SLEEPING Beauty will be in safe hands when TV doc Dr Ranj joins the Alhambra panto this Christmas.

The celebrity doctor and TV presenter will star with Billy Pearce in the family show, which was postponed from last Christmas due to the pandemic.

Dr Ranj Singh, known to a generation of children for his CBeebies series Get Well Soon and Get Well Soon Hospital, will play the

Royal Doctor in Sleeping Beauty.

Alongside his job as a practicing doctor working in the NHS, Dr Ranj appears regularly on ITV’s This Morning.

He has also fronted ITV1’s Dr Ranj: On Call, Save Money: Good Health, Save Money: Lose Weight and his new series, Extreme Food Phobics for W Channel.

Dr Ranj s a columnist and writer, and he showed off his needle skills in the 2020 Christmas Special of The Great British Sewing Bee. In 2018 he took part in hit BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing, with professional partner Janette Manrara, making it through to the seventh week of the series.

In Sleeping Beauty Dr Ranj joins Billy Pearce, Bradford’s best-loved funnyman, who will play Muddles, loyal companion to the princess. Billy first topped the bill at the Alhambra in 1993, and has starred in more than 20 pantos at the theatre since.

Sleeping Beauty is staged by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer. Chief Executive Michael Harrison said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Dr Ranj will be joining us to bring festive cheer to our audiences in Bradford this Christmas.

“Dr Ranj is a fabulous personality and will be the perfect addition to our production of Sleeping Beauty.”

Adam Renton, General Manager Bradford Theatres, added: “The addition of Dr Ranj to our headline cast will ensure that panto returns to the Alhambra Theatre this year, bigger and better than ever before.

"We cannot wait to welcome customers back to share

some festive magic, witness spectacular effects, laugh loudly and create some wonderful memories!”

Further casting will be announced later in the year.

Bradford Theatres announced in August 2020 that, due to Government Covid advice and the health and wellbeing of audiences, cast and crew, Sleeping Beauty would be rescheduled. The show was originally due to run from December 2020 to January 2021.

But Bradford Council, which runs the Alhambra, came to the decision to postpone it in conjunction with panto producers.

Customers who had already bought tickets were issued tickets for a new performance date.

* Sleeping Beauty runs at the Alhambra from December 11 to January 16, 2022.

Tickets are on sale now at (01274) 432000 and bradford-theatres.co.uk