VE Day 80 concert viewers divided by unlikely performer as Zoe Ball leads tributes to veterans

The BBC marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with an incredible live concert, which begun with a special address from host Zoe Ball. The Radio 2 star welcomed viewers to the special VE Day 80: A Celebration to Remember on BBC One.

The concert featured performances from a number of famous faces at Horse Guards Parade, an iconic venue to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, with appearances from the likes of Samantha Barks and Fleur East.

John Newman, Victor Ray, Freya Ridings and Keala Settle were also on hand to perform tonight, as well as Calum Scott, The Darkness, Toploader, Tom Walker and classical singer Sir Willard White and cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Fleur opened the concert with an incredible performance, joined by the stars including Amy Dowden, Carlos Gu, Karen Hauer, Neil Jones, Lauren Oakley, and Kai Widdrington.

There were also special words from Dame Joan Collins, Dame Mary Berry, and Dame Sheila Hancock whilst actor Brian Cox also read out a powerful rendition of Winston Churchill’s iconic wartime speech.

At the start of the broadcast, Roman Kemp was backstage as he chatted about the show and introduced Zoe Ball. She teased she would be arriving with special 'props' and said she was excited to be hosting such a special concert.

"The atmosphere has been so joyous. I am telling everyone at home, you will cry tonight. The veterans will be telling their story. It means the - it's utterly terrifying," Zoe said of her hosting role.

The Prince and were the first to arrive, where they greeted veterans who had joined them in the Royal Box. A fanfare was then played as and arrived, where they spoke with veterans and evacuees.

Zoe then arrived on a sidecar with a Union Jack helmet, as she addressed the crowds. "Good evening and welcome to the VE Day 80. I am thrilled to be with you all here. Together, we can remember a very special day. We have transformed Horse Guards Parade into a special concert venue," she said, "Glorious sea of red, white and blue."

At the start of the event, they paused to pay tribute to the veterans in attendance as everyone stood to clap and wave their flags. One wrote: "This is proper emotional man! ," whilst another added: "Everyone at the concert wearing red white or blue."

Soap stars Michelle Hardwick, Claire Sweeney and were also on hand to perform, performing a tribute to The Andrew Sisters alongside a company of dancers. The , and stars looked worlds away from their soap characters - Vanessa Woodfield, Cassie Plummer and Honey Mitchell.

The Darkness were next to perform, where they played their track called I Believe In A Thing Called Love, and they got the crowd clapping along as the audience sang and danced along. However, users seemed puzzled by their inclusion.

"I mean I love The Darkness but that was bold. ," one said, as another shared: "Tbf, The Darkness was jolly, if a bit random. ." A third wrote: "Bet the Veterans are enjoying the randomness of The Darkness ." Another shared: "These 107 year old veterans of VE Day are loving The Darkness banging out I Believe In A Thing Called Love ."

Keala Settle took to the stage in a stunning silver dress to perform with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason for a beautiful rendition of When You Wish Upon A Star. There was then a special moment where the show was paused to remember the moment King George gave his now infamous speech as King Charles then made an appearance on stage.

Brian Cox then spoke the words of Winston Churchill's speech following a moving rendition of Land of Hope and Glory. Richard Armitage also read the heartbreaking story of Jeff Borsack's experiences in the war before Jeff joined Richard on stage to share his story in his own words. Everyone - including the Prince and Princess of Wales - were emotional as Jeff spoke about his parents.

Tom Walker kept things brimming with emotion in a beautiful rendition of his song Leave The Light On, as an orchestra played alongside him. "Tom Walker is the best so far ," one wrote. Another added: " performance on so beautiful he's amazing," with a third writing: "Brilliant performance by tom walker."

to mark the occasion with Larry Lamb and Nigel Havers starring in the skit alongside the likes of Daniel Mays and Kevin Eldon. Iain Glen, Sir Derek Jacobi and Alex Macqueen also starred in the skit.

Freya Ridings performed an emotional rendition of Lost Without You, peppered with the words of Margaret, the wife of one of the veterans, and the love letters she sent him throughout the war. He was joined in the royal box by his daughter Penny, who had said in the letters she had missed her father a lot and begged for him to come home.

Sir Willard White sang You'll Never Walk Alone as viewers learned more about the stories of those who had survived the war. Toploader then arrived to lift the mood with their track Dancing In The Moonlight.

Calum Scott closed the concert with a rendition of The White Cliffs of Dover, as the veterans and evacuees who joined the 12,000 at the concert sang along from their seats in the crowd. Samantha Barks closed the show with Vera Lynn's We'll Meet Again, showcasing her blossoming baby bump as she revealed she was nine months pregnant with her second child.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on , , , , , and .