MANY of us are probably still planning our summer holiday destinations but already a star-studded cast has just been announced for the UK’s biggest pantomime which will be staged at the Birmingham Hippodrome this coming festive season.

When the Hippodrome and Qdos Entertainment production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs opens on Thursday, December 19, for a lengthy run of close on two months it will see a number of well known names lining up on stage including Gary Wilmot, John Partridge, Stephanie Beacham and also Gok Wan, the hugely popular fashion guru.

The handsome Prince will be played by the multi-talented John Partridge, who is currently starring in A Chorus Line at the London Palladium.

He is possibly best known for playing the role of Christian in BBC1’s EastEnders and he was also part of the panel for the hugely-successful BBC series Over the Rainbow and is a guest host of The National Lottery Draws.

Adding a little bit of sartorial chic is Gok Wan, who makes his pantomime debut in Birmingham as The Man in The Mirror.

Leicester born Gok achieved huge success with his Channel 4 series How to Look Good Naked and has since enjoyed regular appearances on television and was recently seen in Channel 4’s The Secret Millions. The Wicked Queen will be played by stage, TV and film actress Stephanie Beacham.

Stephanie’s credits include the hit television series Tenko, Bad Girls and The Colbys but is probably best remembered for playing the role of Sable in the hit US TV series Dynasty.

Gary Wilmot is a firm favourite with Birmingham Hippodrome audiences and will be marking his first performance as pantomime Dame.

Gary played the role of Buttons in the 1995 production of Cinderella at the Hippodrome, Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in the West End and Birmingham and starred in the hit productions of The Goodbye Girl and Me and My Girl.

He rose to fame on ITV’s New Faces and went on to present numerous television shows including Showstoppers.

Following his popular appearance in Robin Hood at the Hippodrome in 2008 with his hilarious ventriloquist act Paul Zerdin returns to play the role of Muddles.

Paul, star of the Royal Variety Performance and Comedy Rocks will be bringing along a few of his friends including the cheeky and loveable Sam! The headline cast is completed by Matt Slack who will play the role of Odd Job.

Michael Harrision, managing director of Qdos Entertainment’s pantomime division and director of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, said: “The country’s biggest pantomime deserves a stellar cast and we are thrilled to present a line-up of huge talent for this year’s Christmas show. The superb cast, combined with top-drawer production values, stunning sets and fabulous costumes makes the Birmingham Hippodrome this year’s unmissable pantomime.”

Stuart Griffiths, the Hippodrome’s chief executive, added: “We are absolutely thrilled that Qdos Entertainment has put together one of the most spectacular casts we have had at Birmingham Hippodrome. This will be a production that will appeal to families of all ages and seals our reputation as the home of the UK’s biggest pantomime.” Tickets for the panto, which will finish its run on February 2, 2014, are priced from £12 to £39 with discounts and concessions.

Two schools performances will be held on Fridays January 17 and 24, 2014 at 1pm, while a ‘Relaxed Performance’ for children on the autism spectrum or with learning difficulties will be staged on Thursday, January 30 at 1pm. Please call 0844 338 5000 for further details and to book tickets. Tickets for these performances are not available online.

Assisted performances will also take place as follows:- captioned performances on Sunday, January 5 at 1pm and Wednesday, January 8 at 7.15pm; sign language interpreted performances on Sunday, January 12 at 1pm and 5.15pm; and audio-described performances on Wednesday, January 15 at 2pm and Saturday, January 18 at 2.30pm.