Jack P Shepherd, who portrays David Platt on Coronation Street, is set to take on his first pantomime role this festive season. The long-serving soap actor will appear as the Prince in Sleeping Beauty at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales.
Performances commence on December 12 and continue through to January 2, giving audiences in north Wales the chance to see the Celebrity Big Brother winner in a completely different setting from the cobbles of Weatherfield.
Mr Shepherd will share the stage with John Evans and Simon Neehan for the production. The announcement was made this week, with tickets already available for purchase.
The actor has been a fixture on the ITV soap since making his first appearance back in 2000.
The star plays David Platt on the ITV soap
|ITV
Mr Shepherd expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming venture, stating: "I'm delighted to be joining the cast in Llandudno this festive season and can't wait to entertain audiences in this year's pantomime."
Amanda Guy, section head at Venue Cymru, welcomed the casting announcement with equal excitement. "We are thrilled to welcome Jack P Shepherd to Venue Cymru for Sleeping Beauty," she said in a statement.
Ms Guy described the actor as "one of the country's most recognisable and popular television stars" and noted the significance of him choosing their venue for his pantomime debut.
She added that audiences could anticipate "another magical festive production packed with laughter, music and family fun" when the show opens in December.
Mr Shepherd has been on the show since 2000
|ITV
The casting follows a significant policy shift at ITV that now permits soap performers to pursue stage work without having to resign from their roles.
Previously, actors from both Coronation Street and Emmerdale faced the choice of leaving their programmes entirely if they wished to take on theatre commitments.
Under the revised arrangements, cast members can temporarily step away from their soap duties to participate in pantomimes and other theatrical productions.
However, such absences require considerable forward planning from both the performer and production teams. Scriptwriters must devise storylines that account for characters being absent from screens during the filming gap, ensuring continuity is maintained while actors fulfil their stage commitments elsewhere.
The star has been involved in some heavy storylines over the years
|ITV
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Viewers have already begun theorising about how David Platt might be written out of the programme during Mr Shepherd's theatrical commitment. Discussion on a Coronation Street Facebook fan page quickly turned to potential storylines that could explain the character's absence.
One fan posed the question of how producers would handle David's departure for the panto period. Several others suggested the most obvious solution would involve the character travelling abroad to see his mother.
"Probably visit his mum," one viewer proposed, with others agreeing that a trip to France to see Gail would provide a straightforward explanation.
Another fan suggested David could take his baby along for the visit, making it a family trip to see the beloved matriarch who departed Weatherfield for a new life on the continent.
Mr Shepherd also surprised fans by unveiling a dramatically shaved head after undergoing his third hair transplant procedure while appearing on his On The Sofa podcast, where his co-stars reacted with plenty of laughs and light-hearted banter.
Mr Shepherd has been open about his experiences with hair loss over the years, previously speaking about how stress and a receding hairline affected his confidence.
His latest shaved look is part of the recovery process following the transplant, with fans praising both his honesty and his willingness to share the journey.