Celebrity stars Gok Wan, Paul Chuckle and Denise Welch to appear in Nottingham panto Peter Pan

Paul Chuckle (right), Denise Welch (middle) and Steve Hewlett (right). (credit: Whitefoot Photography)
By Henry Green
Comedian Paul Chuckle and TV legend Denise Welch will lead a star cast for Nottingham’s 2024 Theatre Royal pantomime.
The pair will be joined for the performances of Peter Pan by Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Hewlett as Smee, Nottingham native Aiden Carson as Peter Pan and Molly Farmer as Wendy. TV fashionista Gok Wan will lead the cast of Peter Pan as the Magical Merman.
Kate Stewart, daughter of comedian and actor Allan Stewart, will play the role of Tinkerbell.
The theatre’s annual pantomime is the largest in the city and a fixture every Christmas for thousands of local families.

Speaking as the 2024 cast were unveiled at the theatre on Monday (September 30) soap and TV drama star Denise said she ‘loves’ Nottingham.
“I’ve played here several times,” she said.
“I’m not just saying it because I’m here but I talk about Newcastle Theatre Royal and Nottingham Theatre Royal as two of my favourite places to play.”
Denise added: “I thought, ‘I could be on a beach in the Caribbean’ but I’m going to play Captain Hook because it’s so exciting.”
The actor and TV presenter, 66, first appeared on British television in 1981 and became a household name through roles in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, Soldier Soldier and Coronation Street.
She later became a regular panellist on ITV chat show Loose Women, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
“The [Loose Women] girls are getting a coach party to come and see me and bring their kids which is great because I don’t usually get to meet their children,” she added.
The star also joked as she said her son Matty Healey, lead singer of The 1975, will be coming to see one of her Nottingham performances: “He will, I’m not going to tell you when because this is all about me.”

Children’s TV star Paul Chuckle, who plays Starkey, said: “I did the same panto last year and it’s a great pantomime.”
The comedian, whose brother Barry Chuckle died in 2018, said: “It’s great being back.
“Barry will be here with me, he’s always here with me and he’ll love it to be back as well because it is our favourite theatre in the whole of the UK.”
Paul added: “Barry and I performed here eight years ago.
“It is a superb theatre and the audiences are pretty much the same for our kind of material.”
Paul, who lives near Retford, added: “I love Nottingham, I love the nightlife.
“I love DJ’ing everywhere, lots of anniversaries and universities, night clubs.”

Peter Pan is believed to have been partly inspired by the Arboretum in Nottingham, as the pantomime’s creator J.M Barrie was once a regular visitor there while working in the city in the 1880s.
Aiden Carson, from Long Eaton, will play the main role of Peter Pan.
On the Nottingham audience, Ventriloquist Steve Hewlett, who plays Smee, said: “I find the Nottingham audience incredible.
“I have done two shows here, in the Concert Hall and in the theatre.
“One was with Ken Dodd and one was with Ben Nicholas and we’re here to create the laughter and if you can make the audience laugh, they love you.”

The Pantomime’s producer, Jonathan Kiley said: “Producing a pantomime takes all year and it never stops.
“It’s a big operation with a very small team of people but it’s what we love.”
Peter Pan will run at the Theatre Royal from December 7 2024 to January 12 2025. Tickets range from £16.50 to £45.
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