Katherine Jenkins will sing We'll Meet Again in virtual duet with Dame Vera Lynn for live stream concert to an empty Royal Albert Hall as part of the VE Day celebrations

• Jenkins, 39, will sing to an empty auditorium in first in Royal Albert Hall's history
• She will also wing The White Cliffs of Dover for the VE Day 75th anniversary 
• Dame Vera, 103, will join in for a virtual duet as she is self-isolating in lockdown

Katherine Jenkins will perform We'll Meet Again in a virtual duet with Dame Vera Lynn to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

For the first time in history, the Royal Albert Hall will stage a concert behind closed doors with Jenkins, 39, singing to an empty auditorium.

She will sing other wartime anthems by Dame Vera such as The White Cliffs of Dover, but her rendition of We'll Meet Again will be done in harmony with a classic version recorded by the 103-year-old herself.  

The 30-minute pre-recorded show will be streamed live online on Friday, May 8. 

Jenkins said that it is 'only right' that the VE Day anniversary does not get 'overshadowed' by the coronavirus pandemic.

'I'm excited that we can still come together, albeit virtually, for a tribute of wartime songs and musical memories from London's most iconic concert venue.

How to watch Katherine Jenkins' virtual duet with Dame Vera Lynn 

Katherine Jenkins will sing a number of wartime classics by Dame Vera Lynn to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. 

Dame Vera, 103, will join in remotely for her hit We Will Meet Again, with Katherine, 39, performing in person to an empty Royal Albert Hall.

The pre-recorded 30-minute show is being streamed online.

It will be broadcast live on May 8 at 6pm on the Royal Albert Hall website.   

'The Royal Albert Hall will be seen like never before - empty, isolated and yet still breathtakingly magnificent.'

Jenkins had originally been scheduled to take part in a Royal Albert Hall concert titled VE Day 75 on Friday which would be streamed live to more than 450 cinemas, however this has been postponed until September because of coronavirus. 

Dame Vera, who performed for troops in the Second World War, said: 'I'll never forget how We'll Meet Again meant so much to all those soldiers going off to war as well as with their families and sweethearts.

'75 years since the end of the war in Europe, the virus has given those lyrics a whole new meaning.

'I have found the nation's renewed love for the song very moving. I hope this special duet lifts the spirits of our VE Day veterans and all those separated from loved ones at this time.'

Katherine Jenkins, pictured in November last year, will sing to an empty auditorium 

The new online concert has been funded by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and will be introduced by a message from him.

He said: 'Music unites us through times of hardship and this behind closed doors concert embodies the true British spirit of overcoming challenges and remembering those who served our great country and paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

'This year and every year, VE Day invites us to reflect on the immense contribution the men and women of our armed forces make to keep us safe.'

The concert is raising money for armed forces charity SSAFA and the Royal Albert Hall's fundraising appeal.

The performance will take place on May 8 at 6pm and will be streamed on the Royal Albert Hall website.

The performance will take place on May 8 at 6pm and will be streamed on the Royal Albert Hall (pictured) website

Your guide to how to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day in lockdown 

A definitive guide to how you can enjoy the celebrations on TV on Friday

FRIDAY, MAY 8

The Nation Remembers

BBC1, 11am

Nationwide two-minute silence to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, paying tribute to heroes past and present.

The Announcement Of Victory 

BBC1, 2.45pm

Tribute to the war generation including Churchill's radio address from Downing Street at 3pm on May 8, 1945, announcing the end of hostilities. Celebrities will read personal testimonies from the day's celebrations, there'll be music by military bands, and Prince Charles will read an extract from his grandfather George VI's diary for May 8.

The One Show

BBC1, 7pm

Hour-long special.

The People's Celebration 

BBC1, 8pm

Hosted by Sophie Raworth, an evening's entertainment with some of Britain's top musical talent performing songs from the 1930s and 1940s, such as Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs Of Dover and When The Lights Go On Again. Artists include Katherine Jenkins, Adrian Lester, Anton Du Beke, Shane Richie and Helen George. Interviews with those who remember the day.

