Panto stars drop in to E&S
They've been wowing the crowds at Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre, but it was the panto stars' turn to bring some Christmas cheer to the offices of the Express & Star.
They've been wowing the crowds at Wolverhampton's Grand Theatre, but it was the panto stars' turn to bring some Christmas cheer to the offices of the Express & Star.
The star-studded cast of this year's spectacular Dick Whittington dropped in to our head offices in Queen Street, Wolverhampton, to meet staff and see the inner-workings of Britain's largest regional newspaper.
Leslie Grantham, Sam Kane, Dani Harmer and the Krankies took time out of their hectic schedules to take a trip around the advertising and editorial departments and the press hall, where 90,000 copies are printed every day for editions to the west of the region.
Janette Tough, who has played Jimmy Krankie for more than 30 years alongside her husband Ian, said the group were having a brilliant time in Wolverhampton.
She said: "The audiences here are just fantastic. The people here are really warm, friendly and down-to-earth, and they enjoy taking part in the performance."
The diminutive performer revealed she has an inflatable bed in her dressing room which is meant for children aged six to 11.
"The dancers really wanted to get one for their room but I said they didn't make them big enough," she joked.
And Leslie, who is best known for playing the slippery Dirty Den in EastEnders, said the beauty of this year's panto was that the cast had really gelled.
He starred alongside Sam and his wife, Emmerdale star Linda Lusardi, in Snow White in Plymouth last year and Dani, children's television heroine Tracy Beaker, has previously appeared in Peter Pan alongside Sam.
They said they were looking forward to going home to their families on Christmas Eve, when they have just two days off, before having to head back to the city to perform two shows a day up until January 27.