Back for its 48th year, The Olivier Awards with Mastercard celebrates the biggest night in theatre with a starry ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, April 14th. Largely considered as the United Kingdom’s version of Tony Awards, The Olivier’s celebrates the year’s best performances on the West End in London. Hannah Waddingham, best known for her Emmy-winning performance as Rebecca Welton on the AppleTV+ series “Ted Lasso”,  will return to host the ceremony.

Waddingham said the following about coming back to host after doing so in 2023:

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be invited back to play at the Royal Albert Hall for the Olivier Awards two years in a row. It’s my total honour to be celebrating another magnificent year of London Theatre. Let’s do this!”

Most Americans know Waddingham as the owner of the fictional football club A.F.C. Richmond on “Ted Lasso”. However, Waddingham has been a stalwart of the London theatre scene for over twenty years. She’s even earned three Olivier nominations herself for performances in musicals such as Spamalot and A Little Night Music. Her experience on the stage makes her the perfect repeat choice to host the evening.

How to Watch the Awards

For those in the UK, the awards will be broadcast on ITV and Magic Radio. For international viewers, the Official London Theatre YouTube channel will stream the awards. Official London Theatre is the ultimate destination for theatre lovers to get behind the scenes access from London’s premier productions. It’s a subsidiary of the Olivier’s presenting organization, the Society of London Theatre. Mastercard continues its partnership for the 14th year, again sponsoring the Mastercard Best New Musical Award.

More about The Olivier Awards & The Society of London Theatre

Established in 1976 and run by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), the Olivier Awards celebrate the world-class status of London theatre, and are regarded as Britain’s most prestigious stage honors. Society of London Theatre (SOLT) is a not-for-profit organization which represents approximately 230 London-based producers, theatre owners and managers, including all the major subsidized theatrical organizations in London. SOLT runs the Olivier Awards, West End LIVE, TKTS, Theatre Tokens, Kids Week, the New Year Sale and Official London Theatre. Learn more about the Olivier Awards on their WEBSITE.