Where is the London Palladium, how old is the theatre, who designed it and who has performed there over the years?

THE London Palladium has once again been chosen as the venue of the Royal Variety Performance.

This means the winner of Britain’s Got Talent will once again have the opportunity to perform at one of the most prestigious theatres in the country. Here’s all you need to know…

Where is the London Palladium and how old is it?

The London Palladium is a West End theatre, located on Argyll Street in the city of Westminster.

It opened 107 years ago, on December 26, 1910, and the theatre is arguably the most famous one in London.

The former Corinthian Bazaar can seat over two-thousand guests and cost an estimated £250,000 to build.

It has also hosted the Royal Variety Performance a record 41 times.

Who designed it?

English theatrical architect Frank Matcham was the man responsible for the design of what we now know as the London Palladium.

He was also instrumental in the designs of the Hippodrome, which manager Walter Gibbons had intended for the Palladium to compete with.

Originally, it was a wooden building called the Corinthian Bazaar, which was then rebuilt a year as the National Skating Palace.

Once the rink failed, the Palladium was redesigned by Frank and the theatre still retains many of its original features today.

Who has performed there?

The theatre has held a number of notable productions in recent times including 1991’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Jason Donovan.

Sheila Hancock also lent a hand to 2009’s Olivier Award-nominee, Sister Act the Musical.

Memorably, it was also the home for Nicole Scherzinger‘s ill-fated stint on Andrew Lloyd-Webber‘s musical, Cats.

It has also hosted the winners of Britain’s Got Talent including George Sampson, Attraction, and most recently, Tokio Myers.