Linda bringing glamour to panto

A FORMER Page 3 girl is making a return to North Somerset to appear in a Christmas pantomime.

Former glamour model, actress and TV presenter Linda Lusardi will be joining the cast to tread the boards at Weston Playhouse this winter for the theatre’s pantomime Dick Whittington.

The panto will tell the tale of Dick and his dependable cat through their daring journey through Ye Old London where the streets were ‘paved with gold.’

And Playhouse bosses say this year’s festive show will be the best yet, with ‘bundles’ of hilarious comedy, glittering dance numbers and a few surprises along the way.

Lusardi will be in the role of Queen Rat alongside Derek Moran as Idle Jack, Michael

Goble as Sarah the Cook, Lucy Kane as Alice Fitzwarren, Richard Alan as Alderman Fitzwarren, Daniel Slade as Dick Whittington, Collette Stewart as Fairy Bowbells and Gareth Davies as The Cat.

Lusardi shot to fame in the early 80s as one of Britain’s best loved models and Page 3 girls. Linda has graced The Playhouse stage in previous pantomimes Snow White (2018) and

Cinderella (2019) and is making a return this year in the villainous role of Queen Rat.

Children’s TV presenter and star of The Playhouse’s previous pantomimes Jack and the Beanstalk (2021) and Sleeping Beauty (2022) Moran, will also be returning to Weston this year.

Weston Playhouse general manager Mark Thompson said: “This year, as I reach my 10 year anniversary of heading up The Playhouse, we’re delighted to be welcoming back the best of our pantomime stars across that period.”

Tickets are on sale now, with performances running from December 8 to New Year’s Eve, with a variety of performance times to include mornings, afternoons and evenings. A full breakdown can be found at www. theplayhouse.co.uk.