All-round entertainer and comedian, Bernie Clifton will be flying into town via his own ostrich and delivering a performance of cosmic portions in the role of Wishee Washee.

Millions will know Bernie from his many TV appearances, from Crackerjack to the Royal Variety, and more recently in BBC 1’s Love Soup and the Comic Relief video for Is This The Way To Amarillo.

Not so many people know that Bernie is a member of the Official England FC Supporters Band. He followed the England squad out to South Africa for the World Cup last year and is regularly seen at Wembley blowing his trumpet. Bernie has been in the spotlight for years and never fails to entertain.

Bringing mean and menacing moments of pure pantomime badness to the production will be Marshall Lancaster, who appears as Abanazar, an evil and greedy sorcerer from 14th Century Old Peking. Travelling back in time should be no problem for Marshall who starred in the BBC cult series Ashes To Ashes and Life On Mars as DC Chris Skelton.

Whether he’ll be bringing the Quattro and the 80s haircut to Newark remains to be seen, but he’s bound to be throwing his weight around and packing a few punches in a style DCI Gene Hunt would surely approve of.

Finishing off the trio of talent is Rob McVeigh in the title role of Aladdin. Rob, who was fondly known as Rob the Builder in the hit BBC programme Any Dream Will Do, the TV talent show to find a Joseph, sang his way into the nation’s living rooms, and many a girl’s heart, every Saturday night until he was beaten in the sing-off by Lewis Bradley who eventually finished third.

Ali Cook, public relations and marketing manager for Paul Holman Associates, said: “Tickets are already flying out of the box office even though they have been on sale for a few days.”

Aladdin takes off from the Palace Theatre from December 7 to 31.