TV show goes behind the scenes of Birmingham panto
A special behind-the-scenes look at the West Midland's biggest pantomime will be screened this evening.
In a first for Birmingham's Hippodrome Theatre, the preparations for this year's production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which stars fashionista Gok Wan, will be revealed in a Channel 4 documentary at 7.05pm.
The programme, called Gok Does Panto, will look at everything from how the elaborate sets are built to the costumes and the hours of endless rehearsals.
Nick Hornby, features commissioner for Chanel 4, said: "The giddy romp of panto is one of the highlights of Christmas for all of us, so we couldn't resist the chance to follow Gok as he makes his stage debut in one of the greatest productions of the festive season."
The TV show follows The How To Look Good Naked host Gok as he has three weeks to learn to sing ahead of the launch of the production.
Gok, who also fronts a number of other shows on Channel 4, plays the Man in the Mirror in the show.
He is joined by a star-studded cast this year that includes veteran actress Stephanie Beacham as the wicked Queen Sadista and Eastenders star John Partridge as Prince John.
The show also features Danielle Hope, who won the BBC's talent show Over the Rainbow, who stars as Snow White. Ventriloquist Paul Zerdin and comedian Matt Slack also appear.
No actual dwarfs appear in the show, with the magnificent seven being played by physical theatre actors wearing special costumes to make them look small. Tonight's programme will also feature the production's clothes designer try and master the art of flying through the theatre on a wire under the watchful eye of legendary panto director, Michael Harrison.
The pantomime launched almost a fortnight ago and will run until February 2.
This year it will also put on its first production designed especially for people with an autistic spectrum condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder which will take place on January 30 at 1pm.
Tickets for the showare priced from £12 to £39. For more information or to book tickets visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com
