All-round showman Bradley Walsh might be making his dramatic exit from Coronation Street this week, but the popular actor isn't putting his feet up just yet. He's straight back to work on an altogether different kind of storyline. Appropriately for the man who played clothes factory owner Danny Baldwin he is preparing to star as Buttons in Cinderella alongside Laura Hamilton as Cinders.
The Watford-born entertainer was among the celebrity stars of nine Christmas pantos creating a colourful scene in London on Thursday. "Panto gives me a chance to let my hair down, to sing and dance, do comedy, in live theatre to an audience who wants to be entertained," he said recently. "I'm 46 years of age, but as soon as I put the Buttons costume on I become an anarchic 11- or 12-year-old."
He has left the Street far behind him with a fully loaded schedule for 2007, including a new chat show, Piccadilly, an ITV drama series and a TV adaptation of Charles Dickens novel The Old Curiosity Shop.
The multi-talented actor isn't the only soap star to sign up this pantomime season. Former EastEnders actress Kacey Ainsworth is also appearing in the Milton Keynes production of Cinderella, and looked fabulous in her highly elaborate costume - a world away from her previous incarnation as Albert Square's down-trodden Little Mo. Meanwhile another ex-Corrie face, Suranne Jones, is set to appear as Snow White in Manchester.
Panto isn't just reserved for the Brits, however. American exports Henry Winkler, best known as the Fonz in Happy Days, and Dallas' Patrick Duffy will be appearing as Captain Hook and Prince Charming respectively. "It is the first time I've heard of panto," admitted Henry, adding: "Now I'm in it." He is replacing David Hasselhoff in the Wimbledon production of Peter Pan after the Baywatch hunk pulled out to appear as a judge on Simon Cowell's latest US talent show.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
