Wendi Peters, known as Cilla Battersby-Brown in ITV’s Coronation Street, is to play villainous Queen Rat in Dick Whittington, the 2025 panto at Derby Arena.
On stage, she was Florence Foster Jenkins in the Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester’s production of Peter Quilter’s Glorious earlier in 2025.
She said, “I’m excited to be bringing my scheming panto magic to Derby, playing the Queen Rat in Dick Whittington. I'm also looking forward to getting to know Derby.”
Producers Alan Bowles and Morgan Brind of Little Wolf Entertainment commented, “we’re hugely excited to welcome Wendi Peters to the cast this year. Her vast experience across stage and screen and particularly in pantomime makes her the perfect Queen Rat. We're equally thrilled to welcome back some much-loved faces who our loyal audiences are going to adore.”
Brind will play Dame Sarah the Cook. Kristian Cunningham, who played Buttons in Cinderella and took the title role of Aladdin in 2022, will return as Dick Whittington.
Nicola Martinus-Smith, who was Dandini in Cinderella and Princess Jasmin in Aladdin, will be back as Fairy Bow Bells.
Roddy Peters, who was one of the Ugly Sisters in Cinderella and Baron Wasteland in Mother Goose in 2023, will be the Alderman in Dick Whittington, which will run at Derby Arena from Friday 5 until Wednesday 31 December.