FULL CAST ANNOUNCED FOR KING’S HEAD THEATRE’S DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT
JOSEPH VELLA TO PLAY DICK WHITTINGTON, WITH PATRICIA WILKINS, SÉ CARR AKA JAMIE FUXX AND ASH WEIR COMPLETING THE COMPANY
THEY JOIN PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE UK FAVOURITES VICTORIA SCONE AND RIVER MEDWAY
DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT RUNS FROM 22 NOVEMBER 2026 – 3 JANUARY 2027,
WITH DICK WHITTINGTON: ADULTS ONLY FROM 26 NOVEMBER 2026 – 2 JANUARY 2027
IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE
Interim Executive Director and CEO Amber Massie-Blomfield, Interim Executive Producer James Quaife, Producer and Programmer Zoe Weldon, and the whole team at King’s Head Theatre are delighted to announce the full cast for this year’s pantomime, Dick Whittington and His Cat, with Joseph Vella taking the title role, Patricia Wilkins playing ‘Alice Fitzgerald’, Sé Carr, also known as drag king Jamie Fuxx, as ‘Ding-Dong/Elvis Pawsley’, and Ash Weir as ‘Anne Semble’ and understudy, joining previously announced RuPaul’s Drag Race UK favourites Victoria Scone as ‘Dragpuss’ and River Medway, making her King’s Head Theatre debut as ‘Queen Rat’.
Written and directed by Andrew Pollard, winner of Best Writer at the 2026 UK Pantomime Awards, Dick Whittington and His Cat runs from 22 November 2026 – 3 January 2027, alongside its strictly grown-up counterpart, Dick Whittington: Adults Only, from 26 November 2026 – 2 January 2027. Press performances take place on Friday 27 November at 7pm for Dick Whittington: Adults Only and Sunday 29 November at 1pm for Dick Whittington and His Cat.
Joseph Vella will play ‘Dick Whittington’. Trained at Arts Educational Schools, his theatre credits include Mamma Mia! on its UK tour, Pretty Woman at Theatre 11, Zurich, Becoming Nancy at Birmingham Rep, Fame on European tour, Annie Get Your Gun at the Lavender Theatre, Gypsy at the Mill at Sonning and From Here To Eternity at Charing Cross Theatre. His television credits include BBC Last Night of the Proms: A Tribute to Dolly Parton. Joseph grew up in the borough and returns to Islington this Christmas to take on the title role.
Patricia Wilkins will play ‘Alice Fitzgerald’. A graduate of The Urdang Academy, her theatre credits include Young Frankenstein at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester; Back to the Future at the Adelphi Theatre; Dirty Dancing at the Dominion Theatre and on its UK and Ireland tour; Flashdance on international tour; and A West End Christmas at Cadogan Hall. Her workshop credits include Dirty Dancing, Evita at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Bring It On.
Actor, singer and drag artist Sé Carr will play ‘Ding-Dong/Elvis Pawsley’. Originally from the North of Ireland, Sé has performed in award-winning productions across the UK and Ireland, including Oliver Cromwell Is Really Very Sorry, winner of Best Ensemble at Dublin Fringe, and originated the role of Mickey Steele in Acid’s Reign, appearing with the production in London and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. As drag king Jamie Fuxx, Sé has performed across the UK since 2021 and is the founder and host of Magic Dyke, a drag king cabaret which has played venues including The Clapham Grand, Underbelly Boulevard and Pleasance Theatre.
Ash Weir joins the company as ‘Anne Semble’ and understudy. An actor and writer known for her comedy multi-rolling, her theatre credits include Acid’s Reign at Pleasance, Edinburgh Fringe; But I’m a Cheerleader at the Turbine Theatre, for which she was nominated for an Offie Award; Peaky Blinders: The Rise; Doctor Who: Time Fracture; and Aladdin at Stephen Joseph Theatre. She has recently been working on the pilot of her audio sitcom The Fae Trap and her one-woman musical comedy show Fiasco!. While at the University of Cambridge, Ash toured internationally with the Cambridge Footlights and originated the role of Anne Boleyn in the student cast of SIX.
They join previously announced Victoria Scone, returning to King’s Head Theatre as Dragpuss following her appearance as Dame Trott in last year’s Jack and the Beanstalk, and River Medway, who makes her King’s Head Theatre debut as Queen Rat.
Joining Pollard on the creative team are Nicky Bunch as Set and Costume Designer, Elize Layton as Choreographer, George W. Parris as Musical Supervisor and Musical Director, Alex Lewer as Lighting Designer, Anna Smart as Sound Designer and Robin Lill as Costume Supervisor. General Management is provided by James Quaife for Luminous Entertainment Group.
Alongside the family production, King’s Head Theatre will once again present a separate adults-only version of the show. Building on the popularity of previous late-night pantomime performances, Dick Whittington: Adults Only will offer a naughtier take on the traditional story from 26 November 2026 – 2 January 2027. Last year, the theatre expanded its Adults Only performances in response to audience demand.
Andrew Pollard said, “I’m absolutely thrilled with the company we’ve brought together for Dick Whittington and His Cat this year. Joseph, Patricia, Sé and Ash are all brilliant performers with such a fantastic range of skills, and they join Victoria and River to make a cast that feels perfectly suited to the joyful, mischievous and gloriously theatrical spirit of the King’s Head panto.
“Dick Whittington is such a great London story, and I can’t wait to get this company into the room and start bringing our version of it to life for audiences of all ages — and, of course, for the rather less well-behaved audiences coming to Adults Only.”
King’s Head Theatre will also continue its commitment to making pantomime accessible to children and families across its local community through its Golden Bells Pay It Forward scheme, raising funds to provide free tickets to those who might otherwise be unable to attend.
The theatre continues its partnership with the Mayor of Islington’s 11 by 11 scheme, which aims to ensure every child experiences at least eleven free cultural activities by the age of eleven. Over the past two years, more than 2,250 schoolchildren have attended King’s Head Theatre for free.
Amber Massie-Blomfield and James Quaife said, “Pantomime is such an important part of Christmas at the King’s Head, and we want as many people as possible from our local community to be able to experience it. The Golden Bells Pay-it-Forward Ticket Scheme has already enabled thousands of children to come through our doors, many of them for their first experience of live theatre, and we’re enormously proud to continue the scheme this year.
“Alongside the Golden Bells Ticket Scheme, our Pay What You Can performances and £15 tickets are part of our wider commitment to keeping the King’s Head accessible. At a time when family budgets are under real pressure, it feels more important than ever that a trip to the theatre can remain part of Christmas for families across Islington and beyond.”
As part of this wider commitment, both productions will also have Pay What You Can performances, with tickets from £15 available throughout the runs.
Dick Whittington and his Cat – family show tickets here.
Dick Whittington: Adults Only - tickets here.
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