Fairy Godmother: co-star’s my Prince Charming!

Children’s TV presenter Rebecca Keatley is starring in Cinderella at the Lichfield Garrick this Christmas. She tells ROZ LAWS about amusing rumours she’s wed her CBeebies colleague

REBECCA Keatley would like it to be known that she’s not married to her CBeebies co-star Sid Sloane. In fact, they’re never even kissed. Look her up on the internet and it’s one of the first things you discover about the presenter, who’s returning to the Midlands this Christmas to star in the Lichfield Garrick panto Cinderella.

The CBeebiepedia on the Wiki fan pages for Rebecca and Sid tells us the pair married on April 29 this year, a ‘fact’ repeated elsewhere.

But far from tying the knot,

Rebecca, 35, and 52-year-old Sid have never even had a romantic relationship.

Rebecca sees the funny side: “We think it’s hilarious. It’s been the source of much amusement among our CBeebies colleagues.

“It’s crazy. I have no idea how this invention came about, but it seems to have stuck and become an internet fact, and I don’t know how to change it.

“I have a lot of love for Sid but we are just good friends and always have been, nothing romantic has happened. We both have partners.

“We did a few gigs on the road and maybe people saw us together and thought we might be a couple. But to invent a wedding date for us is hysterical!”

Rebecca is playing the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at Lichfield Garrick, alongside Sam Rabone as Buttons. He usually plays the Dame but this year he’s putting on trousers and is also directing.

Rebecca has entertained Garrick audiences before, as she was in Sleeping Beauty in 2016.

She says: “I’m so excited to be coming back to such a lovely city and theatre and the friends I made last time.

“I think this is my seventh panto, though it’s hard to keep track because I’ve also done quite a few CBeebies Christmas shows. I’ve never been in Cinderella before, but the story is absolutely beautiful and I’ve heard there might be a few magical treats in store. Last time we had a fire-breathing dragon, so expect Lichfield to pull it out of the bag!”

Rebecca can also be seen on TV at Christmas starring in the CBeebies panto Hansel and Gretel. She plays Granny Crimble but is in danger of being upstaged by Waffle

Rebecca Keatley returns to the Lichfield Garrick in Cinderella, three years after starring in its Sleeping Beauty panto

the Wonder Dog, a miniature poodle who appears live on stage.

“A couple of cast members, including Mr Maker, are getting dog handling training as they’re looking after Waffle,” reveals Rebecca. “I love dogs but I’m secretly quite thankful I don’t have to do much with him. It’s quite tricky because he talks – he is voiced, appropriately, by Rufus Hound.”

Rebecca admits her CBeebies work is good training for panto, especially as she’s played 100-plus characters in Let’s Play.

“That’s a dream job for me. It’s putting on a silly voice and a silly walk, putting on wig, moustache and funny trousers and just throwing yourself into it. You just have to make outrageous choices and hope the producer lets you get away with it.

“Now I spend most of my week presenting from the CBeebies House, doing links, songs and sketches. I don’t want to do anything else, I’d love to be doing it when I’m 90.

“I’m very thankful for my job, especially when I remember my time as a jobbing actress, getting rejections and doing commercials

Rebecca Keatley in CBeebies Let’s Play

and promotional work. I once had to dress up as a duck and dance around in the middle of a town centre to promote Imperial Leather.

“That was good practice for CBeebies, where I’ve had to dress up as everything from a banana to a crab.”

Rebecca often dons a simpler disguise of a hat and glasses when she’s out and about which means she usually goes unrecognised – until she opens her mouth and her distinctive Welsh accent gives the game away. But she says: “I love meeting people, so if you see me in Lichfield, come up and say hello!”

Lichfield Garrick’s refurbished studio is adding to the festive fun this year, showing two new shows as well as acting as a cinema.

Chief executive Karen Foster has commissioned the adult farce Christmas Carol Casebook: Away In A Danger by Birmingham writers Craig Stephens and Jack Trow, and Charlie And The Christmas Cat for two to seven-year-olds. The shows run in conjunction in the studio from December 5.

The 150-seater studio is now multi-purpose, with the horseshoe shape changed to a more conventional rake and a screen added.

It means Lichfield finally has its own cinema and film-lovers no longer have to travel to Tamworth. Live streaming events such as the

Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker (December 18) and Andre Rieu (January 5) are proving popular.

Charlie And The Christmas Cat is a charming story with actors playing a little girl and her lovable cat, Ziggy. They embark on an adventure on Christmas Eve, the one night of the year when animals can talk.

Away In A Danger is a farcical murder whodunnit for ages 14 upwards which features plenty of local references. It stars Birmingham-based James Steventon and Lucy Pearson, from Lichfield.

Karen says: “It’s important to us to promote as much local talent as possible. Sam Rabone, who stars in and directs our panto, is from Sutton Coldfield.

“We’d love to take our two new commissioned shows to other studio theatres next year.”

Cinderella runs from November 28 to January 5. There is a relaxed performance on the morning of January 2 followed by an evening show with a British Sign Language interpreter on stage. Charlie And The Christmas Cat is from December 6-24 and Away In A Danger from December 5 to January 4. For tickets, ring 01543 412121 or go to lichfieldgarrick.com