{{short description|Television series}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox television | alt_name = {{ubl|''Another Audience with...''|''One More Audience with...''}} | genre = Comedy, drama, Music, Entertainment | starring = | country = United Kingdom | language = English | num_episodes = 60 | list_episodes = #List of episodes | company = {{Plainlist| * [[ITV Studios]] * <small>(originally [[London Weekend Television]])</small> }} | runtime = 60–90 minutes (including adverts) | network = {{Plainlist| * [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] * [[Channel 4]] (seven editions) }} | first_aired = {{Start date|1980|12|26|df=yes}} | last_aired = present | related = ''ITV Specials'' }} '''''An Audience with...''''' is a British entertainment television show produced by [[London Weekend Television]] (now part of [[ITV Studios]]), in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a lighthearted [[revue]]/tribute style.

== History == The show's title began as ''An Audience with [[Jasper Carrott]]'', for a normal six-part television series for the comedian. His first television show, it was broadcast in 1978 and produced by [[London Weekend Television]] (LWT). From 1980 onwards, the show became ''An Audience with...[name(s) of host(s)]'', with one-off special guest hosts performing in front of celebrity audiences.

The show was traditionally broadcast on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] on Saturday nights, while some shows in the 1980s were broadcast on [[Channel 4]]. The show has been commissioned at varying intervals, with ten shows broadcast in the 1980s, followed by twenty in each in the decades of the 1990s and 2000s. From 1994 until 2011 there were at least one show, and often several, broadcast per year, with the exception of 2000 and 2003.

Some hosts appeared multiple times. [[Dame Edna Everage]] was host three times, while [[Freddie Starr]], [[Ken Dodd]], [[Joan Rivers]], [[Shirley Bassey]], [[Al Murray]], [[Donny Osmond]] and [[Kylie Minogue]] were all asked to return once. One show, for [[Jeremy Beadle]], was hosted posthumously in 2008. In 2010, a five-part highlights series of the show, ''30 Years of An Audience With'', was broadcast on ITV.

More recent shows focused more on musicians and singers rather than comedians - the last comedian given ''An Audience with...'' was [[Al Murray]] in 2007.

=== ''An Audience with Jasper Carrott'' === The ''An Audience With'' title was first used in a television series produced by [[London Weekend Television]] (LWT) for the comedian [[Jasper Carrott]], which aired for six episodes in 1978.<ref name=JasperCarrottBiography/><ref name="joseph1980">{{Cite book |last=Joseph |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/25yearsonitv0000unse/page/245/mode/1up?view=theater |title=25 Years on ITV |publisher=Independent Television Books Ltd |year=1980 |isbn=0 900727 81 0 |location=London |page=245 |access-date=2025-07-19}}</ref>

===''An Audience with...''=== From 1980, the show took on a format where a special guest would host a one-off show in front of a celebrity audience, and have their name appended to the title. [[Dame Edna Everage]] was the first host of ''An Audience with...'' in 1980.<ref name=30YearsEp1/>

The show has had numerous hosts since then, mostly comedians and singers. Occasionally, pop groups, actors and television presenters also hosted the show. Unusual hosts have included a puppet, [[Sooty]], cast members of ITV soap opera ''[[Coronation Street]]'', and boxer [[Lennox Lewis]]. The [[Spice Girls]] were the first pop group to host the show, in 1997.<ref name=30YearsEp1/> In 2006, ''An Audience with Take That'' was the first time the show was performed live. The second was the next show, ''An Audience with Lionel Richie''.<ref name=30YearsEp2/>

Hosts were often joined on stage by special guests. Singer [[Lionel Richie]] was joined by [[Westlife]],<ref name=30YearsEp2/> [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]] was joined in a duet with former husband [[Maurice Gibb]],<ref name=30YearsEp2/> the Bee Gees performed with [[Boyzone]], [[Ricky Martin]] was joined by [[Kylie Minogue]],<ref name=30YearsEp3/> and [[Take That]] performed ''[[Relight My Fire]]'' with Lulu.<ref name=30YearsEp4/> All round entertainer [[Des O'Connor]] was joined on stage by [[Martine McCutcheon]], and dueted with Lionel Richie in a version of "[[Three Times a Lady]]".<ref name=30YearsEp5/> Comedian [[Ronnie Corbett]] had his long-time comedy partner [[Ronnie Barker]] as his special guest, while Lennox Lewis had football player [[Ian Wright]] as his special guest conducting an interview with him.<ref name=30YearsEp5/>

