Llewelyn-Bowen to switch on Illuminations

Celebrity designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who has helped design the iconic Blackpool Illuminations in recent years, will officially switch on this year's festivities.

He will take the place of Johnny Vegas. The comedian currently stars in Blackpool's tourism adverts and had been booked to attend the official illuminations launch event but has now had to withdraw due to unforeseen circumstances.

Laurence has collaborated with the Illuminations team for several years, designing a number of spectacular features and installations.

His appearance as Switch-On star this year coincides with the unveiling of a makeover for the Golden Mile in which Laurence has created a stretch of Art Deco-style features that will celebrate a golden age of 1930s glamour.

Laurence said: “The Blackpool Illuminations represent something really special in the hearts of the British people and I am thrilled to be able to pull that famous switch in the magnificent Tower Ballroom.”

Coun Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, added: “Laurence is one of our greatest ambassadors and it is fitting that he should be pulling the switch in a year when he completely reimagined how the Golden Mile will look during the autumn and winter seasons.”

The annual Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On concert, which is being staged in association with MTV, will be filmed in front of a live audience in the ballroom. Almost 2,000 tickets for the show were issued via a free ballot that attracted tens of thousands of applications.

Hosted by Becca Dudley, the concert will include performances by Blue, Tom Grennan, Mae Muller, Fuse ODG and Nina Nesbitt. It will then be followed by the official Switch-On, triggering four months of Illuminations in the resort.

The concert and Switch-On moment will be streamed to a global audience via VisitBlackpool and MTV channels. Last year, that attracted more than 160,000 views from as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States. It will also be live-streamed on a specially-erected screen on the nearby Tower Festival Headland.