres in 2025.
The National Lottery’s Big Night of Musicals airs on BBC One and iPlayer on 22 March at 6.50pm