CBeebies star Andy Day is Crawley's panto jester

Sleeping Beauty is at The Hawth from Friday, December 8- Sunday, December 31 (tickets on hawth.co.uk or by calling The Hawth box office, 10am-4pm, Monday to Friday on 01293 553636).

“It’s the jester role,” explains Andy who reckons he's done between eight and ten pantos over the years: “I am a veteran. I absolutely love them. They are such great fun. I guess I just love the fact that it's family entertainment and that you can see the whole family there from the age of one to 99. It is comedy and it's magic and it's just wonderful to do. Pantos have the same recipe but the stories are different obviously and I think Sleeping Beauty is a great one. I think the big baddie role is such a good one and it's great that this year we have got Carrie Hope Fletcher. Last time I did Sleeping Beauty we had Rita Simons. Sleeping Beauty is such great fun to do. It sits alongside Cinderella.”

The show is Andy's first time in Crawley: “I have never done Crawley before and it's great. It's very spacious with big dressing rooms but it also feels a very intimate space.”

Andy has fronted his own BAFTA-nominated series for CBeebies, Andy’s Wild Adventures as well as Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures, Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures, Andy’s Safari Adventures, Andy’s Aquatic Adventures and most recently Andy’s Global Adventures. The series have all been a massive hit with children and parents alike. He also fronted Andy’s Secret Hideout and Andy’s Baby Animals.

Andy starred in CBeebies’ production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Peter Quince and is well known for his work on Get Set Go and Big Fun Time with co-presenter Sidney Sloane. He also filmed the Nuzzle and Scratch cinema trails, aired throughout the UK and has starred in four UK arena tours for CBeebies Live in association with BBC Worldwide. In 2009 he was nominated for a Children’s BAFTA award for best presenter.

West End star Carrie Hope Fletcher leads the Crawley cast as Carabosse. The show also features Crawley's favourite dame Michael J Batchelor who returns alongside West End star Scott Paige. Completing the cast are Chrystine Symone as Aurora and Luke Walsh as Prince Michael.

Carrie Hope Fletcher's impressive West End credits include Les Misérables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins and WhatsOnStage award-winning roles in Heathers, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella, and The Addams Family. She recently completed a sell-out solo UK tour An Open Book.

Scott Paige recently appeared The Great British Bake Off The Musical in the West End, and on the UK tours of The Addams Family; Nativity! and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Once again, the show will be written and directed by the award-winning Paul Hendy and produced by the same team behind the five-star box office smash-hit All New Adventures of Peter Pan.