This year’s Royal Variety Performance will take place at 8 PM GMT on Thursday, December 1. However, the show will not be broadcast live. Instead, ITV will be showing the show on TV closer to Christmas (it is expected to show on the 20th of December according to ITV’s website).
You might want to clear your schedule, though, since it’ll run for two and a half hours. With rumored performances from Nile Rodgers & Chic, George Ezra, Ellie Goulding, and many other great acts, there’s going to be something for everyone. Read on to find out how to stream The Royal Variety Show online, even if you’re traveling abroad.
It’s important to note that we’ll only be recommending official sources for this event. Given that this show is airing several weeks apart in different countries, unlicensed streams are almost inevitable; however, we advise against using them. These tend to offer poor-quality video, plus they can be taken offline without warning for copyright violation. With legitimate ways to watch in numerous countries, there’s no reason to resort to unreliable third-party sources.
The Royal Variety Performance will only be shown on geo-restricted streaming services. If there are no official broadcasters in your country, you’ll need a VPN to watch.
How to stream The Royal Variety Performance abroad
Most streaming services rely on the user’s IP address to find out which country they’re in. However, when you connect to a VPN, all these services can see is the IP address of the server you’re using. This means you can connect to a server in another country and access region-locked platforms from abroad. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up a VPN so you can watch The Royal Variety Performace online.
Here’s how to watch The Royal Variety Performance from anywhere:
- Start by signing up for a suitable VPN if you haven’t already. We recommend NordVPN but Surfshark and ExpressVPN are both excellent alternatives.
- Find the appropriate version of the app for your device. Download it, install it, and log in.
- Next, decide which of the official Royal Variety broadcasters you’d like to unblock.
- Connect to a VPN server in the appropriate location. If you’d like to unblock ITV Hub, for instance, you’d use a British server, while Foxtel would require an Australian server.
- Log in to your chosen service (you may need a payment method linked to an address in the required country) and play a video. It should load immediately, but if not, you can fix most problems by clearing your browser’s cookies and reloading the page.
To prevent you from missing the start of the show due to unforeseen technical problems, we recommend taking a couple of minutes ahead of time to make sure your VPN works as expected. If it doesn’t, you’ll have plenty of time to contact your VPN’s customer support for help.
How to watch The Royal Variety Performance for free on UK TV
As ever, The Royal Variety Performance will be broadcast exclusively on ITV in the UK. This means that you can stream the whole event for free on ITV Hub. Just remember that the show will not be broadcast live, it will air on ITV closer to Christmas so keep your eyes peeled for an official date.
You will have to create an account beforehand but this is very simple and only takes a minute. Note that while this service asks for a UK postal code during registration, there’s no verification process and any valid postal code will be accepted.
Have other plans on the day that it airs? Don’t worry; ITV Hub adds recently-aired shows to its on-demand library shortly after they air. These are usually available for at least a week afterward, so you’ll have plenty of time to watch the show whenever works best for you.
ITV Hub is region-locked and only available in the UK. However, you can still use it from abroad by connecting to one of your VPN’s British servers. Don’t have a VPN yet? ExpressVPN includes a 30-day money-back guarantee that allows you to try it out risk-free. If you’re not impressed, you can just cancel during this period to receive a full refund, no questions asked.
Where else can I stream The Royal Variety Performance online?
The British royal family might be the main focus of The Royal Variety Performance but this event will actually be shown in several countries around the world. Take a look below to find out which networks are showing it where you are:
Australia
As usual, the Royal Variety Performance will be available to stream on UKTV on Foxtel. As yet, an exact date for the broadcast is not known so keep your eyes on the local press. If you’re already a Foxtel TV customer, you can watch the whole event online using the Foxtel Go app.
If you don’t have cable (or are with a different provider), don’t worry: you can also stream The Royal Variety Performance online for free with a Foxtel Now account. These start at $25 AUD per month, but there’s a 10-day free trial. As such, you can sign up, stream The Royal Variety Performance, and cancel your account to avoid being charged.
Foxtel services are geo-restricted and won’t work outside of Australia. Although, if you have a VPN, you can use an Australian server to unblock Foxtel Go and Foxtel Now abroad.
Canada
Canadian viewers have a slightly longer wait since this year’s Royal Variety Performance won’t air until December 28 at 4 PM EST. The event will be broadcast on CBC, which means you can watch online for free using CBC Gem.
Note that while you don’t have to create an account to use this service, you will have to be in Canada or connected to a Canadian VPN server.
Other locations
If you live in a Commonwealth country, it’s likely there’ll be an official Royal Variety Performance broadcaster. However, broadcast dates vary from one country to another. Your public TV networks are a good place to start looking, but don’t worry if you can’t find any information; it’s possible that the event is still a few weeks away in your country and that the TV schedule hasn’t been updated yet.
Who is taking part in the 2022 Royal Variety Performance?
The Royal Variety Performance is always a star-studded affair and this year’s event is no different. It’s hosted by award-winning comedian and actor Lee Mack and features performances from several well-known acts, some of which we’ll list below:
- Lewis Capaldi
- Robbie Williams
- Emilé Sande
- Frank Skinner
- Kerry Godliman
- Harry Connick Jr.
- Colin Thackery
- Luke Evans
- The cast of the Mary Poppins stage show
