Fee fi fo fum, I smell The Kings Theatre's new panto stars

Anne Hegerty, known as The Governess on the hit ITV game show The Chase, will be encouraging people to boo and hiss as she takes on the role of Blackweed at the Southsea venue.

And she will be joined by former X Factor finalist Sam Callahan, who will be taking the title role of Jack when the seasonal play starts this December.

The Chaser, who holds the rank of Grand Master in the UK quiz rankings, is fast becoming a panto veteran as this will be her third outing as a villain. She’s previously played Cinderella’s wicked stepmother and Fleshcreep in another Jack and The Beanstalk.

In the past 18 months she has also appeared on Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, Loose Women, This Morning, Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on The Side andScott Mills’ Innuendo Bingo on Radio 1.

Sam meanwhile is looking forward to getting his costume fitted. He said: ‘I am buzzing to be getting involved with panto this year at The Kings.

‘It’s a great, light-hearted break from my usual day to day stuff with music. Besides, I reckon I’ll look cracking in tights!’

The singer actually appeared in his first panto aged just 10 in 2004 – it was his first ever professional role – as Michael Darling in Southend on Sea’s Peter Pan.

He landed his first West End role two years later, playing Kurt Von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Sound of Music.

While Sam continued to play various parts over the years in different shows and even delved into the world of television, starring in such well known programmes as Silent Witness and Casualty, he is best known from his run on the 2013 series of The X Factor.

He wowed the judges at the auditions with his rendition of James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful, and breezed into the live finals, but was knocked out by Luke Friend.

The panto runs from December 6 to January 1, 2017.

Tickets are on sale at kingsportsmouth.co.uk or call the box office on (023) 9282 8282.