Interview: Vernon Kay on returning to panto in SLEEPING BEAUTY at Churchill Theatre Bromley
Vernon Kay made his pantomime debut in 2023 as Dandini in Cinderella at the Wycombe Swan, alongside Jon Clegg as Buttons, and he won Best Newcomer at the UK Pantomime Awards! We asked him what persuaded him to make his pantomime debut that year. He explained that he had taken his kids to the panto many times and when approached by Imagine Theatre’s producer, Laura Taylor, she told him: “Trust me, you will have a good time” - and she was right! Although he felt out of his comfort zone and it required hard work and focus, he really did enjoy himself in that first season. He proudly explained that he never missed a show and the adrenalin rush of live performance carried him through. He said that “once you’ve caught the panto bug, there’s no going back!”
It was clear from that first season that his experience as a TV game show host on shows such as All-Star Family Fortunes from 2006-2015 and Splash from2013-2014, and as a radio host on Radio 1 from 2004-2012, Radio X from 2015-2017 and now on Radio 2 have equipped him to use his natural charm and quick wit to engage and amuse audiences, and is perfect for the pantomime genre.
The following year he was back in Aladdin at Wycombe Swan opposite La Voix and delighted in watching her work, and got a “naughty tingle in the tummy” as they bounced off each other’s energy and ad libs. He also learned from those experiences about the discipline required in pantomime and the expectation that you deliver the show on time. We saw him invite a young boy from the audience on stage to introduce Prince Charming in that first year, which created a delightfully original moment, but the need to be disciplined in the show meant he did not repeat it.
When he hosted the 2026 UK Pantomime Awards at Wycombe Swan and presented Andrew Pollard with the Best Script award, Pollard commented that he had written the Aladdin script for Wycombe the previous year but did not recognise much of it in La Voix and Vernon’s performance. Kay quipped that they had used “a lot of sharpies” that year.
This year, Kay plays Billy, Beauty’s sidekick in Sleeping Beauty at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley alongside Andrew Agnew as Dame Bella More. The script is by Tam Ryan, but Kay has had the chance to tweak the script, to add his own ideas. The traditional song sheet with kids on stage will be given a game show theme and he promises a slosh scene too.
Both of his first two pantomimes were on Imagine Theatre’s brilliant digital sets and Kay said he enjoyed the moments when technical hitches occurred with them and he had to cover the moment. This year, the show will be on a traditional set, so it will be a different experience for him.
The appeal of pantomime to him is clear: ”I love the madness of panto - the singing, the laughs, the audience shouting back at you, and seeing families make Christmas memories together. I’m already counting down the days and promise we’ll have plenty of fun. It is addictive!” He might need all that energy and fitness that he demonstrated in his extraordinary ultra-ultra marathon from Leicester to his hometown of Bolton, the football team he supports, to get him through another hectic season in Bromley from 5 December - 3 January. We certainly look forward to seeing him on stage again.
For more info and to book tickets for Sleeping Beauty, please click here.
Nick Wayne