Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM

Alexander Armstrong will take over as host of Classic FM's flagship daytime show, from 9am to noon on weekdays.

Xander has had regular weekend shows for several years now, adding one hundred thousand to his listener numbers in the last year alone. Tune in to hear him on digital, online, or on a smart speaker, from 9am on Monday 1st June.

Have I Got News For You

Alexander Armstrong will present HIGNFY on Friday 24th April, at 8.30pm on BBC1. The guest panelists are Emma Barnett and Henning Wehn.

Due to the coronavirus lockdown, the show has no live audience. Additionally, participants make their contributions from home. What's Xander's wallpaper like? What books does he have in his bookcase? This is your chance to find out.

Heavenly Gardens

As part of the BBC's Easter programming, Alexander Armstrong and garden designer Arit Anderson will visit six spectacular gardens steeped in faith and spirituality.

From The Bishop’s Palace in Somerset to Pluscarden Abbey in the Highlands of Scotland; from Cambridge University’s stunning Botanic Garden to Alnwick Castle’s newly transformed garden in Northumberland; from Scone Palace’s gardens of kings in Perthshire to Sudeley Castle’s sacred connections in the Cotswolds, Alexander and Arit celebrate the significance of gardens in the Easter story itself. They will get hands on in these sacred places, meeting the custodians of these glorious gardens to pick up gardening tips and discover the very special and surprising spiritual significance of each place.

Alexander Armstrong says:

I’ve always loved gardens. They’re beautiful places to enjoy plants, flowers, fruits and nature’s changing seasons. Most of all though, for me, they’re spiritual retreats from the modern world. This is a dream programme for me, celebrating some of the UK’s most sacred gardens and meeting the amazing people whose physical and spiritual lives are intertwined in them.

The two episodes are at 1.40pm on Good Friday, 10th April and 1.50pm on Easter Sunday, 12th April, both on BBC1.

Have I Got News For You

Alexander Armstrong will host post-election Have I Got News For You on Friday, 13th December.

Have I Got News For You is normally recorded on a Thursday evening for broadcast the following day, but this special will be recorded on the Friday morning, in order to have the most up-to-date news about the elecftion. The guest panelists are Jon Richardson and Nicky Morgan.

The All New Monty

A new lineup of celebrities will strip off to raise awareness of cancer in intimate areas in The All New Monty, this May on ITV.

Led as before by Ashley Banjo and Alexander Armstrong, the male participants this year include Love Island winner Jack Fincham, Emmerdale’s Kelvin Fletcher, King of the Jungle Joe Pasquale, snooker legend Willie Thorne, Crimewatch’s Rav Wilding, Dancing on Ice star Matt Evers, and footballer Jason Cundy.

The men's show is on Monday 9th May, at 9pm on ITV, and the women's at the same time the following night.

Taking part in Ladies' Night, led by Victoria Derbyshire and Coleen Nolan, are legendary tennis icon Martina Navratilova, EastEnders star Laurie Brett, Love Island’s Megan Barton-Hanson, So Solid Crew’s Lisa Maffia, TOWIE’s Danielle Armstrong, and Benidorm’s Crissy Rock.

All the participants in both men's and women's shows have a personal link to cancer: they have or had it, or someone close to them has.

Xander said:

I am absolutely delighted this series will be returning following last year’s successful show in raising awareness of male cancer. I am proud to be a part of such a great cause alongside Ashley and I am looking forward to being involved in another fantastic show. With this year’s group of lads we will be looking to raise the bar and ensure it’s a night no one will forget!

Previous Monty programmes have been extremely successful in raising awareness of testing for testicular and prostate cancer in men, and breast and cervical cancer in women, and I'm sure this will continue with this year's show.

So that's Monday and Tuesday 6th and 7th May for the men's and women's shows, both at 9pm, on ITV.

The Real Full Monty Live nominated for an RTS Award

The Royal Television Society (RTS) is an educational charity promoting the art and science of television. It presents annual awards for the very best television in the previous year.

The Real Full Monty Live has been nominated in the Live Event category. The show, presented by Alexander Armstrong and Ashley Banjo, followed a group of celebrity men as they rehearsed the iconic strip routine from the end of the film, The Full Monty, culminating in a live performance.

The Real Full Monty Live, and its 2017 predecessor The Real Full Monty, have proved very successful in encouraging men to get checked for prostate and testicular cancer. This year's performance has already been filmed, and will be shown later this Spring.

The presentation ceremony for the RTS Awards will be at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, on Tuesday 19th March. We wish The Real Full Monty Live luck!

Tickets for The All New Monty available now!

