Hayley Tamaddon on her excitement at returning to the Grand for the 2024/25 Christmas panto
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00:00We're here to talk because you've been announced as obviously joining the Grands Pantomime
00:13this year.
00:14Yeah.
00:15So can I start, Hayley, by asking you, how were you feeling to announce that again?
00:20I mean, it's amazing just to be asked back to the Grand Theatre, which is my hometown.
00:28You know, that kind of rarely happens.
00:30It's absolutely amazing.
00:31I can't believe it.
00:32The theatre, the production company, UK Productions, both had a big chat and decided to bring me
00:40back for another year.
00:41Who knows?
00:42It might be a regular thing.
00:43I would love that.
00:46And you're playing the Fairy Godmother, aren't you?
00:48So are you excited to be playing her?
00:50Oh, yeah.
00:51I mean, the Fairy Godmother's right up my street.
00:54I'm kind of still at that point where people are giving me the goodie rolls to play.
00:59I'm waiting for the day someone goes, do you want to play the Wicked Witch?
01:02I'll be devastated.
01:03So what will your character be like?
01:06How are you going to play her?
01:09I always play my Fairy Godmother's quirky because, you know, we're not living in the past, are
01:16we, with all the traditional fairy tales.
01:18We are now in the modern day.
01:21And why can't your Fairy Godmother wear glittery trainers and be smart and funky, you know?
01:27So, yeah, she's going to have a bit of an edge.
01:31Can you persuade me to come watch it?
01:33Why should the people of Lancashire get their tickets for your Winter Pantomime now?
01:37Well, even if I wasn't in it, I would suggest that this, in Blackpool at the Grand Theatre,
01:42is the best pantomime to come and see.
01:46Not only because it's in Blackpool, but because Steve Royal is in it.
01:49And honestly, before I worked with him in the Panto a couple of years ago, I witnessed
01:56watching him was magical.
01:59I was quite in awe of how he grasped an audience.
02:03He's so funny.
02:05I mean, just beyond funny.
02:07And he has a bunch of ideas, and he's so creative.
02:10And I absolutely love working with him because of that reason.
02:13And so this time round, it is going to be, I'd say, just as good, maybe even better,
02:19because we've worked together already before.
02:22And honestly, I can't tell you about the rest of the cast yet, but I do know who the rest
02:25of the cast are, and they are amazing.
02:29Like, amazing.
02:30And we've got Paz and Jamie back being the Ugly Sisters, and they are the best couple
02:37in the world.
02:38I mean, I love working with them.
02:39I've worked with them before, and we're really great mates.
02:41So you've kind of got a cast of people that already know each other, which can only create
02:46the best show possible.
02:49And also, this is a UK production pantomime.
02:54They never fail, because the company put so much work and time and money and effort into
03:00creating their pantomime.
03:03UK production pantomimes are always the best.