Comedian hosts often involved audience members on stage, such as [[Brian Conley]]'s sword-and-card trick on [[Christine Hamilton]] performed blindfolded and <ref name=30YearsEp2/> [[Freddie Starr]]'s act of seemingly throwing knives at a blindfolded [[Garry Bushell]].<ref name=30YearsEp3/> Comedians will also interact with the audience, with Freddie Starr throwing maggots over [[Faith Brown]],<ref name=30YearsEp3/> and [[Al Murray]], in his Pub Landlord persona, spilling drinks over them.<ref name=30YearsEp5/> Singing based shows also sometimes involved comic relief, with [[Frank Skinner]] appearing in drag as one of Lulu's backing singers,<ref name=30YearsEp2/> and Kylie Minogue being joined on stage by [[Kermit the Frog]] for a romantic duet.<ref name=30YearsEp5/>

=== ''An Audience Without... Jeremy Beadle'' === After the death of the television practical joker [[Jeremy Beadle]] on 30 January 2008, ITV decided to commission ''An Audience Without... Jeremy Beadle'', to celebrate his best work and raise money for some of his favourite charities. Broadcast on 16 May 2008, the show was hosted by [[Chris Tarrant]], and included the results of an ITV public vote choosing his top-5 best ever pranks from his show ''[[Beadle's About]]''. This episode was produced by Talent Television.<ref name=AnAudienceWithoutJeremyBeadle/>

=== ''30 Years of An Audience With'' === In 2010, ITV broadcast ''30 Years of An Audience With'', looking back at the history of the series, with interviews from past guests, and clips from old shows. The show was broadcast in five-hour-long episodes, from 17 July 2010<ref name=30YearsEp1/> to 14 August 2010.<ref name=30YearsEp5/>

{{Episode table |background=bfe0bf |overall= |title= |airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 1 |Title = Series 1, Episode 1 |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|07|17|df=y}} |ShortSummary = The first episode looked back at the shows featuring Dame Edna Everage, The Spice Girls, Bob Monkhouse, Joe Pasquale and Donny & Marie, and featured interviews including Dame Edna, [[Mel B]], [[Emma Bunton]] and [[Joe Pasquale]].<ref name=30YearsEp1/> |LineColor = bfe0bf }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 2 |Title = Series 1, Episode 2 |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|07|24|df=y}} |ShortSummary = The second episode looked at the shows hosted by Ken Dodd, Lionel Richie, Brian Conley, Victoria Wood, and Lulu, with interviews from all five hosts.<ref name=30YearsEp2/> |LineColor = bfe0bf }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 3 |Title = Series 1, Episode 3 |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|07|31|df=y}} |ShortSummary = The third episode looked at the shows hosted by Freddie Starr, The Bee Gees, Joan Rivers, Bruce Forsyth and Ricky Martin, with interviews including Robin Gibb, Joan Rivers and Bruce Forsyth.<ref name=30YearsEp3/> |LineColor = bfe0bf }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 4 |Title = Series 1, Episode 4 |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|08|7|df=y}} |ShortSummary = The fourth episode looked at the shows hosted by Dame Shirley Bassey, Take That, Sir Cliff Richard, Jackie Mason and Jimmy Tarbuck, with interviews from Jackie Mason and Jimmy Tarbuck.<ref name=30YearsEp4/> |LineColor = bfe0bf }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 5 |Title = Series 1, Episode 5 |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2010|08|14|df=y}} |ShortSummary = The fifth episode looked at the shows hosted by Des O'Connor, Al Murray, Ronnie Corbett, Kylie Minogue and Michael Bublé, with interviews from O'Connor, Murray and Corbett.<ref name=30YearsEp5/> |LineColor = bfe0bf }} }}

=== Les Dawson === In June 1993, [[Les Dawson]] was due to record an edition of ''An Audience with...'', but died a fortnight prior to the planned recording.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-05-07 |title=Les Dawson: An Audience With That Never Was &#124; presscentre |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/les-dawson-audience-never-was |access-date=2014-06-06 |publisher=Itv.com}}</ref> On the 20th anniversary of the comedian's untimely death, ITV decided to mark the occasion with the use of a technology which gave the illusion he was on stage.