As in the last two years, Alexander Armstrong and Ashley Banjo will be presenting (and performing!) a strip routine with a group of other male celebrities to raise awareness of men's cancers. Coleen Nolan and Victoria Derbyshire will lead a women's performance to raise awareness of women's cancers.

With Ashley and Xander in the men's performance will be former snooker professional turned commentator Willie Thorne, King of the Jungle Joe Pasquale, Strictly Come Dancing professional Gorka Marquez, Love Island winner Jack Fincham, Emmerdale star Kevin Fletcher, comedian Joe Pasquale, Crimewatch host Rav Wilding, Dancing On Ice skater Matt Evers and footballer Jason Cundy.

Xander said:

I am absolutely delighted this series will be returing following last year’s successful show in raising awareness of male cancer. I am proud to be a part of such a great cause alongside Ashley and I am looking forward to being involved in another fantastic show. With this year’s group of lads we will be looking to raise the bar and ensure it’s a night no one will forget!

This year's live performance will be recorded on Tuesday February 19th, at Alexandra Palace Theatre in Wood Green, north London, for broadcast in March. You can get tickets here.

Monty the Third

ITV have announced that there will be another pair of The Real Full Monty programmes this year, aimed at raising awareness of men's and women's cancers. As with last year, there will be a men's show, recreating the iconic strip sequence from The Real Full Monty, and a Ladies Night. Both will be choreographed by Ashley Banjo.

In both years so far, Alexander Armstrong has co-presented with Ashley as well as taking part in the dance. So far only a couple of celebrities have been announced for this year's men's show (Kelvin Fletcher of Emmerdale and Love Island's Jack Fincham) plus of course Xander as Ashley's co-host! More on dates once I have them.

Broadcast date confirmed for Royal Variety Performance

The Royal Variety Performance, which was recorded last month, will be broadcast on ITV at 7.30pm on Tuesday 11th December.

Hosted by Greg Davies and in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, this year's Royal Variety Performance includes the casts of Hamilton and Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, Take That, George Ezra, Andrea and Matteo Bocelli, Cirque de Soleil, Lost Voice Guy, Rhod Gilbert, Rick Astley, and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

Also taking part are Alexander Armstrong and the cast of The Imitation Game playing a round of the panel show. According to The Stage's review, it "provided one of the biggest laughs of the evening". Should be good!

The Imitation Game at the Royal Variety Performance

The Royal Variety Performance 2018 took place on the evening of Monday 19th November, and was recorded for broadcast by ITV some time in December. As always a huge spread of entertainment styles took part, including the casts of Hamilton and Tina - The Tina Turner Musical, Take That, Clean Bandit, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and last year's Britain's Got Talent winner, Lost Voice Guy.

Alexander Armstrong hosted a round of ITV panel show The Imitation Game which, according to The Stage's review, "provided one of the biggest laughs of the evening".

The performance was attended by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. More on transmission dates once I have them.

Alexander Armstrong will bring your Best Christmas Ever!

Alexander Armstrong will present Best Christmas Ever! for ITV. He'll be joined by celebrity guests who are on a mission to truffle out the elements of the top Christmas.

The show will be filled with fun, chat and live music as Xander’s guests go head-to-head to get their favourite bits of Christmas voted ‘the best’ by the studio audience. Much like the big day itself, there’ll be games, sing-song and polite but firm disagreement as the festive guests battle it out to crown the best ever Christmas food, song, movie and much, much more. Will anyone champion the humble sprout? Can Noddy Holder beat Mariah to claim ‘best song’? And do some people really open their presents after lunch?

The programme will air on Sunday 16th December at 9pm on ITV.

We Are Most Amused And Amazed

We Are Most Amused And Amazed is a spectacular night of comedy and magic from The London Palladium, to celebrate the 70th birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales and raise funds for youth charity The Prince’s Trust.

Reuniting comedians Armstrong & Miller as hosts, the show also features the very best comedians and magicians from Britain and beyond: from the world of comedy, Bill Bailey, Rowan Atkinson, Sandi Toksvig, Omid Djalili, Mischief Theatre, and Alistair McGowan, as well as magicians Penn & Teller, Dynamo, and The Ehrlich Brothers.There are also special appearances from Kylie Minogue, Cheryl, Jim Carter and Wallace & Gromit.

We Are Most Amused And Amazed airs on Tuesday 13th November at 8pm, on ITV.

Saluting Dad's Army starts 6th November

2018 is the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of that great sitcom, Dad's Army. As part of their celebrations, Gold channel will be showing a documentary, Saluting Dad's Army, presented by Alexander Armstrong.

