Rowan Atkinson makes special appearance at Royal Tournament anniversary concert – 25 years after participating as Blackadder

14 November 2024

25 years after its “Last Run” in 1999, a concert was staged by Rare Spark Limited, featuring The Band of The Royal Yeomanry to mark the 120-year history of the Royal Tournament, in support of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

The Royal Tournament was the first, oldest and biggest Military Tattoo in the world. What began as a series of skill at arms competitions quickly evolved to include military bands and a variety of acts and displays in London each summer, until 1999.

To mark the 25th Anniversary of the ‘Last Run’ of the Royal Tournament, The Band of The Royal Yeomanry performed a selection of music from across the 120-year history of the Tournament, including a piece played on the first day of the Tournament in 1880.

Held at the Royal Military Chapel in London, each section of music was introduced by someone who had been associated with the Tournament, with the finale of the concert introduced by a very special guest. Rowan Atkinson took the podium 25 years after participating in the final performance, on 2 August 1999, as Blackadder, to introduce the last song of the evening.

Verity Harding, Head of Events at SSAFA commented: “The Royal Tournament had a rich history of raising vital funds for service charities, while featuring displays of skill from across the Armed Forces. For people who had been involved with the Royal Tournament over the years, the anniversary concert gave guests an opportunity to once again enjoy the music and history of the event – the special appearance made by Rowan Atkinson was a finishing touch for a brilliant event.

“We are very grateful to the event organisers, Rare Spark Limited, for maintaining the spirit of the Tournament, using the concert to raise funds for SSAFA. The money raised will enable us to support more serving soldiers, veterans and their families, across all the UK’s Armed Forces.”

SSAFA has been working for the whole UK Armed Forces community since 1885. Its mission is simple: to help those who need it when they need it and how they need it, so they never battle alone.