St Helen's Theatre Royal is gearing up to take you to a whole new world this festive season as Aladdin flies in for their Christmas panto. Best known for playing Dan Spencer on Emmerdale, Liam Fox is making his professional panto debut as the evil Abanazer,
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00:00 St Helens Theatre Royal is gearing up to take you to a whole new world this festive season
00:07 as Aladdin flies in for their Christmas panto.
00:10 We don't know where we're going to go. I'm the genie. I'm the genie? I'm the genie? I can't even say genie.
00:16 I'm the genie. I'm expendable. Is that a word? No it's not, is it? Maybe it's the wrong word.
00:20 I'm flexible. I'm agile. I'm going to change. I'm going to morph. Just like that first film, right, you see him?
00:25 When he's one person, then he's another. He's such a character. You never know what to expect.
00:30 That's why I'm going to try and bring him.
00:32 Best known for playing Dan Spencer on Emmerdale, Liam Fox is making his professional panto debut as the evil Aboniza.
00:40 I knew when I was finishing Emmerdale that I wanted to get a panto and actually Sam Giles, who plays Bernice,
00:46 told me that they were still casting at St Helens, told me Agent, Agent ranks St Helens and there it was really.
00:53 So Sam Giles, thank you very much for the in. And it's great. It's great to come out of playing somebody like Dan,
01:01 who was funny, wasn't so funny by the end. And go back to kind of being a bit funny and dark and twisted and a bit of everything really.
01:12 Actress and award-winning Radio City Breakfast show host Leanne Campbell will appear digitally as the magical genie of the mirror.
01:21 The true story is I was not doing panto this year. I was like, I've done it every year since I was 10.
01:26 Apart from the year I gave birth to Joseph, who's 13, and the year I got married.
01:32 And I can't remember how many years I've been married. Don't tell me all some words a long time.
01:35 The last time I did a panto for the Theatre Royal in St Helens is when I was a pregnant Cinderella with Annabelle,
01:42 who's 10 now, so it's a decade ago. And she's 10 years old now.
01:46 But whilst the show was going on, the dress had to get let out and let out.
01:51 I was about six months pregnant by the end of the run, like doing the routine.
01:55 I was like, oh, wait. So it's going to be nice to be back, but on the screen and in the audience with Annabelle,
02:00 which will be as cute as anything.
02:02 Panto goers will take a ride over, sideways and under the all-new 3D interactive magic carpet ride at the recently renovated theatre.
02:11 We haven't done Aladdin for about four years, I think. But this is our fastest selling Christmas panto ever.
02:18 So school shows are packed. Our run is as long as it was pre-COVID.
02:23 So we're back. We feel like we are back and raring to go.
02:26 This is like the second time I've had the makeup on, you know what I mean?
02:31 So under my nose, it's getting a bit wet. And I keep wanting to do this when I'm talking to you.
02:36 So, you know, we're going to see how it goes. And I am a sweater as well.
02:40 I really sweat. Yeah. So we'll see how it goes.
02:44 I'm sure we'll need some touch ups along the way. And it'll be a tile and everything.
02:49 Aladdin runs right through the festive season up until Sunday, 14th of January, 2024.
02:55 My name will be Jimmy. I am not the genie. I'm Jimmy. I'm Jimmy's friend. Jimmy.
03:01 Well, my cousin from far away.
03:03 (laughter)