This Christmas, Aladdin will be entertaining families in the Lyceum with a fun-filled, spectacular pantomime opening on Friday 5 December. We chatted to Strictly superstar Kevin Clifton, CBeebies’ favourite, Evie Pickerill, and legendary Sheffield dame Damian Williams, who will be starring in this year’s magical production. 

Welcome back Damian! This is your 18th time at the Lyceum. Or should we say 19th, as we had the pleasure of your company this summer for The Last Laugh. 

Damian: Thank you, it’s lovely to be back. Yes, it’s my 18th panto. I did The Last Laugh here in the summer, but this is my 18th Christmas here in Sheffield.

How does it feel to transform from comedy legend Tommy Cooper back to Sheffield’s beloved Dame? 

Damian: Do you know what, there’s a fine line actually between being Tommy Cooper and being a pantomime dame. I think because I’ve been influenced by Tommy all my life – that’s why I got into comedy, why I became an actor and got into the business – a lot of people over the years have always said to me when I’ve been doing the dame and comedies: ‘oh you’re a bit like Tommy Cooper’ and that’s because he was a massive influence on my life. But the play was amazing, as will the pantomime be this year – very funny and spectacular!

Welcome to Sheffield Theatres, Evie and Kevin. This will be your first panto with us! Do either of you have any memories here, or will you be exploring the city for the first time? 

Evie: This is my first time ever being in Sheffield. And I don’t know what it is, but already this year I feel such a buzz. Being in a new city, I get to explore new places and I’ve heard such lovely things about the theatre, so I’m really excited. 

Kevin: The last time I was here was with Chicago, but the time before that – which I really enjoyed – was Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and obviously that’s a show that’s synonymous with Sheffield. It felt like a really special moment for us all and because there are lines in it where they mention the Snooker happening at the Crucible, and that was going on whilst we were here! So that’s one of my favourite memories of it. 

Evie, you have performed as the Spirit of the Ring before, in York. What are you looking forward to about being back in this role?

Evie: I love it because it’s fun and you get to play around with the character – you get to be a bit cheeky and you can really invite the audience to join in with you which I really like. I just love this role because it’s a comedy role and I really enjoy playing comedy. 

Aladdin is such a well-known and loved story. What will be in store for audiences to look forward to with this show?

Evie: Particularly for the audience that I perform to with CBeebies, it’s sometimes their first experience of a theatre production, so it’s escapism for not only the children, but for parents and grandparents too. It’s a way to forget the world around us and for two and a half hours just be lost in this immersive and magical show.

Damian, you’ve coined Sheffield as your second home after years of entertaining the people of South Yorkshire. What is it about Sheffield that brings you back?

Damian: Do you know what, I just love Sheffield. Particularly at Christmas; Sheffield does Christmas well. The Christmas markets, the atmosphere, the people – you can hear the excitement over the tannoy when I’m getting ready for panto. Everyone’s excited, everyone loves the panto here. By the time I come out onto the stage, they’re loving it already! So yes, Sheffield is a great place to be at Christmas, it’s one of my favourite cities and it is nice that they know me here.

As we’ve mentioned, some audiences might recognise you, Kevin, from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – a beloved story that started life just across the road in the Crucible. Will you be bringing any of Loco Chanel’s charm and pizzazz to this role?

Kevin: Ha! I should be playing the Dame and not the baddie! Yeah, I loved doing that show and playing that character. Loco Chanel is so over the top in her nature, you want to bring that kind of energy to a panto because it’s the same kind of feel of fun. I think panto starts at that level of energy anyway and goes up from there! 

What does Panto mean to you? Is it something you used to do with you families as a child, and do you watch them now you’re grown up? 

Kevin: My little girl actually came to see me a couple of years ago when I last did panto – she’s two-and-a-half now, so back then she wasn’t even one yet. She had those little headphones on for when it got noisy, but even at that age she loved all the colours and the sounds and music. Then we brought her to see my sister [Joanne Clifton, who has also appeared in pantomime at the Lyceum: Cinderella in 2019] do a panto last year and she was trying to get on the stage! 

Evie: Panto means everything because it was the first thing that I watched to make me want to be on stage. My mum took me to our local Am Dram panto when I think I was about seven, and I said I’d love to do that. Then a couple of years later I was in Am Dram doing pantos up until the age of sixteen, then for the last five years I’ve been doing them since. But it’s been really great to go and watch pantos again because they just never age and they get funnier! I love being and audience member but I love performing it too. 

What would you say to someone who’s not sure whether they should come and see the show? 

Kevin: Oh just come and see it! Even though I loved panto growing up, I wasn’t sure whether I’d enjoy being in one or not, and then as soon as we started, I absolutely loved it – and I already love this, being with the Aladdin cast now. It’s fun and it’s part of Christmas, isn’t it?! You’ll love it.

Evie: I think if you need a good giggle, if you need that escapism. I think all theatre is a form of escapism but with panto, you can be any age and there’s something for everyone. It caters for everyone, young and old, and I think just give it a go – you won’t look back and you’ll want to come again and again and again.

Damian: Well, anyone from Sheffield who hasn’t been to see it – where have you been?! I’ve been here 18 years, and you should definitely come and see it. It’s brilliant. Pantomimes here are fantastic – they’re funny, they’re spectacular, they look great. We spend a lot of time, money and effort to make it a great show and we get five-star reviews, so come and see for yourself just how good they are. 

Aladdin runs from Friday 5 December 2025 – Sunday 4 January 2026 at the Lyceum theatre, Sheffield. Tickets are on sale now and can be booked through the Box Office in person, over the phone on 0114 249 6000 or here.