Strictly champion and West End star Ore Oduba and Coronation Street’s Wendi Peters to lead the cast of Royal & Derngate’s pantomime

TV presenter, actor and Strictly winner Ore Oduba and actress and soap star Wendi Peters will head up the cast for this year’s spectacular Christmas pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate, with the hilarious Bob Golding returning as Dame.

Ore Oduba is a multi-talented broadcaster and performer, who won the nation’s hearts when he was crowned Strictly Come Dancing champion in 2016.

As well as hosting flagship TV shows such as This Morning and The One Show, along with countless hours on Radio 2, his musical theatre career has included roles in Grease, Curtains the Musical and the recent tour and West End production of The Rocky Horror Show.

Ore will be playing the dashing Prince Charming in Snow White.

Joining the cast as the Wicked Queen, stage and screen actress Wendi Peters is best known for her long-running role as Cilla Battersby Brown in Coronation Street.

Most recently appearing in day time soap Doctors, her many other roles include Cook Jenkins in children’s TV series Hetty Feather.

Extensive stage credits include Big! The Musical and White Christmas.

Nurse Nellie will be played by top Pantomime Dame Bob Golding, who returns to the Northampton stage after winning the hearts of local audiences for the last two Christmases.

Highlights of his wide-ranging career on stage and screen include the multi-award-winning one man show Morecambe celebrating the comic legend Eric Morecambe.

Taking the role of Herman the Henchman will be Marc Pickering, who Northampton audiences may fondly remember as the Scarecrow in Royal & Derngate’s production of The Wizard of Oz.

Marc’s credits also include the HBO series Boardwalk Empire and the films Sleepy Hollow, Calendar Girls and Les Miserables.

The cast is completed by Lauren Lane as Snow White, Joey Wilby as Muddles and The Seven Dwarfs, comprising Dean Whatton, George Coppen, Liam Roche, Jack Hilton, Kain Francis, Ali Sarebani and Paddy Holden.

Building on the success of last year’s smash hit Jack and the Beanstalk and 2021’s brilliant Dick Whittington, Royal & Derngate are excited to be continuing their partnership with award-winning pantomime producers Evolution Productions.

A family business, run by husband and wife Paul Hendy and Emily Wood, Evolution are four-time winners of Pantomime of The Year in the Great British Pantomime Awards.

Jo Gordon, chief executive at Royal & Derngate, said: “As we continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Derngate auditorium, we’re delighted to have such a great cast and company coming together to help us make this pantomime a true highlight of this milestone year.

"We hope to welcome in as many people as possible to enjoy the show, at what is always a very special time of the year.”

Written by Paul Hendy and directed by Emily Wood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs promises to be magical, top quality entertainment with lavish sets, hilarious jokes and fun for all the family.

Emily Wood added: "We're so excited to bring together such a wonderful cast for our production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs here at the wonderful Royal & Derngate.

"I can't wait to direct this truly excellent cast, and share with our audiences what's set to be our biggest and best production yet."

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will run from Friday, December 8 to Sunday, December 31 2023.

For more information and to book tickets, go to www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call Box Office on 01604 624811.