Lighthouse presents
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Your dream pantomime
THURSDAY 12 DECEMBER – SUNDAY 5 JANUARY
Various times (THEATRE)
Suitable for all ages
Tickets and information 01202 280000
One of British television’s best-known faces, Todd Carty can’t wait to meet Poole audiences when he plays King Tucker in Sleeping Beauty, this year’s traditional family pantomime at Lighthouse.
A regular on our screens since the 1970s, it’s no wonder he’s stopped in his tracks as he poses for photos in the foyer at Lighthouse. He’s wearing full regal robes, crown and all, but to those who approach him for a selfie and a quick chat he’s still Tucker Jenkins from Grange Hill and its spin-off Tucker’s Luck, or Mark Fowler from EastEnders, or PC Gabriel Kent from The Bill.
Then again, he could also be Major Metcalf from The Mousetrap – Todd was in the cast when the 70th anniversary production of Agatha Christie’s famous whodunnit played a week at Lighthouse at the end of April.
“You don’t think about it too much, but if you’re going to be in the corner of people’s living rooms, they’re bound to say at least one thing,” he says. “If it’s ‘Hello’, that’s lovely; if they say, ‘How are you?’, it’s a bonus.”
He means it as well. That level of recognition is a consequence of being in hit show after hit show, but Todd has had a lifetime to get his head around it. In 1978, he went to work on the tube one day as an unknown actor and came home with everyone staring at him because they recognised him from Grange Hill.
At least, that’s how it felt.
“It was a great thing to do, but it changed all our lives completely. Anonymity went out the window. Grange Hill kind of revolutionised children’s TV. I think it was the first show that was away from the jolly hockey sticks and Billy Bunters.
“Those of a certain vintage know me and they’ll ask what I’m doing down here, some of them will have seen me recently in The Mousetrap. We share the same era and mostly people are polite and pleased to see you. Sometimes when you’re recognised you have to take it with a pinch of salt, but it goes with the territory.”
Todd is no stranger to pantomime, although his touring commitments in The Mousetrap have kept him busy over the last couple of years, and he jumped at the chance to join the cast of Sleeping Beauty. The latest in a run of award-winning in-house productions at Lighthouse, once again it’s written and directed by Chris Jarvis, who also plays the Dame, with production designer James Smith, choreographer Daniel Donaldson Todd and musical director Adam Tuffrey.
“Sleeping Beauty is a new one for me. I have played a king before in Jack and the Beanstalk, although this might be a different type of king – we’ll have to see what comes out in the wash.
“What I love about panto is that it’s open to all ages. I remember seeing my first panto, I was maybe four years old, and loving the lights and the spectacle, all the songs; you can just let yourself go, whether you’re four or 104.
“I like to have fun in panto. It’s a huge team effort and we all want to put on a show that everyone enjoys – grandma, grandad, mum, dad and the children, of course. Lighthouse is well known for keeping it local and keeping it topical, which I think is a lovely touch. And Chris has a real mind for this – we’ve not worked together before, but I’ve run into him a few times on the circuit and he’s a lovely chap, very clever.”
Todd’s week at Lighthouse in The Mousetrap at the end of April meant he had time to get to know the area a bit.
“I had a great time here,” he says. “Funnily enough, I bumped into a few old friends who had moved to Dorset in recent years. They showed me around the area, and I can see why – it’s a beautiful spot. So, I’m sure to see lots of familiar faces and, of course, family will come down for Christmas.
“It’s lovely to come back and, more importantly, it’s lovely to be asked to come back.”
Todd has been in the public eye since Grange Hill began in 1978 – the same year that Lighthouse opened as Poole Arts Centre – but he was already the veteran of several TV appearances and commercials as a child actor, as well as creating the role of young Lionel Bart in the West End musical Lionel! that opened in 1977.
“It was great singing all those incredible Lionel Bart songs. I’d seen the film Oliver! with friends and family in the late 60s and just loved it.”
Fast forward to this Christmas and that sense of wonder is undimmed as Todd eagerly looks forward to getting his teeth into the magical family pantomime Sleeping Beauty at Lighthouse.
Sleeping Beauty opens on Thursday 12 December and runs until Sunday 5 January. Tickets available now at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/event/sleeping-beauty/ or on 01202 280000.
