Express & Star

David Essex and Martine McCutcheon launch panto at Arena Birmingham

West End superstars David Essex and Martine McCutcheon brought festive magic to the Midlands at the launch of the region's biggest pantomime.

Published
Martine McCutcheon, Tam Ryan as Buddy the Elf and David Essex will appear in panto at Birmingham Arena this December

They will star in Elf at Birmingham Arena this December, performing to tens of thousands of fans in the iconic Christmas show.

The duo lined up yesterday at the launch of the event and said they were looking forward to creating a Christmas spectacle for families.

Martine said: "I can't wait. When this opportunity came round I jumped at it. My son is four and he's just the perfect age for this. I'll be bringing him with me and we'll create memories that will last a lifetime.

" the Midlands is such a supportive area and I've always loved being here. You get the feeling the audience are willing you to win, they want you to do well, so I'm really looking forward to coming back."

National treasure David Essex said Birmingham and Wolverhampton were two of his favourite cities and he had only happy memories of playing locally.

He said: "I always have a great time here, whether it's The Grand or The Civic, in Wolverhampton, I've done both of those, or over in Birmingham. People are so warm and down to earth.

" the show itself will be great. I'm at the stage of my career where I can pick and choose. When I got the call about this I thought it would be nice for my family and my grandchildren so I said yes."

The show starts on December 20 and ends on December 24 and tickets are available from the box office.