“It’s no snoozefest, I’ll tell you that,” says drama queen Miss Rory as the grand dame of the Empire’s pantos gears up for this year’s festive offering.

Miss Rory will be stepping into the stilettos of Rorina the Cleaner in Sleeping Beauty, alongside silly sidekick Tom Whalley as Vesta the Jester.

Sunderland Empire, Sleeping Beauty panto cast Laura Main as Fairy Snowfall, Miss Rory as Rorina the cleaner, David Ribi as Prince Vincent, Tom Whalley as Vesta the Jester and Jordan Lee-Davies at Lumley Castle. | Sunderland Echo

placeholder image — Sunderland Empire, Sleeping Beauty panto cast Laura Main as Fairy Snowfall, Miss Rory as Rorina the cleaner, David Ribi as Prince Vincent, Tom Whalley as Vesta the Jester and Jordan Lee-Davies at Lumley Castle. | Sunderland Echo

Running from Friday, December 12 to Sunday, January 4, the festive show also stars Call the Midwife star Laura Main as Fairy Snowfall, Channel 5 Milkshake! presenter David Ribi as Prince Vincent and West End star Jordan Lee Davies as Carabosse.

The cast gathered at Lumley Castle to launch this year’s panto, which will be the sixth at the Empire for duo Miss Rory and Tom.

Miss Rory and Tom Whalley are returning to the Empire panto stage for the sixth year | Sunderland Echo

“You can expect fabulous fairy tale magic, amazing songs, a real feel good show,” said Miss Rory. “And of course I'm a cleaner, so we shall have the cleanest castle this side of Hylton Castle.

“We've been here for six years now and we literally feel like, you know, part of the fabric and part of people's traditions. It's brilliant.”

Sprinkling some fairy magic will be Laura Main who has appeared in all 14 series of the popular BBC show Call the Midwife, first as Sister Bernadette and then giving up her wimple to marry, becoming Nurse Shelagh.

Laura Main as Fairy Snowfall | Sunderland Echo

As well as many TV roles, Laura is no stranger to the stage and first appeared at Sunderland Empire as Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical in 2018 and more recently in Steel Magnolias.

Speaking about returning to Wearside, she said: “I had a great time in Sunderland. The audiences are amazing, it was a very, very memorable part of the tour, so I'm really excited about coming back.”

And on what we can expect from Sleeping Beauty, she said: “Well, there's magic. There is going to be sparkle, song, dance, fabulous costumes, a great story. Everything you could want from a family pantomime.”

*Sleeping Beauty is at Sunderland Empire from Friday, December 12, 2025 to Sunday, January 4, 2026. Tickets from /www.atgtickets.com/shows/sleeping-beauty-pantomime/sunderland-empire/