He’s recognised all over the world as one of the original stars of the iconic sci-fi show Star Trek. Now George Takei - alias Mr. Sulu - is about to boldly go where he’s never been before – and star in pantomime at The Central Theatre, Chatham.

The veteran actor will star in his first ever pantomime, playing The Emperor of China in this year’s production of Aladdin.

Takei has rarely been out of the spotlight since he first appeared in Star Trek more than 40 years ago. The Los Angeles based star is in constant demand as a vocal artist and has a recurring role in BBC2’s cult TV series Heroes. In fact, he is so well known he even has his own star in Hollywood’s world famous Walk of Fame.

His iconic Star Trek character Mr. Sulu is now attracting a whole new legion of fans with the release of this summer’s blockbuster Star Trek – The Movie. Last year, Takei joined the line up of ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! and his friendship with actor Joe Swash during the series became one of the great storylines of the show.

The pair made it to the final, when Swash was crowned King of The Jungle before heading straight to The Central Theatre to star in Cinderella. And the good things Swash told his friend about Medway and its fun-filled pantomime audiences during his run helped persuade Takei to sign up for this year’s show.

Medway Council’s portfolio holder for community services Cllr Howard Doe said: "I am delighted that we have such an exciting star heading up the cast, and I am sure that this year’s show will be even more successful".

Theatres general manager, Tony Hill said: "Joe’s jungle success clearly helped to make the show the most successful we’ve ever had, and he frequently mentioned his friend ‘Gorgeous George’ during panto performances, much to the amusement of our audience.

"When it came to casting this year’s production of Aladdin we decided George would be the perfect choice to headline our show. He’s an international star whose appeal crosses every generation, and we were thrilled when he said yes".

Starring alongside George will be Shaun Williamson, who helped make Cinderella a box office smash for The Central Theatre in 2004. This year he will be playing the villainous Abanazar, a part he’s played many times. Born in Kent and currently living in Faversham, Shaun is known to millions for his role as Barry in EastEnders and sending himself up alongside Ricky Gervais in Extras.

Shaun will have a very busy summer before returning to The Central Theatre stage. Currently on a nationwide tour with the Take That stage musical Never Forget, he will also play Fletcher in a stage tour of the classic TV sitcom Porridge, star in his own BBC TV series Scoop and reunite with Ricky Gervais to star in the film The Other Side of the Truth.

Aladdin, which follows three years of record-breaking sales at the theatre, will be the sixth pantomime produced at the Central Theatre by Evolution Productions. Performances run from 11 December 2009 to 3 January 2010. Tickets start at £12.50 for adults and £8.50 for children with group offers and early booking discounts available. For further information contact the box office on 01634 338338 or visit www.medway.gov.uk/theatrebooking