Blackpool star Hayley Tamaddon on her upcoming role in the Grand Theatre's panto & what else she has planned

Back in June, Bispham born star of TV and stage Hayley Tamaddon, 47, announced she would be playing the Fairy Godmother in the Grand’s Pantemomime Cinderella alongside Chorley perfomer and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Royle.

The ever popular pantomime returns between December 5 and Junary 6 and ahead of her hometown performances, we were able to catch the former Emmerdale and Coronation star for a chat all about it and

In the below interview, mum of one Hayley talks about her upcoming role in the panto as well as what else she has planned for the future...

How are you feeling about taking on a role in the Grand Theatre Christmas panto again?

“It's amazing to be asked back for the Grand Theatre, which is my hometown. That rarely happens. It's absolutely amazing. I can't believe it. The theater, the production company - UK production - both had a big chat and decided to bring me back for another year. Who knows it might be a regular thing? I would love that!”

Are you excited to be playing the Fairy Godmother?

“Oh, yeah. I mean, the fairy godmother is right up my street. I'm kind of still at that point where people are giving me the goodie roles to play. I'm waiting for the day someone goes ‘Do you want to play the Wicked Witch?’ I'll be devastated!”

And what will your character be like?

“I always play my fairy godmother quirky because, you know, we're not living in the past are we with all the traditional fairy tales? We are now in the modern day and why can't your fairy godmother wear glittery trainers and be smart and funky? So yeah, she's gonna have a bit of an edge.”

And this won’t be your first time on the Grand stage, how often have you performed at the theare?

“I’ve done the panto, professionally, twice but gosh, I was on stage there a lot when I was young - all the dancing schools that I was a part of, festivals and Christmas shows and things like that. They were always mostly at the Grand Theatre so it's kind of part of me, the Grand.”

So will it feel more nostalgic performing a panto at the Grand compared to other theatres?

“100% ! I think just being in the Grand Theatre in any show I've done is nostalgic because it's home and everybody knows you. It's a tight knit community in Blackpool, everybody knows everybody, so it's nice. I really love it.”

Does it feel different performing to a Blackpool audience?

“No, they're great. Blackpool audiences are one of the best because we're in the north, everybody's raring to go. You know, there's so much audience participation, and everybody gets involved in the Blackboard Grand Theatre, which makes me so happy.”

And what is it you like about pantomimes?

“Panto is amazing. As an actor, you get to do a whole variety of different things but panto every year at Christmas is just brilliant. I'm earning a decent wage, I can pay the mortgage, but also I get to be at home with my little boy. It's like all my dreams have come true at once!”

Is Jasper old enough to enjoy pantomimes himself?

“Absolutely. He's four now and he’ll be five when I do panto this time around so yeah, he's excited already, he's asking me lots of questions about it.”

Will he want to come to every show?

“No, he'll probably come a couple of times and be like ‘Okay, that's it now’!”

You’re working alongside fellow Lancashire performer Steve Royle- have you worked with him before?

“I've known Steve a long time and the fact we got to do panto together a couple of years ago was just fantastic. We get on really, really well. We have the same weird sense of humour so when he finds something funny, I find it hilarious too.”

Have rehearsals started yet?

“No, rehearsal don’t start for like a week and a half before we open. It's a very short process which is hectic but I think if you've done panto before, you just get on with it and we always put on the best show.”

What will be keeping you busy in the meantime?

“My little boy keeps me very busy and I work at Coastal radio station in Blackpool. I do the drivetime show which is fantastic. I also teach, I've been doing a lot of teaching this year, which is amazing, because I really love it and I've never really had the time to settle and do it. But I am doing it here in Blackpool now and its taking off really well. I also have an audition for a TV drama so who knows, fingers crossed that might happen! So yeah, it's just the life of a jobbing actress.”

What made you get into teaching?

“I've done it for the best part of 28 years, it's just that people don't really know. I've taught everywhere, at different colleges, at different schools, and it's something I've always loved but I didn't want to do it as a main profession. I wanted to go and do the West End and do television. Now I'm in a position where actually my life has changed, I’m a single mum, I’ve settled in Blackpool and it means I can now open that door again. I just thought I'd test the water and see but actually, I have quite a few clients now. 

“I'm thinking about opening my own acting school, a proper school but I need more hours in a day to be honest. I have enough clients at the moment to keep me busy and I teach all sorts - audition work, how to deal with self pay, if you come to me with a script, we can work on that. I also take a lot of actors that want to change from doing theatre to telly as well so yeah it's a brilliant part of the industry and I've always loved it.”

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You yourself have switched back and forth between TV and theatre, what are the biggest adjustments you had to make?

“The stage is very different. Telly is all about realness and acting is really not acting. Iif you think you're acting, then you're probably doing too much. Theatre can be bigger, you've got to reach the person on the back row. Whereas in telly, it's just your little TV box. Sometimes I struggled when I first changed from theatre to telly, and no one was available to help me really, I had to learn on the job and that's kind of what I want to teach people now.”

And are you still learning as you go, are you hoping the Cinderella Panto will bring with it new lessons and anecdotes?

“100%, I think you take away anecdotes from every job you do. There's always funny things that happen that you can share along the way. I don't think you ever stop learning in this business. There is a ladder and you climb it but you never really reach the top. I'm sure that Kate Winslet probably hasn't reached the top yet and she still wants to do something new, so you can always drive to keep climbing.”

The last time we spoke, you mentioned you were writing a TV script, how’s that going?

“That's continued and the thing with writing a TV show is that they always want a lot of rewrites but it is it's doing really well now and we're in a different place so it's a completely different script to when I talked to you. Hopefully towards the end of this year it will get pitch to the TV stations so we'll see what happens…”

Can you tell us what it’s about?

“It’s about my life! It's  a semi autobiography about growing up in Blackpool as a mixed race , British Persian girl, and being the only Persian girl at that time in Blackpool. It's just about the highs and lows and comedy moments that I've encountered over the years.

“I'm a seventies child so you have to remember in the 70s and 80s, it was very different. There's things that happened in the 70s and 80s that probably wouldn't happen today. But there is a lot of hilarity in issues and problems, there's always a lot of comedy that comes out of that and so that's kind of what I'm trying to show with my sitcom - we can create comedy out of everything.”

Speaking of a show being funny, why should the people of Lancashire grab tickets?

“Even if I wasn't in it, I would suggest that this in Blackpool, in the Grand Theatre, is the best pantomime to ome and see! Not only because it's in Blackpool but because Steve Royle is in it and honestly, before  I worked with him in the panto a couple of years ago, watching him was magical, I was quite in awe of how he grasped an audience. So funny, just beyond funny and he had a bunch of ideas and he’s so creative and I absolutely love working with him because of that reason. So this time round, it’s going to be, I would say just as good but maybe even better, because we've worked together already before.

“I can't tell you about the rest of the cast yet but I do know who the rest of the cast are and they are amazing, like amazing! And we've got Tarot and Jamie back being the ugly sisters and they are the best couple in the world. I love working with them. I've worked with them before and we're really great mates,. So you’ve kind of got a cast of people that already know each other, which can only create the best show possible. And also, this is a UK production pantomime and they never fail because the company puts so much work and time and money and effort into creating their pantomime. UK production pantomimes are always the best.”