The 4-part series will look at the comedy's history and legacy, and explore its enduring huge popularity. Xander said:

I'm thrilled to be involved in marking the 50th anniversary of the phenomenon that is Dad's Army. I've spent a lifetime enjoying the brilliance of Jimmy Perry, David Croft and the extraordinary cast. Now I get to explore everything from the birth of the show to its wonderful legacy and aim to bring fans new insights into the show we all loved so much.

The series starts on Tuesday 6th November at 8pm, on Gold channel.

Alexander Armstrong, Pointless, and The Real Full Monty longlisted for National Television Awards

Alexander Armstrong and two of the programmes he presents have been longlisted for the National Television Awards.

 

Xander is nominated as Best Presenter (as is Richard Osman), Pointless as Best Quiz Show, and The Real Full Monty is nominated in the Factual Entertainment category.

Votes must be in by 11pm on Friday 26th October. The shortlist will be announced in January, and the awards ceremony takes place on 22nd January.

Please cast your votes here. We wish Xander, Pointless, and The Real Full Monty well.

Armstrong and Miller reunite to celebrate Prince Charles' birthday

Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller will host a comedy and magic show on October 22nd at the London Palladium, to mark the Prince of Wales's 70th birthday. The night of stand-up and illusions will raise funds for the Princes Trust.

The show, including Rowan Atkinson, Bill Bailey, Omid Djalili, Penn & Teller, and Dynamo, will be recorded for broadcast at a later date, Tickets can be booked here. Xander said:

This is going to be a night from the very topper-most drawer. What a colossal honour it is to be hosting such a dazzling line-up for HRH and best of all I’ll be alongside my lovely old friend Ben thingy.

 Ben added:

Alexander Armstrong and I are delighted to be hosting Prince Charles’ favourite comedians and magicians at the Palladium, and all in a very good cause: relaunching our comedy careers. And raising a few quid for the Prince’s Trust of course.

The logical date for this to be broadcast would be on Prince Charles' birthday, 14th November, but who can fathom the ways of TV schedulers? More info when I have it.

Alexander Armstrong to host Have I Got News For You

Alexander Armstrong will present Have I Got News For You on Friday 5th October, at 9pm on BBC1.

The team captains are Ian Hislop and Paul Merton, as always, and the guest panelists are Naga Munchetty and Josh Widdecombe.

The Imitation Game: transmission dates confirmed

The Imitation Game is a hilarious new panel show based around celebrity impressions, and hosted by Alexander Armstrong. Each week team captains Rory Bremner and Debra Stephenson are joined by two other impressionists to take part in a series of fast-moving challenges, re-enact iconic movie scenes, re-voice news footage, blast out some surprising cover versions and put unlikely words in the mouths of all kinds of celebrities.. How would Donald Trump sing a Rihanna song? What would happen if Cher met Nigel Farage?

The first of seven episodes will be broadcast on Sunday 2nd September, at 10.05pm on ITV. I was at the pilot of this and it was really very good. Highly recommended.

Saluting Dad's Army

Alexander Armstrong will present a 4-part documentary, Saluting Dad's Army, to mark the 50th anniversary of the show's first broadcast.

It will look at the comedy's history and legacy, and explore its enduring huge popularity, and will be broadcast on Gold channel later this year.

Xander said:

I'm thrilled to be involved in marking the 50th anniversary of the phenomenon that is Dad's Army. I've spent a lifetime enjoying the brilliance of Jimmy Perry, David Croft and the extraordinary cast. Now I get to explore everything from the birth of the show to its wonderful legacy and aim to bring fans new insights into the show we all loved so much.

The Real Full Monty nominated for Grierson Award

The Grierson Awards recognise and celebrate documentaries from Britain and abroad that have made a significant contribution to the genre and that demonstrate quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence. They are the biggest event in the UK documentary calendar.

The Real Full Monty, presented by Alexander Armstrong and Ashley Banjo, has been nominated in the Best Entertaining Documentary category. The awards ceremony is on 5th November at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Our very best wishes for the night to everyone involved with The Real Full Monty.

Two Classic BRIT Award nominations for Alexander Armstrong

The 2018 Classic BRIT Awards nominations have been announced, covering a host of musical talent from the worlds of classical, soundtracks and musicals.

Alexander Armstrong is one of the nominees as best male artist, along with tenor Jonas Kaufman, composer Max Richter, teenage cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, and Britain's Got Talent-winning pianist Tokio Myers.

Xander's album In A Winter Light is also nominated as Classic FM Album of the Year, voted for by Classic FM listeners.

The ceremony will take place at London’s Royal Albert Hall on June 13th, and will be hosted by Alexander Armstrong and Myleene Klass. Good luck, Xander!