Meet the TV stars performing in Fareham Live’s Beauty and the Beast panto this Christmas
A star-studded cast is gearing up to bring some Christmas cheer as Fareham Live unveiled its Beauty and the Beast pantomime.
Magical memories are in the works as Fareham Live launches its second panto, after a successful run of Cinderella last Christmas - the first after the venue was built to replace Fernham Hall.
Mairi Ikegami (Beauty) and Joe Lang (Beast) will star alongside famous faces from classic British sitcoms with Sue Holderness from Only Fools and Horses and Tyger Drew-Honey from Outnumbered taking leading roles.
Ms Holderness will play ‘Marlene the Malevolent,’ a spoof on her Only Fools and Horses character, Marlene Boyce. She warns: “I am pretty malevolent. Scary. Scary, scary woman.”
“The terror level will be pretty high,” she adds.
Talking about the cast, Ms Holderness said, “It’s funny, because for this job, none of us knew each other, we’re all strangers — and already we feel like a family.” The Only Fools and Horses star is also a seasoned pantomime actor, appearing in All You Need for Christmas at Fareham in 2009.
Tyger Drew-Honey will be taking on the role of the comically arrogant and chauvinistic ‘Gaston’ - a challenge he relishes.
He said: “I’m looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into something new,” having performed as a series of princes in previous pantos.
“I think pantomime is a fantastic British tradition,” said Mr Drew-Honey. “I always loved going to see pantos as a child. I think it’s a fantastic place to make memories, and spread Christmas cheer and joy and silliness and colour and magic.
“For a lot of people it’s their first introduction to the theatre.”
Paul Burling will also be returning to Fareham Live as ‘French Frank’ after winning audiences over with his hilarious performance last year, as Cinderella’s ‘Buttons’. Joining him will be debut pantomime dame, Josiah Eloi (Dame Potty) who added: “We’re going to be causing lots of havoc.”
Beauty and the Beast will run from December 12, 2025, to January 4, 2026, promising “to make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with a host of hilarious and hairy characters.”
For more details or to book visit the Fareham Live website at www.trafalgartickets.com.