Amy Gray The cast for the first professional pantomime at Lowestoft's Marina Theatre for nearly half a century has been announced.

Amy Gray

The cast for the first professional pantomime at Lowestoft's Marina Theatre for nearly half a century was announced last night.

Ken Farrington, who played Tom King in Emmerdale, will be joined on stage by Jamie Rickers, presenter of GMTV's children's show Toonattick, and Hollyoaks actor Sarah Jane Buckley.

Mr Farrington, also known for his role as Annie Walker's wayward son Billy in Coronation Street, will be playing the villainous Captain Hook.

He said: “After over 45 years in the business I'm absolutely delighted to be making my pantomime debut at the Marina and very much looking forward to trying out my evil Captain Hook on the people of Lowestoft.”

Martin Dodd, who works with the pantomime producers UK Productions, said: “Peter Pan will not only contain all of the traditional pantomime production values, but will also make use of our hi-tech CGI to really bring to life those flying sequences.”

Theatre manager Martin Halliday said: “We are delighted to announce such a strong cast for our first pantomime. The company behind the production has an excellent reputation and we believe our ticket pricing offers great value for money.”

Performances run from December 11 to January 4 and tickets go on sale today. For more information or to book seats call the Marina box office on 01502 533200.