Blackpool Grand's Cinderella panto nominated for four Panto Awards

Blackpool’s seasonal smash-hit production of Cinderella has been nominated for four prestigious UK Pantomime Awards.

The Grand says it’s 2024/2025 pantomime, presented by UK Productions, was once again a truly captivating tale of magic, mayhem and misunderstandings that delighted record-breaking audience numbers over the festive season and it wasn’t just the audience that thought so.

Judges from the renowned Pantomime Awards slipped quietly into The Grand during the five-week run to watch the fun-packed production before coming together to nominate Cinderella in four categories.

Which awards are they nominated for?

The Blackpool Grand Theatre and UK Productions nominations for Cinderella for this year’s Pantomime Awards are:

Best Pantomime (Over 900 seats)

UK Productions has presented the Christmas pantomime at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre since 1996 with every year bringing an even more spectacular production that’s jam-packed with marvellous music and dance, fun and laughter, stunning sets, amazing costumes and exciting special effects to keep audiences both young and old entertained.

Best Comic - Steve Royle as Buttons

Much-loved panto star and stand-up sensation Steve Royle has celebrated over 1,000 hilarious pantomime performances at The Grand to great acclaim. Everyone’s favourite finalist from ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, Steve is an actor, writer, comedian, juggler and an award-winning radio presenter, but his first love is stand-up – as thousands of returning pantomime fans will agree.

Best Direction - Kylie Butler

Kylie worked tirelessly with the entire production team, cast and crew to bring this pantomime script to life. She planned and conducted all rehearsals; shaped character development; provided constructive feedback and collaborated with the choreographer and musicians, all while considering the set design, costumes and overall aesthetics, and always allowing the actors the artistic freedom to explore their characters to full comedic effect, which was so well received by this year’s audiences.

Best Principal Lead - Kitty Harris as Cinderella

TikTok sensation and stage star Kitty Harris (Burlesque the Musical, Chicago) has become world famous for her hilarious comedy sketches and behind-the-scenes glimpses into her daily life on social media, earning her a whopping 1.2million followers. Her incredible vocals wowed panto audiences during her gravity-defying Wicked medley, leading to her singing the National Anthem at the recent Six Nations.

What are the UK Pantomime Awards?

The UK Pantomime Awards are run by the UK Pantomime Association and celebrate the very best that panto-land brings to delighted audiences right across the country over the Christmas period.

The Awards also celebrate the hard work, commitment and artistic excellence of this much-loved form of live entertainment.

This year 52 judges visited 216 venues to assess over 496 pantomime performances!

The nominated stars will then attend The Pantomime Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 13 at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking.

What has the Grand said about it’s nominations?

Blackpool Grand Theatre Head of Audience, Marketing and Sales, Andrew Howard, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that Cinderella has been recognised with four fabulous nominations! It’s a testament to our incredible cast, crew and creative team who worked tirelessly to bring this magical production to life. We’d like to thank our wonderful audiences too - because without their laughter, cheers and all the ‘he’s behind you!’ shouts, our pantomime just wouldn’t be the same!”

Cinderella at The Grand also starred TV sensation Hayley Tamaddon (Dancing on Ice, Emmerdale) as The Fairy Godmother; Dame duo Jamie Morris & Tarot Joseph as the Ugly Sisters; West End favourite Mark Faith (Mary Poppins, Dirty Dancing) as Baron Hardup, along with talented stage stars Toby Turpin (Cabaret, Anything Goes) as Prince Charming and Sam Ebenezer (The Mousetrap, Choir of Man) as Dandini.

Next year’s Christmas Panto has already been announced too: Beauty and the Beast from Best Pantomime nominee UK Productions will be on at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Friday, December 5 2025 to Sunday, January 4 2026 starring Britain’s Got Talent finalist and Pantomime Award Top Comic nominee Steve Royle as cheeky chappie Louis La Plonk.

Please call the Grand Theatre Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for bookings and further information.