BLACKPOOL is to host this year's Royal Variety Performance in the presence of The Queen.
The Gazette can reveal an agreement has been secured with broadcaster ITV and the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund (EABF) for the prestigious show to be held in the Winter Gardens' Opera House on Monday December 7.
It will be screened on TV on Sunday December 13.
It is understood that parties involved have this week received confirmation from Buckingham Palace that Her Majesty would be in attendance.
An official announcement will be made in the next 24 hours and will be seen as a huge boost not only for the Winter Gardens and the local entertainment industry but to Blackpool as a whole.
>> Robin Duke on why this is such big news.The spin-off benefits and raised profile of the resort will be a major fillip for the town's economy.
It will be The Queen's first visit to the resort since 1994 to the Tower's centenary celebrations.
The monarch was also present on the only previous occasion the show was staged in Blackpool – in 1955.
On that occasion George Formby, Arthur Askey, Reginald Dixon and a young Morecambe and Wise were on the bill.
The line-up for this year's extravaganza has yet to be released.
But one group that will definitely be performing is street dance crew Diversity, the recent winners of the hugely popular Britain's Got Talent.
For the full story, see Wednesday's Gazette.
