It was Queen Elizabeth II's (proper) birthday yesterday, so what better way to celebrate the occasion than with a banjolele troupe featuring Ed Balls, Frank Skinner and Harry Hill?

There is no better way, obviously.

To celebrate Her Maj's 92nd birthday, the BBC aired The Queen's Birthday Party live from the Royal Albert Hall in London, and it was almost the exact opposite of what you'd expect.

Despite featuring performances from Sir Tom Jones, Kylie Minogue and the very surprising double act of Sting and Shaggy, the real star of the show was Ed Balls.

As well as being understandably delighted by Ed, Frank and Harry's rendition of George Formby's 'The Window Cleaner', viewers were also left feeling somewhat baffled by the performance, prompting some to wonder if their takeaway had been spiked.

(A perfectly reasonable question.)

Related: Sir David Attenborough and The Queen are now everyone's favourite presenting duo

Never change, Britain.

The Queen's Birthday Party wasn't the only way the Beeb commemorated the Queen's birthday – two special one-off documentaries about the Commonwealth were also planned.

George Alagiah looked at the fascinating history behind the Queen's Commonwealth in The Queen: Her Commonwealth Story, while Sir Lenny Henry explored the deep-rooted relationship between Britain, the Commonwealth and its people in The Commonwealth Kid.

Happy Birthday, Your Maj!

Queen Elizabeth II at London Fashion Week Richard Quinnpinterest
Getty Images


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Rianne Houghton
Rianne Houghton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy.