Another season of festive panto fun for Mark Rhodes as he joins Jack in tackling the beanstalk

It's been a joyous homecoming for Mark Rhodes as he stars in the annual Stafford Gatehouse Theatre pantomime.

The 43-year-old Wolverhampton-born singer, entertainer and broadcaster has returned to the Gatehouse Theatre to join the likes of Wink Taylor, Wendy Abrahams and Theo the Mouse, in this year's production of Jack and The Beanstalk.

The pantomime, which started on December 6 and runs until January 5, is a faithful recreation of the classic fairy-tale, with Mark saying that it also had a lot of modern touches and had something for everyone.

He said: "I play Larry Trot, Jack's older brother, as I think I might be a bit old to play Jack now, but it's been great fun and we've had a lot of really good audiences in.

"The story, as always, is that Jack climbs the beanstalk and there's Buttercup the cow and there's Dame Trot, who is the mum, so it's pretty original in that sense, but I like to think the script is more 21st century and up to date.

"There's a lot of stuff in there for the kids and for the adults and there's lots of slapstick as you can imagine as I'm still getting flour out of my ears, but there's a lot going on and something for everyone."

Since making his name on Pop Idol in 2003 when he came second, Mark has enjoyed a varied career, from a UK Number one with Sam Nixon with a cover of "With a little help from my friends" by the Beatles, to a broadcasting career on radio and as a stalwart on CBBC.

Although he now lives in Twickenham in south-west London, Mark said he has never forgotten his roots and said Wolverhampton and the West Midlands were still very special to him.

He also said that that link to the region was great as it helped him understand what the audiences there liked.

He said: "I've lived in Wolverhampton pretty much my whole life and although I now live in London because I married my wife, I still love coming back up.

"I used to go to the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton for pantos, as well as the Gatehouse, and I'm probably a bit biased, but I think the pantos here are great.

"I'm actually staying at my sisters place through the Christmas period, which is great as I'll have cheap digs and she's been great and looked after me, so it's been very nice to come home."

Mark said the panto was a great excuse to have some fun over the festive period and said he was having the time of his life doing it.

He said: "It's not just a job at the end of the day as you're trying to entertain people and I'm very lucky to be able to do what I do.

"You should see some of the outfits that I have to wear as it looks like a rainbow has been sick on me, but they are unbelievable as they are so colourful and the whole vibe of the show has been lovely.

"If you fancy a really good time and want to get into the Christmas spirit, please come and watch our show as it's just a lot of fun, full of songs and laughs and everything else."

To find out more about the show and to buy tickets, go to the Gatehouse Theatre website.