Christmas will be spectacular at The O2 this year

He said: "It does exactly what it says on the tin. There will be a lot of carols and lots of popular music, like Jingle Bells Rock and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, plus a fantastic light show and 2,000 fireworks to round things off.

"I hope it will be just what people want two days before Christmas to send them home with plenty of Christmas cheer."

The Christmas Spectacular includes the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Anthony Inglis, as well as sopranos Alison Jear and Stephanie Corley, tenor Jon Christos and the Royal Choral Society and Metro Voices.

Klass will be on hand to introduce the evening and link the artist's performances.

"Myleene will give everyone a warm welcome," he said. "She's very good at this and I'm sure she'll soon have people on their feet and singing along."

Mr Gubbay, 63, is well practiced at staging these events having been a promoter for over 40 years, working with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in that time.

His annual shows at the Royal Albert Hall attract big crowds, while he has also been responsible for opera productions successfully bringing the genre to a wider audience. This is the first time he's put a show on at The O2 but it won't be the last.

He said: "It's our first visit to The O2 and we're delighted to be coming. It's a different type of show for them because it's not star-led, but the management couldn't have been more helpful and enthusiastic.

"It's a venue every promoter wants to use. It's an iconic building that AEG have made work. They've turned an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan and everyone wants to play there."

So impressed is Mr Gubbay with The O2 he's bringing Bizet's opera Carmen there next May, the first to be staged at the arena.

He said: "I've produced Carmen three times at the Royal Albert Hall and it's been very successful. We're expanding it for The O2 and I'm excited about that. It will be different and we've got an excellent cast and a great team working on it. It's a beautiful story and I think it's perhaps people's favourite opera."

But it's the Christmas Spectacular that Mr Gubbay is concentrating on at the moment and he hopes it will become a regular fixture on The O2 calendar.

He said: "I'm very excited about it because it really does work. There's something special about the Christmas Spectacular and people do really seem to like it. The emotion of great music is very, very special."

Tickets for the Christmas Spectacular are available from theo2.co.uk.