Shaun LowthorpeHollyoaks heart-throb Stephen Uppal will be centre stage in this year's Theatre Royal production of Jack and the Beanstalk after landing the lead role in the show.Shaun Lowthorpe

Hollyoaks heart-throb Stephen Uppal will be centre stage in this year's Theatre Royal production of Jack and the Beanstalk after landing the lead role in the show.

The star, who plays Ravi Roy in the Channel 4 show, is the latest to join the panto line-up for this year's show which runs from December 14 to January 16.

He will be appearing opposite Eastenders and The Office actor Joel Beckett, Norwich panto stalwart Richard Gauntlett, comic Andre Vincent, Norwich-born theatre favourite Charlotte Scott and Suffolk actor David Redgrave, with more performers still to be announced.

'I'm really looking forward to starring in panto for the first time,' he said. 'It's going to be another new challenge for me and sounds like hard work but great fun. Let's face it, I've never climbed a beanstalk or battled a giant before!'

Known to millions of soap opera fans for his Hollyoaks role, the actor's first role was in the movie Red Mercury opposite Pete Postlethwaite, Stockard Channing and Juliet Stevenson.

From there, he successfully auditioned for the national tour of Tonight's The Night and his other high-profile stage roles included Salim in My Beautiful Launderette at the Duchess Theatre in the West End, and both Rudge and Timms in The History Boys at the National Theatre and Wyndhams Theatre.

After two years of work in the theatre, he moved to the small screen winning the role of Ravi Roy in Hollyoaks although he leaves the show later this year.

And his screen prominence is due to continue with his second movie Freight due to hit cinemas just before the pantomime opens and will see him star opposite Billy Murray, Andrew Tiernan and Craig Fairbrass.

John Bultitude, Norwich Theatre Royal spokesman, said: 'Ravi is very much one of the heroes of Hollyoaks and his poignant portrayal has made him one of the soap's best-loved characters.

'Now Stephen is taking on a brand new challenge playing a different kind of hero in pantomime and we are really excited to welcome him to the cast. Stephen is going to add even more star quality to this year's pantomime. As well as a high-profile Hollyoaks part, he has won some major theatre roles and is sure to prove popular with panto audiences here.'

for more information about tickets contact the box office on 01603 630000 or long on to www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk