Many of the West End's brightest stars take to the Prince of Wales stage on 10 September for the John Betjeman Gala to honour of the centenary of the poet's birth. Barry Humphries hosts the evening, which hopes to feature appearances from Dame Judi Dench, Richard E Grant, Prunella Scales, Timothy West, Sinead Cusack, Rachael Stirling, Bill Nighy and Stephen Fry, though all appearances are subject to availability.
The evening promises to blend variety, music and dance, with tunes coming from British Sea Power, Suggs, Jools Holland and St Paul's Church Choir. There will also be a video link to Australia, where Dame Edna Everage will join the proceedings.
Proceeds from the evening, which is sponsored by Shell, will go to mental health charity SANE. The charity aims to raise awareness and respect for people with mental illness and their families, research the cause of serious mental illness and provide information and emotional support for those suffering from mental health problems.
In addition to being one of the 20th century's most highly regarded poets, Betjeman was also a journalist and broadcaster. In 1969 he was knighted, before being made Poet Laureate in 1972. Betjeman died in 1984; he was suffering from Parkinson's Disease.
