The shows must go on...

It’s curtain up as Michael Ball, Amanda Holden and a host of other stars bring the West End’s greatest hits live to your living room

MUSICALS: THE GREATEST SHOW Sunday, BBC1, 7.40pm

It’s the tried and tested plot familiar from many a Hollywood musical. A troupe of brilliant stars suddenly find a cruel twist of fate means that their performance can’t go ahead as planned. But then, with inspired improvisation, up goes the cry: ‘Why can’t we put on the show right here!’ Cue a big finish as captivating voices belt out classic tunes with formidable lung power.

Now that becomes a real-life story, as some of Britain’s best-loved singers, led by Sheridan Smith (above left, with Michael Ball and Amanda Holden), respond to the challenge of theatres being closed by taking to the stage of the London Palladium to treat us all to their scintillating versions of cherished hit numbers.

Difficult though the restrictions may be for lovers of live theatre, the silver lining is that Sunday night’s extravaganza gives us all front-row seats on our sofas to glimpse shows that in normal times are sold out for many months ahead.

Plus there shouldn’t be too many complaints over the songs, with most of them the result of a poll of Radio 2 listeners to find out their favourites.

The irrepressible Smith is host for the evening, and the star who’s now a veritable national treasure is also one of the mainstays of the bill, performing Don’t Rain On My Parade from Funny Girl, and I Know Him So Well from Chess in a duet with Amanda Holden. Michael Ball’s fans can look forward to his rendition of You Can’t Stop The Beat, the incendiary finale from Hairspray.

Even when venues were open, it had been all but impossible to get tickets for Broadway and West End smash hit Hamilton for love or money – now you can find out what all the fuss was about with Gavin Spokes, who played George III, singing You’ll Be Back. The packed-out programme also includes songs from Wicked, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Dreamgirls and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and there’s a touch of Pussycat Dolls magic as Nicole Scherzinger is beamed in from Los Angeles, performing Never Enough from The Greatest Showman.

And fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber can think of this as Christmas come early: not only does the evening feature The Music Of The Night from The Phantom Of The Opera and Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat’s Any Dream Will Do, but there’s also a preview of the great composer’s new show of Cinderella, due to open in London later this year.

It seems we all have tickets for the ball this Sunday night at the Palladium.