The chief executive of [[Musion Eyeliner|Musion]] Systems the company that provided the technology, told the ''[[Today (BBC Radio 4)|Today]]'' programme's [[Sarah Montague]]: "...it's not actually a hologram but the world perceives what we do as holograms, so we call it holograms." He explained how the technology allows people "to appear as though [they are] on stage".<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 May 2013 |title=Can a hologram Les Dawson tell 'em like he used to? &#124; Brian Logan &#124; Comment is free |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/31/hologram-les-dawson-comedian-last-show |access-date=2014-06-06 |website=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-05-31 |title=Les Dawson's 'hologram' comeback |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-22729756 |access-date=2014-06-06 |publisher=BBC}}</ref>

=== Return to the singer format === On 2 November 2021, it was announced that the format would return for one night only on 21 November for a show hosted by [[Adele]]. The singer's fourth album, [[30 (album)|''30'']], was released two days prior, and this was the first televised performances of songs from the album in the United Kingdom. The special was filmed on 6 November, at the [[London Palladium]], with the audience consisting of Adele's personal heroes, friends, musicians, actors, artists, sportspeople.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brazier |first=Tori |date=2021-11-07 |title=Kate Garraway and Dua Lipa mix with Hollywood and TV royalty at Adele's taping |url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/07/an-audience-with-adele-kate-garraway-dua-lipa-and-hollywood-attends-15557967/ |access-date=2021-11-21 |website=[[Metro.co.uk]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Knight |first=Lewis |date=2021-11-14 |title=Kate Garraway and Dua Lipa mix with Hollywood and TV royalty at Adele's taping |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/audience-with-adele-itv-tickets/ |access-date=2021-11-22 |website=[[Radio Times]] |language=en}}</ref> In the United States, the special aired on 20 March 2022, on [[NBC]].<ref name="USAir">{{Cite web |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=March 11, 2022 |title=Adele To Headline NBC Concert Special Filmed At The London Palladium |url=https://deadline.com/2022/03/adele-nbc-concert-special-filmed-at-london-palladium-1234975955/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> It debuted in New Zealand in May 2022, on TVNZ <ref>{{Cite web |date=6 June 2022 |title=Stuff to Watch: Your guide to the week's best on free-to-air and Sky TV |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/stuff-to-watch/300604219/stuff-to-watch-your-guide-to-the-weeks-best-on-freetoair-and-sky-tv}}</ref>

In August 2023, ITV announced that ''An Audience with Kylie'' would be made by their Lifted Entertainment sub-division (in association with Minogue's label BMG Records), with filming due to take place at the Royal Albert Hall.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pop |first=Retro |date=29 August 2023 |title=ITV announces An Audience With Kylie Minogue TV special |url=https://retropopmagazine.com/itv-announces-an-audience-with-kylie-minogue-tv-special/}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=ITV announces An Audience with Kylie Minogue |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/entertainment/itv-audience-with-kylie-minogue-newsupdate/ |website=[[Radio Times]]}}</ref>

