Will Young Headlines Ve Day Celebration

British singer Will Young is stepping into the shoes of DAME Vera Lynn as he headlines London's prestigious upcoming VE Day anniversary concert.

Young tops the stellar line-up celebrating the 60th anniversary of Allied victory and the end of World War II on 8 May 1945.

The extravaganza will be held in the capital's Trafalgar Square, where thousands of Londoners celebrated in 1945.

The original and much-loved songbird of World War Two, 88-year-old Dame Vera Lynn, is happy to stand aside and allow younger stars to take the limelight.

She says, "I gave all that up ten years ago. I don't take part in anything these days, I just turn up.

"I am going to squeeze it in alongside a charity (clay) pigeon shoot for a school for babies with cerebral palsy."

Highlights of the extravaganza, organised by the BBC and the ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, include performances from Katie Melua and Welsh classical singer Katherine Jenkins.

Archive footage of the original celebrations from 60 years ago will also be shown on giant screens in order to conjure up the original spirit of VE Day 1945.

A spokeswoman for the BBC says, "There was a lot of embracing and climbing on the lions, and apparently a lot of people were conceived that day in Trafalgar Square, but we won't be showing any footage of that."