Veteran stage and soap actor joins cast for Aylesbury's 2024 pantomime

Mark Moraghan will be playing Captain Hook at this year’s Christmas production of The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook.

At 61, Mark has appeared in 144 Holby City episodes and was cast in 10 Coronation Street shows.

He joins Aylesbury pantomime regular Andy Collins and Bradley Riches, best known for Netflix LGBTQ hit Heartstopper, in the announced cast.

Further mainstream television credits on Mark’s CV include: Emmerdale, Doctors, Heartbeat, The Bill, Where The Heart Is, Casualty, Peak Practice and London’s Burning.

He has also appeared as a finalist on BBC’s Celebrity Masterchef and came second to Russell Watson on BBC's Just The Two Of Us with singing partner, Atomic Kitten's Natasha Hamilton.

As well as regularly appearing on the small screen Mark has a number of theatre appearances to his name including playing Franklyn J Hart in 9 to 5 (National Tour). He has also been seen in Priscilla Queen of the Desert (Palace Theatre, London), My Fair Lady (Liverpool Philharmonic); Come Fly With Me (Millennium Centre Cardiff); Strictly Murder (UK Tour); and Macbeth.

He may be best-known to younger audiences as the narrator of recent seasons of Thomas The Tank Engine, a role previously held by the Beatles’s Ringo Starr.

Mark said: “I’ve heard panto is big in Bucks, and this Hook is ready to bring it! I love everything about panto, and there’s something about Captain Hook that never fails to get audiences vocal. I can’t wait to join Bradley, Andy and the rest of the cast and crew for some antics in Neverland. I guarantee families will have a fantastic adventure with us this Christmas.”

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre is hoping to build on last year’s success where the venue saw record-crowd numbers for its 2023 pantomime. More ticketing information can be found online here.

Bradley was previously confirmed in the role of Peter Pan, whilst in his 13th year appearing in front of Aylesbury pantomime audiences, Andy Collins will be appearing as the clumsy, yet loveable Smee.