The Queen

BBC1, 9pm

At the exact time of day that her father, George VI, spoke to the nation in 1945, Her Majesty makes her own address. Followed by the whole country joining a singalong of We'll Meet Again, led by Dame Vera Lynn, 103, from a window at her home in Sussex.

REMEMBERING VICTORY

BBC1, 9.10pm

Sir David Attenborough, Patrick Stewart and June Whitfield, among others, share memories of the end of the conflict.

CAPTAIN TOM'S WAR

ITV, 8pm, ITV

Documentary about former Army officer Captain Tom Moore, 100, just made an honorary colonel after raising more than £32 million for the NHS by doing laps of his garden. Features Tom's time serving in India and Burma.

DAD'S ARMY

ITV, 8.30pm

Film remake from 2016 of the classic series, starring Toby Jones, Bill Nighy and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

OTHER TV CHANNELS

VE DAY: THE LOST FILMS

C5, 7pm

Eyewitness accounts and cine films of everyday life – some in colour.

TONY ROBINSON'S VE DAY

The Discovery Channel, 9pm

Presented by Tony Robinson. The day retold minute by minute, from soldiers' first tentative steps out of PoW camps to Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret slipping out of Buckingham Palace to mingle unrecognised with the public.

VE DAY IN COLOUR

Together TV, 9.30pm

Memories of the day from servicemen such as the PoWs who yearned for their first hot bath for years.

RACE TO VICTORY

History UK, 9pm

Analysis of the uneasy alliance formed by Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin against Hitler.

RADIO

Jeremy Vine show special

Radio 2, 12pm

FULL WORKS CONCERT 

Classic FM, 8pm

Concert of music and words presented by Sir Nicholas Soames, who will recite famous quotes and speeches of his grandfather, Winston Churchill.

SPITFIRE: THE PEOPLE's PLANE

BBC Sounds podcast available from May 8

Ten-part series presented by actress Tuppence Middleton about the fighter – which played an iconic role in the Battle of Britain – and its pilots.

OTHER PROGRAMMES

VE DAY IN COLOUR

Today, C4, 8pm

Documentary about the experiences of everyday folk.

OUR FINEST HOURS

Tomorrow to Friday, BBC1 11.45am (different in Wales)

Sophie Raworth narrates a series comparing the Blitz spirit to how we're now facing Covid-19.

BRITAIN'S GREATEST GENERATION

Tomorrow to Thursday, BBC2, 7pm (6.30pm Thursday)

Four-part series on the inspirational stories of men and women who fought in or lived through the Second World War.

CHURCHILL

Tomorrow to Thursday, BBC2, various times

Series profiling the man who symbolised Britain's war effort.

COUNTDOWN TO PEACE

Wednesday, Yesterday channel, 8pm

Colour film footage from the streets of London, Paris and New York, as well as in villages, on VE Day.

DAME VERA LYNN: WE'LL MEET AGAIN

Thursday, BBC1, 7.30pm

After the wartime singer's recent We'll Meet Again duet with Katherine Jenkins to raise money for the NHS went to No 1 in the iTunes chart, this film tells her remarkable life story with help from her daughter, Virginia.

RADIO

WITNESS HISTORY

Tomorrow to Friday, BBC World Service, 8.50am and 12.50am

Series including first-hand archive accounts of Hitler's death, the Soviet occupation of Berlin and how Germany has since commemorated VE Day.

ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Despite the cancellation of most public events, veterans and others are holding their own celebrations.

Anyone wanting to mark the anniversary is invited to have a tea party in their home and to make a toast at 3pm on Friday: 'To those who gave so much, we thank you.' This will be preceded by buglers across Britain playing The Last Post and Reveille at 2.55pm.

There's an official website – at ve-vjday75.gov.uk – offering a 'toolkit' of bunting templates, colouring posters, a party playlist and menu suggestions.

The English Heritage website also offers a playlist and tips to dance in Lindy Hop style.

On Friday, members of the Royal Family and Government Ministers will take part in video calls with veterans, before the Queen addresses to the nation at 9pm, followed by the We'll Meet Again singalong.

The website ancestry.co.uk is making all historical records free for the public from tomorrow until Sunday, giving people the opportunity to find out what their ancestors did in the war.

Families are invited to share their war stories on social media with the hashtag #VEDay75.