== List of episodes == {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !No. !Guest !Genre !Channel !Air date !Notes |- |1 |[[Barry Humphries]] as [[Dame Edna Everage]] |Comedian/Fictional Character |ITV |26 December 1980 | |- |2 |[[Dudley Moore]] |Actor |ITV |26 December 1981 | |- |3 |[[Kenneth Williams]] |Actor/Comedian |Channel 4 |23 December 1983 | |- |4 |[[Mel Brooks]] |Comedian |Channel 4 |4 February 1984 | |- |5 |[[Joan Rivers]] |Comedian |Channel 4 |17 March 1984 | |- |6 |Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage |Comedian/Fictional Character |Channel 4 |31 December 1984 |Titled ''Another Evening with...'' |- |7 |{{anchor|billy_connolly}}[[Billy Connolly]] |Comedian |Channel 4 |26 October 1985 |A longer version of the show was subsequently released on video |- |8 |[[Peter Ustinov]] |Actor |Channel 4 |3 January 1988 | |- |9 |[[Victoria Wood]] |Comedian |ITV |10 December 1988 |Won two [[BAFTA]] awards,<ref name=30YearsEp2/> subsequently released on video and DVD |- |10 |Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage |Comedian/Fictional Character |ITV |25 December 1988 |Titled ''One More Audience with...'' |- |11 |[[Jackie Mason]] |Comedian |Channel 4 |27 December 1990 | |- |12 |[[Bob Monkhouse]] |Comedian |ITV |21 May 1994 | |- |13 |[[Jimmy Tarbuck]] |Comedian |ITV |22 October 1994 | |- |14 |[[Ken Dodd]] |Comedian |ITV |3 December 1994 | |- |15 |[[Shirley Bassey]] |Singer |ITV |21 October 1995 | |- |16 |[[Freddie Starr]] |Comedian |ITV |2 March 1996 | |- |17 |[[Sooty]] |Puppet |ITV |24 October 1996 | |- |18 |[[Paul O'Grady]] as Lily Savage |Comedian/Fictional Character |ITV |6 November 1996 |Titled ''An Evening with...'' |- |19 |[[Bruce Forsyth]] |Presenter |ITV |1 February 1997 | |- |20 |[[Warren Mitchell]] as [[Alf Garnett]] |Actor/Fictional Character |ITV |5 April 1997 | |- |21 |[[Elton John]] |Singer |ITV |{{nowrap|27 September 1997}} | |- |22 |[[Freddie Starr]] |Comedian |ITV |11 October 1997 |Titled ''Another Audience with...'' |- |23 |[[Ronnie Corbett]] |Comedian |ITV |25 October 1997 | |- |24 |[[Spice Girls]] |Pop Group |ITV |29 November 1997 |All-female audience<ref name=30YearsEp1/> |- |25 |[[Rod Stewart]] |Singer |ITV |30 May 1998 | |- |26 |[[Bee Gees]] |Pop Group |ITV |7 November 1998 | |- |27 |[[Simply Red]] |Pop Group |ITV |12 December 1998 | |- |28 |[[Lennox Lewis]] |Sportsman (Boxer) |ITV |3 April 1999 |Took the form of an interview with Lewis conducted by [[Ian Wright]] |- |29 |[[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]] |Singer |ITV |25 September 1999 | |- |30 |[[Cliff Richard|Sir Cliff Richard]] |Singer |ITV |13 November 1999 |Featuring members of [[Chickenshed|Chicken Shed Theatre Company]] |- |31 |[[Diana Ross]] |Singer |ITV |11 December 1999 | |- |32 |[[Des O'Connor]] |Presenter |ITV |20 January 2001 | |- |33 |[[Ricky Martin]] |Singer |ITV |10 February 2001 | |- |34 |[[Kylie Minogue]] |Singer |ITV |6 October 2001 | |- |35 |[[Ken Dodd]] |Comedian |ITV |9 February 2002 |Titled ''Another Audience with...'' |- |36 |[[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]] |Singer |ITV |18 May 2002 | |- |37 |[[Brian Conley]] |Comedian |ITV |25 May 2002 | |- |38 |[[Donny Osmond]] |Singer |ITV |23 November 2002 | |- |39 |[[Harry Hill]] |Comedian |ITV |16 October 2004 | |- |40 |[[Joe Pasquale]] |Comedian |ITV |19 February 2005 | |- |41 |[[Al Murray]] as The Pub Landlord |Comedian/Fictional Character |ITV |19 March 2005 | |- |42 |Joan Rivers |Comedian |ITV |14 January 2006 |Second show, but titled ''An Audience with...'' |- |43 |[[Shirley Bassey]] |Singer |ITV |10 March 2006 |Titled ''Another Audience with...'' |- |44 |''[[Coronation Street]]'' |Soap Opera |ITV |22 April 2006 | |- |45 |[[Take That]] |Pop Group |ITV |2 December 2006 |First live edition<ref name=30YearsEp2/> titled ''An Audience With Take That: Live!'' |- |46 |[[Lionel Richie]] |Singer |ITV |9 December 2006 |Second live edition<ref name=30YearsEp2/> |- |47 |[[Al Murray]] as The Pub Landlord |Comedian/Fictional Character |ITV |27 October 2007 |Titled ''Another Audience With'', last comedian to be given ''An Audience With'' to date. |- |48 |[[Celine Dion]] |Singer |ITV |22 December 2007 | |- |49 |[[Jeremy Beadle]] |Presenter |ITV |16 May 2008 |Posthumous; titled ''An Audience Without...'' and hosted by [[Chris Tarrant]]<ref name=AnAudienceWithoutJeremyBeadle/> |- |50 |[[Neil Diamond]] |Singer |ITV |31 May 2008 | |- |51 |Donny and [[Marie Osmond]] |Singers |ITV |11 November 2009 |Donny returns after hosting in 2002 |- |52 |[[Michael Bublé]] |Singer |ITV |23 May 2010 | |- |53 |[[Barry Manilow]] |Singer |ITV |28 October 2011 | |- |54 |[[Les Dawson]] |Comedian |ITV |1 June 2013 |Posthumous; titled ''An Audience with That Never Was''. Dawson was due to host in 1993, but died 2 weeks before the planned recording date.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 2013 |title=Les Dawson: An Audience with That Never Was |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week23/les-dawson-audience-never-was |access-date=22 May 2013 |publisher=ITV}}</ref> |- |55 |[[Adele]] |Singer |ITV |21 November 2021 |Recorded at the [[London Palladium]]. |- |56 |Kylie Minogue |Singer |ITV |10 December 2023 |Second show, but titled ''An Audience with Kylie''. Recorded at the [[Royal Albert Hall]].<ref name="auto" /> |}

