Gok Wan hopes to 'rediscover' Nottingham as he returns to the city ahead of annual Theatre Royal panto
Gok Wan says he hopes to "rediscover" Nottingham whilst he is in the city for its annual pantomime. The TV Fashionista will be starring as the Magical Merman in Nottingham Theatre Royal's Peter Pan pantomime later this year.
He will be joined on stage by the legendary Paul Chuckle, as well as Steve Hewlett, the comedy writer and ventriloquist as seen on Britain's Got Talent, and actress and Loose Women regular Denise Welch. Many fans spotted Gok in the city centre on Monday, October 14, to try on his costume and have some photos taken for the production.
Nottinghamshire Live were invited along and were able to see all of the action behind the scenes. The staff and crew were buzzing and Gok regularly had everyone in stitches of laughter with his cheeky personality.
Get the latest news straight to your phone by joining us on WhatsApp
After being transformed into a fabulous Merman, the team headed outside for photos, and many fans were stopping on the street to say hi and take photos with Gok. The TV star, who is originally from Leicester, took numerous selfies and made sure to ask everyone if they had their tickets yet, shouting to one fan: "Hello love, have you got tickets yet?"
He later shared that he "loves" people and will always stop to have a chat and take a photo when he can. He joked that he is more annoyed when people don't want a photo with him.
Speaking to Nottinghamshire Live, Gok said: "I love being back in the East Midlands as it's close to my mum and dad." He explained that now he lives in London he doesn't get to visit as often as he would like so it's "nice" to be back in the area.
Gok also shared that he had many family and friends coming along to the pantomime to watch him give a magical performance. When asked if he had a favourite spot in Nottingham, he shared: "Whilst I'm here I'm going to rediscover Nottingham as all the places I used to go as a teenager don't exist anymore."
Such as the Black Orchid where he "used to go clubbing years ago", although he was pleased to hear NG1 nightclub was still in action. The Peter Pan production is full of musical numbers, glitzy costumes and a great storyline.
When asked his favourite part of the pantomime, which is one of around a dozen he has starred in, the 50-year-old replied: "I love all of it, I always love the opening number of any pantomime as there's so much excitement from the audience.
"But I'm not actually going to be in this opening number so I love it even more as I'll be having a cup of tea backstage when they are all working." He added: "It's my first time in Nottingham for a pantomime and first time in this huge, enormous, beautiful, lovely, landmark in Nottingham."
Speaking about his number one fashion tip for pantomime goers this year, he said: "Yeah come to the pantomime and get really really dressed up and don't forget the sequins, it's the campest time of the year." Gok described the show as "very exciting" and says he can't wait to see it bring together people of all generations as its a very family-friendly feel feel-good show.
During the day Gok also worked with the video team for his green screen pieces and even treated everyone to a little tune on the piano. Although we do not yet know the musical numbers for this year's show, Gok has revealed he will be in two numbers, one of which is a duet.
You can watch Peter Pan at the Theatre Royal from Saturday, December 7, 2024, until Sunday, January 12, 2025.