A WICKED wolf, an innocent little Red Riding Hood and a fiesty dame for a grandmother – The Bridport Pantomime Players are back, and with a jam packed fairytale family panto for everyone to enjoy.

With a script written by panto regular Teresa Grinter, The Bridport Pantomime Players performance this February at the Electric Palace has an added special local touch to it.

Teresa will set the scene as the Squire of Sunnymead, the village where all the action takes place at Bridport Electric Palace from February 1 to 4.

Red Riding Hood, played by Amy Wheatley, is celebrating her birthday with a picnic in the wood, hoping that Sam the Woodcutter, played by Amy Day, will be there, as they have a very ‘soft spot’ for each other.

But everything is ruined by a wicked wolf – played with gusto by Jess Ives, who faces strong opposition from Fairy Bluebell, played by Laura Gray, who is determined to stop the wicked wolf’s evil deeds at all costs.

Throughout, PC Plum and PC Pye, played by Hatti Amos and Emmie Shoemark, try to keep law and order without much success, whilst Simon, played by Sarah Williams, spends most of his time trying to do nothing.

Newcomer to the Players is Derek Rigby, taking on the role of Dame Trott, Red Riding Hood’s grandmother, and her mother is played by Sue Farrant.

The Weather Fairy (Tara Grinter) is kidnapped by the Wolf so that he can control the seasons, bringing cold and misery to the villagers, whilst the Gypsy Queen (Hannah Leins) sets the scene for the birthday picnic.

This pantomime will be up to the usual high standard set by the Bridport Pantomime Players, with plenty of song and dance, colour, comedy and audience participation.

n Red Riding Hood is on stage at the Electric Palace at 7.30pm from Wednesday, February 1 to Saturday, February 4, with a matinee on Thursday at 1.30pm and Saturday at 2pm.

Tickets are on sale at the Tourist Information Centre in Bridport.

For the first performance on Wednesday, all tickets are £6 (no further reductions) and for the other performances they are £9 reduced to £7 for children up to the age of 12.