Riotous stand up and radio star Steve Royle proves he’s no Silly Billy this pantomime season as he expertly juggles a starring role in the magical tale of Sleeping Beauty at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre from Friday 5 December to Sunday 4 January and spending time with his family, by getting them to star with him in the show! Oh yes he does!

The cheeky Chorley-based comic juggler and BBC Radio Lancashire presenter says:

“Pantomime season is upon us and it’s without doubt my favourite part of the year. Oh yes it is! Once again I have two of my daughters in the show with me, which is really great and this year my youngest is about to make her stage debut! People often ask if I get nervous on opening night and I do, but more for my kids than I do for myself. I usually do a quick warm-up in the wings whilst I check the group ‘shout-outs’ and my biggest fear is being interrupted by someone saying ‘Your little one is refusing to go on stage’. I pin my hopes on the fact that having both parents with show-business backgrounds they have theatre in their blood and will rise to the occasion rather than cower in the spotlight.”

Steve is one of the UK’s premier circuit comedians and is a firm favourite with Grand Theatre panto audiences having entertained thousands of families over the years with his legendary improvisational skills and delightfully daft antics. “It’s my twelfth pantomime at Blackpool’s beautiful Grand and as this is the theatre’s 120th Anniversary I feel immensely proud to have performed in 10 per cent of the building’s seasonal programming!” he says. “I’m not very comfortable at this precise moment though as I am sat in a tight harness waiting for my cue to fly onto stage on the back of a life-size model of Harry Potter. I’ll be honest – I never planned for my career to pan out this way…

He adds:

“I really love pantomime not only because of the rewarding response from children who have often never seen inside a theatre before, but also because it brings together such a wonderful variety of cast members. It’s a rare opportunity for musical, comedy, dance, television, stage and even reality stars to get together and work as a team. You quickly become a tight knit group when forced into the confines of a single theatre for six weeks. It’s a little bit like I’m a Celebrity except without having to eat Witchety Grubs and Kangaroo testicles! Of course, it does have its down sides too – I can rarely attend family parties over the festive period and this year I am scheduled to have 102 eggs smashed on my head over the coming month! Yes folks, I’ve got the Eggs-Factor and the ‘yolks’ on me…”

Steve’s panto family this year also includes dance diva Jennifer Ellison (Dance Mums, Brookside, Phantom of The Opera), Radio Wave’s Hayley Kay, Lewis Bradley (BBC’s Any Dream Will Do, Wicked ) and Nick Wilton (EastEnders’ Mr Lister) in Sleeping Beauty’s enchanting tale of magic, mayhem and misunderstandings live on the Grand Theatre’s famous stage. It’s a fabulous, fairytale treat for the festive season!

Once upon a time in a land far, far away a beautiful princess is born and the King and Queen throw a huge celebration, inviting guests from all across the land to bestow gifts upon their beloved baby girl. But one evil person is not in the mood for celebrating…

The King and Queen forgot to invite the wicked fairy Carabosse who sweeps into the palace and in her rage places a terrible curse on the beautiful new princess – on her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall asleep for one hundred years!

Who can save the princess now? Steve Royle’s hilarious Silly Billy, The Good Fairy? The Handsome Prince? They say only true love’s kiss will break the spell! Fly to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre and find out how the story ends…

Following the huge success of last year’s family panto; Martin Dodd proudly presents another spectacular pantomime from UK Productions jam-packed with smash-hit songs, stunning sets, fabulous costumes, exciting effects, lots and lots of laughs and plenty of seasonal sparkle.

Sleeping Beauty stars BBC Radio Lancashire presenter and madcap comic Steve Royle as Silly Billy; blonde bombshell Jennifer Ellison (Dance Mums, Phantom of The Opera) as the wicked fairy Carabosse; Radio Wave’s popular breakfast presenter Hayley Kay as The Good Fairy, BBC1’s Any Dream Will Do finalist and Wicked star Lewis Bradley as Prince Charming and EastEnders’ Mr Lister Nick Wilton as the irrepressible dame Nurse Kelly, all supported by dazzling dancers from Barbara Jackson Theatre Arts Centre.

Book your seats now and be spellbound by Sleeping Beauty at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre. It’s the perfect gift for all your family this Christmas…

And if you can’t wait to get into seasonal spirit simply click onto www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/pantogame and play the exciting new Sleeping Beauty game. Choose if you want to be a magical fairy or a handsome prince, fight your way through the maze of thorns and race to be the first to reach the enchanted princess, but be careful not to touch the spiky sides and watch out for Carabosse’s sneaky traps! You can even send the fun on to a friend for the chance to win free tickets to panto!

Sleepnig Beauty

LIVE at the Grand Theatre Blackpool

Friday 5 December 2014 to Sunday 4 January 2015

For more information and tickets click here