CBEEBIES anchorman Alex Winters, Dancing On Ice finalist Chloe Madeley, Coronation Street heartthrob Danny Young and Bad Girls actress Kim Taylforth will star in York Barbican’s pantomime, Dick Whittington.

All but Chloe – already committed to appearing on the 25th anniversary edition of ITV's This Morning with her parents Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan – attended Thursday's panto launch by the city walls with director and dame Rob Forknall and producer Gary Telfer.

Telfer’s company, Blue Genie Entertainment, will be staging the York Barbican pantomime for the second successive year. "We're really looking forward to returning to the Barbican. After the huge success of Cinderella last year, we have a lot to live up to and we can't wait to make the magic happen again,” he said. “We have a great cast of TV stars, we'll have an amazing 3D ghost scene for the first time in York, and with only 18 shows, we’re fully expecting it to sell out.”

Dick Whittington will run from December 20 to 30 with Winters in the role of Dick Whittington; Madeley as Alice Fitzwarren; Essex lad Young in cheeky chappy mode for the first time as Idle Jack; Taylforth, as villainous Queen Rat, in her seventh panto; and Forknall on dame duty as Sarah The Cook.

Forknall is directing one of Telfer’s panto productions for a fifth time. “It’s going to be great fun for all the family,” he promised. “Dick Whittington is the most traditional pantomime of them all. We’re going to give the people of York something really special.”

Dick Whittington will be one of three professional pantomimes in York this winter, along with Aladdin And The Twankeys at York Theatre Royal and Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs at the Grand Opera House.

For Dick Whittington tickets, phone 0844 854 2757.