Samantha Gils is best known for her portrayal of the quirky and endearing Bernice Blackstock in Emmerdale, but this Christmas, she’ll be portraying a completely different character.
Samantha will be joining the cast of Cinderella at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford during the holiday season, it has been revealed.
The actress, who made her acting debut in Emmerdale in 1998, will play the Wicked Step Mother.
She will appear in the play with Bradford panto great Billy Pearce as Buttons and Strictly Come Dancing finalist John Whaite as Dandini.
I am absolutely thrilled to be portraying the Wicked Stepmother in Cinderella at the Bradford Alhambra Theatre, Samantha stated when asked about taking on the role.
“The Alhambra is such a beautiful theatre that I have long wished to work at,” the performer said. “I’m really looking forward to working with Billy Pearce, the absolute King of Panto.”
Between December 9 and January 21 2024, audiences will be entertained by a production that promises ‘laugh-out-loud humour, amazing scenery, beautiful costumes and plenty of boos and hisses’.
Samantha has performed on stage numerous times, including in A Taste of Honey, Absent Friends, and Season’s Greetings.
In the movie, Samantha’s character Bernice has been dealing with life’s difficulties in typical Bernice fashion.
She had recently struggled with menopause, slept with her business partner Bob Hope (Tony Audenshaw), and woken up next to a dead harpist after a passionate night.
Bernice will attempt to control her growing attraction to Bob this week while not being aware that his partner Wendy Posner (Susan Cookson), a local doctor, is having an affair with him (Jonny McPherson).
Will she ultimately succumb to the temptation with Bob?
