Tom Allen to host 2020 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar
Real honours in a virtual world for 1st December broadcast spectacular.
By Will Stroude
The ninth annual Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar, will move from the physical to the digital for 2020 – with a broadcast ceremony hosted by comedian Tom Allen at 9pm GMT (4pm EST, 10pm CET) on Tuesday 1 December, World AIDS Day.
Under Government restrictions around indoor gatherings, in place or envisaged by the year’s end, it would prove impossible to seat the traditional 650 guests in black tie at the Awards’ spiritual home, London’s Camden Roundhouse, but thanks to the unwavering support of long-term partners Virgin Atlantic and Jaguar the show will go on!
And why would it not? The Attitude Awards honour the best of the LGBTQ community, highlighting heroes and role models that remind us that a place on the rainbow spectrum is no barrier to being the very best we can be.
And in a world that is not always kind, or as quick to embrace diversity as it should be, the power of the world’s biggest LGBTQ media brand shines a bright light into otherwise dark places.
New for 2020 will be a 90-minute Attitude Awards show hosted by Tom Allen – broadcast on YouTube and elsewhere – featuring stories and speeches from 14 award winners to be revealed on the night, following in the footsteps of the previously-anointed Cher, Kylie, Sam Smith, Ricky Martin, Boy George, Dame Joan Collins and Sir Ian McKellen, to name just a few.
And there will be no less than five extraordinary live musical performances recorded exclusively at the Roundhouse for the Awards, plus unique insight into the work of the Attitude Magazine Foundation – the Awards’ charity beneficiary that has raised and distributed more than £250,000 for LGBTQ causes since 2018.
Celebrity Masterchef winner Riyadh Khalaf will detail our work with the Food Chain, a London-based charity helping those with HIV to eat well and live healthy, while Judge Rob Rinder tells the story of all we’ve done in support of Curly’s Legacy in delivering holidays for disadvantaged families. All viewers can text to donate £5 to the Attitude Magazine Foundation by texting Attitude5 to 70840.
The Attitude Awards is the LGBTQ night of the year, and 2020 will be no different. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for live coverage of the night.
