Amanda Holden and Alan Carr have been criticised for their “awkward” opening exchange at the start of the Royal Variety Performance.
This year’s fundraising show was aired on ITV on Sunday (15 December), but was pre-recorded in November at the Royal Albert Hall with King Charles III in attendance.
The 2024 edition of the annual show featured performances from Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Sydnie Christmas, James Bay, Stephen Mulhern and the cast of Starlight Express among many others.
On the evening, Holden and Carr were given the job of co-hosting the evening. Holden, 53, began by stating that both of them looked like a “disappointing Love Island couple”. Carr then quipped that her dress was “just on the right side of an Ofcom complaint”, riffing on Holden’s reputation for wearing risqué outfits.
Carr then made a joke about Just Stop Oil potentially storming the stage, claiming he would use his co-host as a “human shield” should the climate activist group try to cover them in their signature orange paint. Holden joked that it would actually make her less orange.
Although this was only in the opening few minutes of the show, the awkward back-and-forth between Holden and Carr was too much for some to take.
“Alan Carr and Amanda Holden on The Royal Variety Performance! Who the hell chose these two to present this! I’ve lasted 15 minutes,” wrote one exasperated viewer.
“Holden and Carr. How painful is this?” asked a second viewer.
“#RoyalVarietyPerformance what an embarrassing and awful start” a third said.
“Well, Alan Carr and Amanda Holden are absolutely dreadful. This opening is so awkward,” a fourth echoed.
Those in attendance did appear to have some fun, with the King spotted laughing at a joke about Donald Trump.
Comedian Matt Forde referenced the unfounded claims Trump repeated during his presidential debate against Democrat candidate Kamala Harris earlier this year – that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating locals’ pets in the small Ohio city of Springfield.
Forde exclaimed in the president-elect’s voice: “They’re eating the cats, they’re eating the dogs.”
He then turned to address Charles from the stage, saying in Trump’s voice: “Your Majesty King Charles, you’re named after a spaniel – be very careful, they’ll eat you alive.”
The King was seen laughing in response to the joke from the royal box.
Sir Elton John and his husband David Furnish also presented a musical number from their new show The Devil Wears Prada, based on the 2006 Oscar-nominated film, with Vanessa Williams as fearsome fashion magazine editor Miranda Priestly.
Money raised by the show will help people from the world of entertainment in need of care and assistance with the Royal Variety Charity launching an initiative to help those with mental health issues this year.