== Home media == In 2007, selected ''An Audience with...'' shows were individually released on [[DVD]]. Prior to this, the October 1985 show featuring [[Billy Connolly]] had been issued on its own, both in [[VHS]] format and on DVD. Virgin Video released the extended uncut studio version, with a runtime of approximately 78 minutes, instead of the 50-minute television version. On 14 November 2005, Network released ''An Audience with Dame Edna Everage'', which featured all three appearances, across two discs and became a bestseller.

As of 2021, eleven ''An Audience with...'' shows have been made available on the [[video on demand]] service, [[BritBox]]. The episodes available were hosted by Harry Hill, Billy Connolly, Bob Monkhouse, Sir Cliff Richard, Jimmy Tarbuck, Ken Dodd, Kenneth Williams, Peter Ustinov, Ronnie Corbett, Shirley Bassey and Victoria Wood.

''An Audience with Adele'' was the first to be made available on [[ITVX]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dunne |first=John |date=2021-11-02 |title=Adele to star in ITV concert to celebrate release of new album 30 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/adele-itv-concert-new-album-30-b964007.html |access-date=2021-11-02 |website=[[Standard.co.uk]]}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="JasperCarrottBiography">{{Cite web |date=n.d. |title=Jasper Carrott O.B.E. - A Brief Biography |url=http://www.jaspercarrott.com/biography.asp?SiteID=JAS&PageID=20&CatType=biog |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713091350/http://www.jaspercarrott.com/biography.asp?SiteID=JAS&PageID=20&CatType=biog |archive-date=13 July 2011 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=Jasper Carrott Official Website |quote=His first television series was aired in 1978, 'An Audience with Jasper Carrott' for LWT, a series of six shows. The show title was then purloined for the hour-long celebrity shows with which we are now all familiar.}}</ref>

<ref name="30YearsEp1">{{Cite web |date=6 July 2010 |title=30 Years of An Audience With, Episode 1 |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week29/default.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100718090357/http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week29/default.html |archive-date=18 July 2010 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=ITV}}</ref>

<ref name="30YearsEp2">{{Cite web |date=13 July 2010 |title=30 Years of An Audience With, Episode 2 |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/wk30/default.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100803074614/http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/wk30/default.html |archive-date=3 August 2010 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=ITV}}</ref>

<ref name="30YearsEp3">{{Cite web |date=19 July 2010 |title=30 Years of An Audience With, Episode 3 |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week31/default.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725172256/http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week31/default.html |archive-date=25 July 2010 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=ITV}}</ref>

<ref name="30YearsEp4">{{Cite web |date=28 July 2010 |title=30 Years of An Audience With, Episode 4 |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week32/default.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802091157/http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week32/default.html |archive-date=2 August 2010 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=ITV}}</ref>

<ref name="30YearsEp5">{{Cite web |date=4 August 2010 |title=30 Years of An Audience With, Episode 5 |url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week33/default.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011152716/http://www.itv.com/presscentre/30yearsofanaudiencewith/week33/default.html |archive-date=11 October 2012 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=ITV}}</ref>

<ref name="AnAudienceWithoutJeremyBeadle">{{Cite web |date=31 March 2008 |title=An Audience Without Jeremy Beadle |url=http://www.itv.com/Entertainment/comedy/AnAudienceWithoutJeremyBeadle/Abouttheshow/default.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819082230/http://www.itv.com/Entertainment/comedy/AnAudienceWithoutJeremyBeadle/Abouttheshow/default.html |archive-date=19 August 2010 |access-date=17 August 2010 |publisher=ITV}}</ref>

}}

== External links == * {{Epguides|Audiencewith}}. * {{British Comedy Guide|tv|an_audience_with}}.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Audience With}} [[Category:1980 British television series debuts]] [[Category:1980s British television series]] [[Category:1990s British television series]] [[Category:2000s British television series]] [[Category:2010s British television series]] [[Category:2020s British television series]] [[Category:Channel 4 comedy]] [[Category:English-language British television shows]] [[Category:ITV comedy]] [[Category:Television series by ITV Studios]] [[Category:London Weekend Television shows]]