S4K's sister company JC Theatre Productions, which is co-producing ALADDIN this year's Hastings Panto, has announced EastEnders' favourite Leslie Grantham as Abanazar

DIRTY DEN TO STAR AS PANTO BADDIE

Get ready to boo one of the greatest panto villains ever: former EastEnders star Leslie “Dirty Den” Grantham will play baddie Abanazar in Aladdin at the White Rock Theatre in Hastings this Christmas.

Grantham is a panto legend who has previously wowed sell-out audiences with his dastardly Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Dirty Rat in Dick Whittington.

He will head an all-star cast in Aladdin, which opens at the White Rock on Friday December 11 and runs to Sunday January 3.

Grantham created the role of Den Watts, landlord of the Queen Vic in EastEnders, in 1985 and he quickly became an icon.

On Christmas Day the following year Grantham's character served his on-screen wife (Anita Dobson) with divorce papers, with the famous line "Happy Christmas Angie" and the episode was watched by a record 30 million viewers - over half the British population.

In 2003 over 17 million people watched one of the most anticipated TV events of the year when Den “returned from the dead” and spoke the famous words, "Hello, princess" to his screen daughter Sharon (Letitia Dean).

And that’s a line he’s sure to repeat when he meets the beautiful Princess Jasmine on stage in Aladdin.

The panto is produced by the same creative team behind last year’s Peter Pan at the venue, which broke all box office records.

There will be gorgeous sets and costumes and joining in the fun will be a large chorus of local young singers and dancers.

Audiences are being invited on the magic carpet ride of a lifetime, with Leslie Grantham leading the way from the East End to the excitement of the mystic East where Aladdin will discover a magic lamp, have his wishes granted and find fame, fortune and beautiful royal bride Princess Jasmine.

Julian Chenery, who is producing the show with HQ Theatres, said: “We are delighted to have Leslie Grantham on board this year and promise the panto will be full of all the traditional fun plus a few surprises. It will be pure genie-us!”

Tickets are on sale now from the box office at 01424 462288 or via the online box office at www.whiterocktheatre.org.uk