When Aladdin rubs his lamp in Epsom this Christmas, he best be ready for a ‘BOOM’.
Celebrity Big Brother housemate Heavy D will play the genie in Epsom Playhouse’s panto over the festive period.
The larger-than-life celebrity – real name Colin Newell - shot to fame on Storage Hunters UK and became known for his rivalry with host Sean Kelly and his yelling his ‘boom’ catchphrase when he bagged a lot.
Speaking to us at the Aladdin launch at the Playhouse, Heavy D told he couldn’t wait for panto season to begin.
He said: “I have done a bit of theatre, I have done a couple of short films but this is the nitty gritty.
“This is really what I have always wanted to do – this is making people laugh, it is the Christmas spirit.
“I’m a Christmas type of person and I love entertaining people so I’m in my element doing this. I’ve always wanted to do this.
He added: “It’s been an amazing year for me, my dreams have been realised and to top it all off I’m doing panto at the end of the year. What a year. Amazing year.
“It is the best year I have ever had. Quality. Boom.”
Heavy assured us his trademark ‘boom’ will feature heavily and also revealed a slight twist on his name for the show.
He said: “Heavy G is in the house. I’m normally known as Heavy D but in this I am going to be Heavy G, as in Heavy Genie. It’s a slight twist.”
A panto fan from childhood – he remembers seeing Cinderella and Aladdin as a youngster – Heavy is looking forward to interacting with fans at the shows.
He said: “The good thing about panto is no two performances are the same so it is always going to be different.
“You can always play with the crowd, get the crowd going, the crowd-response.
“That is what I’m looking forward to. It is so personal with the crowd.
“I love TV, don’t get me wrong, but nothing beats theatre.”
Heavy D stars as the genie in Aladdin at Epsom Playhouse from December 16 to January 8. Tickets cost from £13. Go to epsomplayhouse.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here