The full cast has been announced for a star-studded pantomime which will mark the opening of a new temporary theatre venue.

EastEnders actress Shona McGarty will be joined by Harry Reid, who also featured on Albert Square, for Beauty and the Beast at the new Orchard West Theatre in Hythe Street, Dartford.

The show, which opens on December 9, will be the first at the purpose-built 1,000 seater venue.

The venue was hastily built after The Orchard Theatre was forced to close for one year in September following the discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in its roof.

Earlier this year Shona spoke of her thrill at starring in the Christmas show.

“I’m so excited to be making my panto debut as Belle in Beauty and the Beast this Christmas in Dartford,” she said.

“I once featured as Belle for a Children in Need feature back in 2018, so I can’t wait to play her in panto – it’s going to be so much fun.”

Shona will be joined on stage by Gravesend born actor and fellow former EastEnder Harry Reid, who starred as Ben Mitchell in the soap from 2014 until 2018, and will be starring as Silly Billy.

Also sharing the limelight as Belle’s father is John Archer, who found fame as a comedic magician in series 13 of Britain’s Got Talent four years ago.

Beauty and the Beast is staged by Crossroads Pantomimes, the world’s biggest pantomime producer and is the same team behind last year’s production of Cinderella.

Michael Harrison, Chief Executive of Crossroads Pantomimes, said: “With pantomime being such an important part of the Orchard Theatre’s year we are thrilled that our magical production of Beauty and The Beast will be one of the first major productions to be staged in Orchard West.”

The show, which also stars musical theatre performers Emma Jay Thomas as the Enchantress and Tom Senior as Flash Harry, finds the protagonist transported to a cursed castle and held captive by a terrifying beast.

To her surprise, the castle is full of magical characters placed under a spell by an evil enchantress.

Packed with all the traditional pantomime ingredients audiences know to expect, the action-packed pantomime promises to be full of laugh-out-loud comedy, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses.

The show runs from Saturday, December 9 to Sunday, December 31. To book tickets click the link here.

The new £1.5 million state-of-the-art venue will ensure patrons are comfortable during the show with heating and cooling systems and full backstage and front-of-house facilities, including indoor toilets and bars.