The countdown begins to Christmas panto in Leeds

A pantomime which will star famous entertainer Jimmy Cricket is now only five weeks away.

Ever-popular comedian Jimmy, whose last panto appearance was at Preston’s Charter Theatre two years ago, will play the Court Jester in the classic fairytale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

It will be staged at a brand new venue that is being set up in the centre of Leeds for the festive season.

The White Rose Theatre will be a new 1,400-seater arena, which will be erected in a large marquee complex located within the premises of the Tetley contemporary arts gallery and near the city’s main train station.

The company behind this new venue, Mobile Structures, also supply temporary performance areas to festivals such as Glastonbury and to the Disney company for the presentation of their popular ice shows around Europe.

This Leeds pantomime features reality TV celebrity Scotty T, who won this year’s Celebrity Big Brother on Channel 5 and will play the role of Prince Charming.

Actors Louis Emerick (from Last of the Summer Wine and Brookside fame) and Tupele Dorgu (who has featured in Coronation Street and Hollyoaks) will play the roles of the Royal Tax Collector and the Wicked Queen respectively.

And there will be cameo performances from children’s TV programme Rainbow’s George and Zippy, plus a recorded sequence starring Jimmy’s very good friend and fellow comedian Ken Dodd.

* The show will run from 8 December 2016 to 1 January 2017 and tickets are now on sale –  visit www.whiterosetheatre.com or ring 0113 870 7769.