Entertainment
Lily James shrugs off Pamela Anderson role to star in new BBC Beauty and the Beast pantomime
Lily James is one of the main stars in this year’s panto (Picture: Getty)
Lily James is set to appear in BBC’s upcoming Beauty And The Beast pantomime alongside actor Oliver Chris this Christmas.
The 32-year-old Cinderella actress, who will star as Pamela Anderson in the controversial drama Pam And Tommy, will be taking on another Disney classic, where an unlikely romance forms between a cursed beast and his warm-hearted prisoner.
Chris is also no stranger to the screen or the stage, after starring in Green Wing and Endeavour.
The festive show for Comic Relief follows last year’s production of Cinderella, which starred Rege-Jean Page, Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Daniel Craig, and raised nearly £900,000.
Man Like Mobeen’s Guz Khan, who played Buttons in Cinderella, will return as Bonzo in this year’s production, joined by Kiell Smith-Bynoe, from Ghosts, as Beauty’s brother Jacques, with Sian Gibson as their mother, and Susan Wokoma, from Chewing Gum, as Amelie.
Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis said: ‘I don’t know that we’ve ever done anything for Comic Relief which was more full of a sense of fame and fun – last year the show made nearly a million pounds.
Lily can officially add Belle to her list of Disney princesses (Picture: Jonathan Olley)
David Tennant is also set to star in the upcoming show (Picture: PA)
‘I’m really hoping that Beauty And The Beast will also raise a beautiful amount of cash for all our brilliant projects at a pretty beastly time.’
The annual special will also feature Inbetweeners star Simon Bird, Call The Midwife actress Pam Ferris and Celia Imrie from Better Things will also take part, with singer-songwriter Tom Rosenthal cast as Mr Bell.
Miranda Hart, Lenny Henry, David Tennant, David Walliams, and Michael Sheen are also involved in the festive line-up.
Sir Quentin Blake will once again be providing illustrations for the production.
More: BBC
Fans were given the first glimpse at the biographical series Pam and Tommy after the trailer dropped.
The Hulu special follows the lives of Baywatch star Pamela Anderson and Motley Crue drummer, Tommy Lee.
Beauty And The Beast: A Comic Relief Pantomime for Christmas will air on December 19 at 9pm on BBC Two.
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