Benedict Cumberbatch, FKA Twigs, Cate Blanchett, Taika Waititi, Richard Gadd, Marisa Abela, Ghetts, Idris Elba, Riz Ahmed and more all raved on stage with Wyclef Jean in London last night (November 7) – check out footage of the moment below.
The entertainment stars were present at KOKO Foundation’s Letters Live fundraiser – an event that saw Cumberbatch, Blanchett, FKA Twigs, Elba, Minnie Driver, Gadd, Ahmed, Waititi, Marisa Abela and Damian Lewis read letters to those in attendance, while Celeste, The Cavemen and Wyclef Jean put on musical performances. The show culminated in an encore with the majority of these guests on stage with Jean.
Last month, Cumberbatch was announced as the newest global ambassador for environmental advocacy as part of the KOKO Foundation – the registered charity of London’s iconic venue of the same name. At the time, Twigs was also announced as the ‘A Night In The Theatre’-themed event’s first performer.
Over the last two weeks, more celebrities including Blanchett, Ghetts and Wyclef Jean were announced for the event. However, once the event began, the likes of Elba, Driver, Celeste, Ahmed and more were also unveiled as surprise special guests.
The evening was introduced by Sophia Pasetti, CEO of The KOKO Foundation. Speaking on the night Pasetti said: “Tonight is the culmination of over two years’ work, when KOKO Foundation was created to be a unique force for good, contributing to the community that KOKO is a part of. Collaborating with our new environmental Ambassador Benedict Cumberbatch, the Letters Live team and all these amazing performers will help us create impactful activity and programmes with a focus on the environment, young people and the next generation of artists.”
At the end of the night, the majority of the fundraiser’s performers joined Wyclef Jean onstage to dance as the Fugees icon rapped along to ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ and a medley of his biggest hits. You can see footage of the moment here:
Another cracking @letterslive, this time with Wyclef Jean, Benedict Cumberbatch, FKA Twigs, Cate Blanchett, Taika Waititi, Minnie Driver, Damian Lewis, Toby Jones, Richard Gadd, Marisa Abela, Sienna Miller, Ellie Bamber, Ghetts, Idris Elba, Riz Ahmed, The Cavemen, and Celeste pic.twitter.com/gnfe3nJhDz
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) November 8, 2024
In keeping with the Letters Live thematic concept, Cumberbatch read a 1986 letter from American novelist and environmentalist Edward Abbey. Driver, meanwhile, read a 2016 letter from BAFTA award-winning writer Sharon Horgan directed at her former lovers, while Gadd read a letter from Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh to the film adaptation’s producer Andrew McDonald.
FKA Twigs performed a letter penned by Cuban diarist Anaïs Nin, while Blanchett read Helen Keller’s 1924 letter to the New York Symphony Orchestra thanking them for their impressive performance of Beethoven’s ‘Ninth Symphony’.
Elba read a letter by legendary American saxophonist John Coltrane, while Lewis read a letter by crime novelist John le Carré to his wife. Ghetts, meanwhile, delivered an emotive spoken word performance of his song ‘Double Standards’.
Speaking about his role at the KOKO Foundation, Cumberbatch added: “I have been so inspired to watch the amazing impact that Foundation has quietly had over the past few years, making real and lasting change in Camden. This evening is a fraction of what the Foundation can do, when we all come together to champion important causes, and I am excited and committed to growing the special work being done and scale the foundations work around the country, and the world.”
The KOKO Foundation also launched a special online charity which closed at 5pm this evening (November 8). The auction included a personal set visit and lunch with Cumberbatch, a guitar lesson from Wyclef Jean and more. You can see the full auction listings here.
