Christmas Actually
Christmas is all around you at the ultimate festive variety show, curated by Love Actually creator Richard Curtis, with hosts Sanjeev Bhaskar and Jayde Adams.
A feast for all the senses, this witty and enchanting evening captures all the fun and laughter of Christmas through a treasure trove of entertainment, as a starry line-up, including Flo & Joan and Miriam-Teak Lee, performs live music, Christmas stories, poetry and comedy.
With the curation of the writer behind Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, this is a night of collective merriment celebrating exactly what makes this time of year so special.
Actor and writer Sanjeev Bhaskar gained notoriety as creator and performer of the BBC hit series Goodness Gracious Me. His film roles have included It’s a Wonderful Afterlife, London Boulevard and The Zero Theorum.
Bhaskar led the cast in the BAFTA Award-winning television series Indian Doctor and has also appeared in the West End as King Arthur in Eric Idle’s Spamalot. He wrote and starred in The Kumars at No. 42 which had global success winning two Emmys, a BAFTA nomination, a British Comedy Award and the Bronze Rose at Montreaux.
In 2007, Bhaskar embarked on a highly personal journey through modern India with the BBC to commemorate 60 years of Indian independence. His accompanying travel book became a Sunday Times bestseller.
Since then, Bhaskar has starred in ITV's Unforgotten, now on its sixth series. He has a returning role in the DC Comics series Sandman for Netflix and returns as Dr Jafri in Paddington in Peru (2024).
Actor and comedian Jayde Adams holds the title of the ‘third funniest woman in the world. Fact,’ as endorsed by Dawn French. Adams has taken the spotlight in BBC Two’s double BAFTA-winning series Alma’s Not Normal and the Take That movie Greatest Days, in addition to appearing in BBC’s The Outlaws and Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens. Furthermore, she is the co-creator and titular character of the upcoming ITV sitcom, Ruby Speaking.
Adams was the winner at the prestigious Funny Women awards and shortly after gained a nomination for the coveted Edinburgh Fringe Best Newcomer award, since then she’s impressively steered her career to new heights. This multifaceted journey includes hosting her own Netflix food show with Heston Blumenthal, Crazy Delicious, a BAFTA-nominated venture Snackmasters with Fred Siriex on Channel 4, and competing in Strictly Come Dancing in 2022.
Prior to this, Adams recorded her inaugural Amazon Prime special, Serious Black Jumper, which amassed 200 million views worldwide, and was named on the Emmy long list in The Hollywood Reporter.
Flo & Joan are the multi-award winning musical comedy duo, and sisters, Nicola and Rosie Dempsey. The piano/percussion pair have headlined and played to sold-out audiences across the UK, North America and Australia including festival appearances at Glastonbury, Latitude, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and JFL Montreal Comedy Festival. Their hour-long special is now streaming in over 200 countries on Amazon Prime.
A hugely acclaimed live act, Flo & Joan’s last show Sweet Release was their fifth full-length show and their most critically and commercially successful show to date. Totalling 148 performances, the tour was twice-extended and also included runs at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The pair have had high-profile television appearances on Live at the Apollo (BBC2), The Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day (BBC1), Jonathan Ross’ Comedy Club (ITV) and The Russell Howard Hour (Sky) and their songs regularly go viral online, amassing over 75 million views across social media.
Musical theatre star Miriam-Teak Lee was recognised for her work creating the role of Juliet in &Juliet with an Olivier Award, a WhatsOnStage Award and Black British Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
She was also part of the original West End cast of Hamilton (Victoria Palace), and had a standout role in On the Town (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) which marked her professional debut and earned her the Best Actress in a Musical prize at the 2017 Stage Debut Awards.
Lee's musical talents have also been showcased in LMTO’s A Christmas Carol at The Lyceum Theatre and as a soloist in The Ljubljana Music Festival with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. She trained at the Arts Educational Schools London and The Morgan Aslanoff Dance School.
A Senbla and Roast Productions presentation. Senbla and Roast Productions will donate a proportion of proceeds from the show to Comic Relief.
Need to know
For ages 8+
The performance on Sunday 10 December at 7.30pm is British Sign Language interpreted (BSL).
To book tickets for BSL interpretation, email [email protected] or call us on 020 3879 9555.
You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
Find out more about our Access Scheme
All our Access & facilities information
Dates & times
7 – 11 Dec, 3pm & 7.30pm
Price
- Standard entryFrom £25.50*
- Concessions25%**
* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.
Book as early as you can to ensure the best choice of tickets. Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
** Limited availability. Read about concessions.
Tickets can only be sold through the Southbank Centre and our authorised agents, and can't be resold. If your plans change, you're welcome to exchange your tickets for another performance within the run of Christmas Actually. Tickets resold on any third-party platforms will become invalid.
Get presale tickets
Members get the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.
Venue
Royal Festival Hall
Our number one priority is the health and wellbeing of our visitors and staff.
