The star of Channel 4’s Changing Rooms will pull the famous switch at the end of a live concert in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom on Friday 2 September.
He replaces actor and comedian Johnny Vegas who announced last week he was being forced to pull out of the Switch-On ceremony due to unforeseen personal circumstances.
Laurence has collaborated with the Illuminations team for several years, designing a number of spectacular features and installations.
His appearance as Switch-On star this year coincides with the unveiling of a dazzling makeover for the Golden Mile in which Laurence has created a stretch of Art Deco-style features that will celebrate a golden age of 1930s glamour.
The 21 overhead light installations form a brand new section entitled Neo Neon in front of The Blackpool Tower. Each measuring almost 14 metres in length, the installations are divided into three separate styles – arches, wings and fans. Together, they will create a stunning new look on the resort’s best-known stretch of promenade.
Laurence said: “The Blackpool Illuminations represent something really special in the hearts of the British people and I am thrilled to be able to pull that famous switch in the magnificent Tower Ballroom.”
Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, added: “Laurence is one of our greatest ambassadors and it is fitting that he should be pulling the switch in a year when he completely reimagined how the Golden Mile will look during the autumn and winter seasons.”
The annual Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On concert, which is being staged in association with MTV, will be filmed in front of a live audience in the ballroom. Almost 2,000 tickets for the show were issued via a free ballot that attracted tens of thousands of applications.
