Actress and singer Jodie Prenger will play Fairy Bow Bells in Birmingham Hippodrome’s 2016 panto Dick Whittington.
As previously announced, John Barrowman will take the title role, Steve McFadden will play King Rat, The Krankies will play Councillor and Jimmy Krankie and Matt Slack will be Idle Jack.
Prenger won the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything and went on to play Nancy in the West End revival of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! She won the Theatregoers’ Choice Award for best supporting actress in a musical.
She played the title role in the UK tour of Calamity Jane and earlier in 2016 appeared in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s one-woman musical Tell Me on a Sunday.
She said, “I’m so excited to be heading to Birmingham this Christmas and working with my old I’d Do Anything judge John Barrowman. We’ve been saying for years we should do another show together so to get the chance to do panto with him, Steve McFadden, the Krankies and Matt Slack is really exciting. I can’t wait!”
Executive producer and director Michael Harrison added, “Jodie is perfect for panto. She has a fantastic voice, she is a naturally gifted comedienne and will add a wealth of West End leading-lady star quality to what is already shaping up to be our biggest and best Hippodrome pantomime yet.”
Dick Whittington runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from Monday 19 December until Sunday 29 January 2017.