The Royal Festival Hall is open to all for access to the Level 2 foyers and toilets, Level 1 and Changing Places toilets, the National Poetry Library, Skylon, Riverside Terrace Cafe, Southbank Centre Shop and Members' Lounge at the following times:
*The Royal Festival Hall is open Mon & Tue, 10am – 6pm**; Wed – Sun, 10am – 11pm.
**On event days, the Royal Festival Hall building remains open until the end of the event.
Our address is: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. The nearest tube and train stations within 5 – 7 minutes walk are Waterloo (Northern, Bakerloo, Jubilee and Waterloo & City lines) and Embankment (District & Circle lines). There are also lots of bus routes with stops 2– 5 minutes from our venues. For more information on getting here by road, rail or river, see below.
Pre-booking online is recommended. Check our website on the day for returns. There’s no need to print your e-ticket – just show your phone to our Visitor Assistants on entry.
Some free events don't require a ticket. Found an event labelled FREE on our website with no way to book? Simply turn up on the day.
If you don't receive your e-ticket
Your e-ticket will be sent to you seven days before the event date from [email protected]. If you don't receive your e-ticket, and it's not in your junk or spam folder, please get in touch.
More information
Find out all you need to know about tickets, including concessions, group bookings, returns, credit vouchers and more, via the link below.
As well as a 2,700 capacity auditorium, the Royal Festival Hall is also where you'll find our Welcome Desk and Ticket Office, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe, The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge and Skylon.
Toilets
Toilets, including accessible toilets, are open on Level 2 of the Royal Festival Hall.
A Changing Places toilet is located on Level 1 Royal Festival Hall next to the JCB Glass Lift, for the exclusive use of disabled people who need personal assistance to use the toilet.
The facility includes a height-adjustable bench, tracking hoist system, a centrally-placed toilet, a height-adjustable basin and a shower. The facility is open daily 10am – 11pm.
Please visit the Welcome Desk on Level 2, Royal Festival Hall, where a member of staff can provide you with the key. You can also use the phone next to the Changing Places toilet to speak to a member of staff.
Cloakroom
There's a cloakroom in the Blue Side Foyer, Level 4, Royal Festival Hall. It’s £1 per item, card only. The cloakroom opens about an hour before ticketed events, and closes around 15 minutes after the performance ends. It can be accessed via Lifts 4 & 5, Blue Side, Royal Festival Hall.
Any sized item can be left in our cloakroom, including fold-away bicycles. We don’t accept non-folding bicycles. Items must be collected on the same day they are stored. From time to time, the cloakroom may not be available. You won’t be able to bring any bags over 40 x 25 x 25cm into the auditorium of the Royal Festival Hall or the Queen Elizabeth Hall, or into the Hayward Gallery, so please leave large bags at home.
Items are left in our cloakrooms at the owner’s risk, and we cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage, from any cause, to these items.
We're cash-free
Please note that we're unable to accept cash payments across our site.
Booking wheelchair positions
When booking a wheelchair position in the Royal Festival Hall for large motorised wheelchairs (more than 65cm wide), please book in the rear stalls or side stalls. Boxes aren't able to accommodate larger wheelchairs due to limited space. If you have any queries, please contact [email protected] or call 020 3879 9555.
Entering the hall
For level access to the Royal Festival Hall from the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road, please use the Southbank Centre Square Doors. The JCB Glass Lift is situated at this entrance and will take you to all floors. All floors are accessible from the main foyer on Level 2. If you need further assistance, our Visitor Assistants are here to help you.
You can also use the external lift near the Artists' Entrance on Southbank Centre Square to reach Mandela Walk, Level 2.
We welcome wheelchair users and guide companion dogs.
More about Access & facilities
Parking
Blue Badge holders and those with access requirements can be dropped off on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road off Belvedere Road (the road between the Royal Festival Hall and the Hayward Gallery).
There are four Blue Badge parking spaces available for visitors located on the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road. Spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and are free to use. You must display your Blue Badge as you enter the site. Vehicles that do not display a Blue Badge are refused entry.
Blue Badge parking at National Theatre
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can be found at the National Theatre car park (330 metres). If you are visiting the Hayward Gallery, just take your badge and car park ticket to the Ticket Desk in the gallery foyer for validation before you leave.
Please note: when the National Theatre building is closed (on Sundays, and on days without performances) there is no step-free access from the car park. Please contact the National Theatre directly to check before travelling. Call 020 7452 3961 or email [email protected]
Alternative parking is available nearby at the APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park (490 metres), subject to charges.
Blue Badge parking at APCOA Cornwall Road
Alternative parking for Blue Badge holders visiting the Southbank Centre can also be found at the South Bank Car Park – APCOA Cornwall Road Car Park. Just take your badge and car park ticket to the parking attendant office at the entrance to the car park for validation before you leave.
A drop-off point at the Royal Festival Hall (30 metres) has been created for visitors who are unable to walk from alternative car parks.
Our Access Scheme
If you have any access requirements, please sign up to our Access Scheme for discounts, wheelchair spaces, dedicated seats and free companion tickets. You can also join our mailing list to get news about accessible events and exhibitions.
From a snack with coffee to cocktails and fine dining, plus some of London's best street food – it's all here on the Southbank Centre site.