TWO favourites from last year's pantomime at a popular York theatre are preparing to return for this year's show.

Robin Simpson and Paul Hawkyard won much praise as Cinderella's Ugly Sisters double act at York Theatre Royal - and were nominated as Best Uglies in the Great British Pantomime Awards.

This time Robin will play Mrs Smee while Paul is the villainous Captain Hook in the All New Adventures of Peter Pan at York Theatre Royal.

Robin and Paul previously worked together in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Macbeth for Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre in York.

As already announced, also returning this year is Faye Campbell, who also starred in The Travelling Pantomime tour as The Hero and Dick Whittington, then played Cinderella in 2021. She will play in Elizabeth Darling in the new show.

York Theatre Royal creative director Juliet Forster, who is directing All New Adventures of Peter Pan, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome back Robin, Paul and Faye for this year's pantomime.

"They were all hugely popular with our audiences in Cinderella last year and we can't wait for them to return to our stage in these fabulous new roles."

Further casting will be announced in coming months.