Cinderella panto beats X Factor says Lynda Bellingham

If Lynda Bellingham has one Christmas wish, it is probably this: That people switch off from the X Factor this Christmas in favour of a live show.

The evergreen actress wants more people to use provincial theatres like Wolverhampton's Grand and Birmingham's Hippodrome.

She's played each numerous times, featuring in hit productions like Calendar Girls, and is looking forward to returning to the West Midlands next weekend.

Birmingham Hippodrome will raise the curtain on its festive pantomime, Cinderella, next Saturday, December 17, 2011. It will run until January 29.

The action-packed production will feature Bellingham as the Fairy Godmother alongside Brian Conley, as Buttons, and Basil Brush, as, ahem, Basil Brush. Boom Boom!

Bellingham says: "During our recent tour of Calendar Girls, we visited every old theatre in the country. It feels very melancholic because these days so many people tune into the X Factor, instead of supporting their local theatre.

"I wish more people would get along to the theatre because it is so much more exciting to see things live, rather than in front of a television set."

Bellingham, who is perhaps best-known for playing the mother in the 1980s Oxo adverts, is optimistic about the future for venues like the Grand and the Hippodrome.

"They show productions that are real, that are not tainted by spin or air-brushing or media hype or manipulation," she says.

"Theatre is all about slices of life that you don't always get to experience and I think that will always survive."

Though Bellingham is a veteran of the stage, she's busier than ever. In addition to plenty of theatre work, she continues to make regular appearances on TV's Loose Women and has also been commissioned to write two novels.

Brian Conley, meanwhile, is making a triumphant return to the Hippodrome, the home of Britain's biggest pantomime, following four record-breaking previous panto appearances.

Hippodrome spokeswoman Mandy Rose said: "The most popular pantomime of them all, Cinderella, will be brought magically to life by a superb cast, an abundance of comedy, stunning sets and costumes and fabulous special effects including an amazing flying horse which transports Cinderella to the Ball. It is pantomime at its best."

Conley has hosted numerous television shows including the hugely-successful The Brian Conley Show.

On stage he has starred in the West End and in the touring productions of Hairspray and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, both of which he played at Birmingham Hippodrome. He recently toured the UK in Brother Love's Travelling Salvation.

Michael Harrison, executive producer of Cinderella said: "We are delighted that Brian is returning to the Hippodrome stage and thrilled that he is joined by Lynda Bellingham in this lavish production of the most popular panto title of them all."

Tickets are available from www. birminghamhippodrome.com

Andy Richardson