THE much-loved actor Martin Compston is set to play a surprise role in a Scottish town’s annual pantomime this Christmas.
The Line of Duty star will voice the giant in the Beacon Arts Centre, based in the heart of Inverclyde, production of Jack and the Beanstalk.
Compston visited the Greenock venue last month to record his part in the show, which will first run on Saturday, December 7.
The actor, who grew up in the area, said he had always wanted to be part of the much-loved pantomime and will join a star-studded cast including Still Game favourites Jane McCarry and Mark Cox and River City’s Jimmy Chisholm.
Despite being unable to appear on stage himself, Compston said he is thrilled to lend his vocal talents to bring Giant Greedy Guts to life on the Beacon stage.
“I’ve played a wide variety of roles over the years, but the request from the Beacon Arts Centre to become the voice of Giant Greedy Guts was one I just couldn’t resist,” he said.
“Being born and brought up in Greenock, I know what a brilliant panto the Beacon puts on for everyone in Inverclyde, and for most kids it’s their first taste of theatre.
“I hope I can add a touch of Greenock magic to Jack and the Beanstalk and can’t wait to hear how it goes down with the audience.”
Lee Samuel will join Shannon Swan and Sam Willison in the show as the production aims to put on a “fun-filled” and “local spin” on the traditional fairy-tale.
Audience members will be “transported to the magical land of Inverstrone”, where the giant Greedy Guts plans to destroy the kingdom if Dame Trot doesn’t give him her precious cow.
Produced in-house by Beacon, 2023 saw a record-breaking year for the show with more than 17,500 audience members coming to watch.
Beacon co-director Karen Townsend said she is "thrilled" to have Compston as part of the show and can’t wait for the curtain to lift on the first night this week.
“Martin is a giant of the Scottish screen so lending his voice to our giant here at the Beacon is a perfect match,” she said.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome him to our Beacon panto team, and we are so excited to share the show with audiences when the curtain goes up.
“We are rightly proud of all our cast, crew and the Beacon team for putting on such a great show and it promises to be a fun-filled night for all the family.”
There will be multiple performances running over the festival period until Hogmanay.
Tickets are now on sale, and you can find further information about the show here.
