Free NHS tickets, Birmingham socially distanced panto and further festive casting announced by ATG

Panto will be going ahead this Christmas – oh yes it will!

Venue owners ATG have revealed that they will offer free tickets to NHS staff and families for a number of shows, as they unveil plans for further performances.

Mark Cornell, CEO at Ambassador Theatre Group said today: "The Ambassador Theatre Group is delighted to be showing pantomimes in five of our venues in Bristol, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Stoke and Birmingham this Christmas, thanks to the support of The National Lottery.

"ATG and its staff are also inviting our magnificent NHS and their families to the first performance at each venue free of charge. We hope that this small gesture shows how incredibly grateful we all are for what the NHS has done for this country".

Casting has been announced for a variety of productions. The revival of Robin Hood at the Bristol Hippodrome will star Craig Revel Horwood as The Sheriff of Nottingham alongside Matt Slack as Robin Hood, Richard Cadell & Sooty, Andrew Ryan as Nancy the Cook, Landi Oshinowo as Morgiana and Nicola Meehan as the Spirit of Sherwood and will run from Friday 18 December 2020 to Sunday 10 January 2021.

In association with the Birmingham Hippodrome, this production will also play the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre with the same cast from Friday 15 to Sunday 31 January 2021.

As previously revealed, Manchester Opera House's Sleeping Beauty will star Jason Manford as Muddles, Billy Pearce as King Billy, Jodie Prenger as The Enchantress, Eric Potts as The Queen, Louis Gaunt as The Prince and Sarah Goggin as Princess Beauty. The show will run from Saturday 12 December 2020 to Sunday 3 January 2021.

A separate revival of Sleeping Beauty at Milton Keynes Theatre will star Lee Mead as The Prince, Claire Sweeney as Carabosse, Suzanne Shaw as The Enchantress, Pete Firman as Muddles, Allan Stewart as The Queen, Andy Gray as The King, Will Jennings as Slimeball and Tegan Bannister as Princess Beauty alongside and will run from Saturday 19 December 2020 to Sunday 10 January 2021.

Robinson Crusoe at Stoke-on-Trent's Regent Theatre will star Jonathan Wilkes as Robinson Crusoe and Christian Patterson as Mrs Crusoe and will run from Saturday 19 December 2020.