Matthew Wolfenden, star of Emmerdale and Elf The Musical, will be Jack in Sunderland Empire's Jack and the Beanstalk this December.
Wolfenden is best known for his long-running television role as David Metcalfe in ITV’s Emmerdale, as winner of the seventh series of Dancing on Ice and as a guest presenter on This Morning, Loose Women, Lorraine and Loose Men and for starring in The Real Full Monty.
He said, “I am thrilled to be playing Jack in the iconic Jack and the Beanstalk this Christmas. Where better to spend Christmas than at the Sunderland Empire, one of the most beautiful theatres in the land. Can’t wait to see you there!”
He will join Miss Rory as Dame Rorina Trott and Tom Whalley as Silly Simon, returning to the Sunderland panto for a fifth year running.
When a heinous henchman kidnaps a cow and a princess from the downtrodden town of Boggy Bottom, young Jack finds himself on an adventure that he thought only existed in storybooks.
It runs from Friday 13 December 2024 to Sunday 5 January 2025.