It’s going to be a tall order to beat this year’s Alhambra pantomime.

The cast of Robin Hood, which opens this month, includes Britain’s tallest man Neil Fingleton – who is playing Little John.

Standing at 7ft 7in, he will be head and shoulders above Alhambra stalwart Billy Pearce, starring in the title role, and Bradford actor Andrew Ryan who plays the Dame, Nurse Kelly.

Mr Fingleton, who wears size 15 shoes and has a 54-inch inside leg, has had his costumes designed to fit his towering frame. He went into acting after a back injury halted his basketball career, and recently completed filming a movie called 47 with Keanu Reeves.

More than 61,000 tickets have so far been booked for the show.

An array of special effects will include an animatronic smoke-breathing dragon with a five-metre wing-span, which will fly over the audience, and an on-stage rainfall and enchanted waterfall which will answer questions by spelling out words.

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