Variety show appearance as Geraldine

Peter Kay is to appear at this year’s Royal Variety Performance for the first time in a decade, in the guise of his spoof talent-show winner Geraldine McQueen.

The televised show takes place in the London Palladium on December 11 – perfectly timed to help his bid for the Christmas No 1 with his song Once Upon A Christmas.

Kay’s character will appear alongside genuine talent show winner, 15-year-old George Sampson, who will be performing a new dance routine that he hopes will top the Singin' In The Rain number with which he won Britain's Got Talent.

Other comics performing at the show are Jimmy Carr, Michael McIntyre and the comparatively lesser-known Rhod Gilbert, whose profile will be given a huge boost from the appearance in from of the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Armstrong and Miller will also be performing a one-off sketch featuring characters from their BBC One show.

Other acts on the bill include Take That, Pussycat Dolls, Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Duffy and Cliff Richard and The Shadows, who are re-forming especially for the show.

The Royal Variety Performance, now in its 80th year, raises money for the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund and will be shown on BBC One in December.

Published: 17 Nov 2008