The winners of this year’s Olivier Awards 2020 with Mastercard will be announced on Sunday 25 October in a special programme hosted by Jason Manford and broadcast on ITV and Magic Radio.
Following the cancellation, due to the pandemic, of the ceremony in April, we are delighted to be able to reveal this year’s winners in an innovative format to celebrate our globally renowned artists, both on stage and behind the scenes.
The awards show will be broadcast from different areas within the London Palladium and contain a mixture of the awards themselves, unique performances, interviews and some very special moments. Due to the ongoing situation, the majority of the show will be pre-filmed in the days leading up to the broadcasts. The main show will be broadcast on ITV, with additional awards being shown in a pre-show broadcast the same evening on Official London Theatre’s YouTube channel.
Listeners will be able to tune in to a show highlighting the winners and key moments on Magic Radio from 8pm until 10pm on Monday 26 October, with extended coverage across the week on digital radio station Magic at the Musicals. More details of performances and guests will be announced nearer the date.
Julian Bird, Chief Executive of Society of London Theatre and Executive Producer of the Olivier Awards, said:
“We are excited to be able to honour this year’s nominees and winners during a very difficult time for our industry, and demonstrate the outstanding talent we have in our theatre sector in the UK. Coming together to celebrate their achievements feels more poignant now than ever before as we all fight collectively to save our theatre industry. I hope that everyone working in, or simply missing the theatre, will join us on the 25 October to celebrate last year’s achievements and remain hopeful for our future”.
Due to the minimal amount of new productions that have been able to open this year, we currently anticipate the next Olivier Awards ceremony taking place in April 2022. We will be announcing plans to celebrate the theatre industry in 2021 at a later date.
SOLT is establishing a group to carefully review criteria for the awards in future years to ensure all aspects of diversity and inclusion are considered. We would envisage announcing conclusions next Spring.
Nominations for the Olivier Awards 2020 with Mastercard were announced on 3 March.
FAQs
Q: Will there be performances from shows?
A: Yes, there will be a small number of performances from some of this year’s nominated shows.
Q: Will additional footage be shown in the pre-show airing on YouTube?
A: Between the YouTube pre-show and the ITV programme, all of this year’s awards will be broadcast in full.
Q: What can I do to celebrate?
A: Put your glad rags on, pour yourself a tipple and get involved! We’ll be live across our social channels during the ceremony, so send us your pictures, predictions and reactions using #OlivierAwards.
Q: Will I be able to catch up on the ceremony if I miss it?
A: Yes, the programme will be available on the ITV Hub after it has aired.
Q: Is there a plan for the Olivier Awards 2021?
A: Due to the minimal amount of new productions that have been able to open this year, we currently anticipate the next Olivier Awards ceremony taking place in April 2022. We will be announcing plans to celebrate the theatre industry in 2021 at a later date.