Soap star Michelle Collins will play the baddie in Wyvern's Sleeping Beauty panto

The actress will be treading the boards as the evil villain Carabosse this December and is one of the few people to play roles in both Coronation Street and Eastenders.

Adam Woodyatt memorably played the villain in several previous pantos - Michelle played his Albert Square character Ian' Beale's wife Cindy for many years.

She joins CBeebies favourite Chris Jarvis, who will play the lovable character Muddles in this year's pantomime which is sure to be a hit with hundreds of Swindon families.

The show's executive producer Daryl Back said: "I am absolutely delighted and very excited to be working with Michelle once again. She will make the most formidable Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty and I know both Michelle and Chris will love performing in Swindon.”

Wyvern Theatre's marketing and sales manager Laura James said: “Everyone here is really thrilled that Michelle will be joining us for this year’s fun packed pantomime, an actress with her talent and profile is sure to make this our fastest selling ever, and with Chris Jarvis also in the team, Sleeping Beauty promises to be spectacular family entertainment.”

Michelle is also well-known for her roles in Real Women, Sunburn and Two Thousand Acres of Sky.

This is the first time in 10 years that Sleeping Beauty is being performed at the Wyvern and it is on track to be a record-breaker for the theatre, with 10,000 seats already snapped-up by eager panto fans.

The Christmas panto has sold out for three years in a row with popular performances of Cinderella in 2016, Peter Pan in 2017 and Aladdin in 2018.

Packed with all of the traditional pantomime ingredients Swindon audiences have come to expect, Sleeping Beauty will be spectacularly brought to life with an abundance of dance, side-splitting comedy, sensational song and plenty of festive fun with magic, music, and comedy.

Book tickets by calling the box office on 01793 524481 or visit swindontheatres.co.uk