News: Milkshake! Favourite David Ribi to Star in Sunderland Empire’s Magical 2025 Pantomime, Sleeping Beauty

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Milkshake! Favourite David Ribi to Star in Sunderland Empire’s Magical 2025 Pantomime, Sleeping Beauty

Get ready for a fairy tale adventure like no other this Christmas as Sunderland Empire announces a sparkling new addition to its 2025 pantomime, Sleeping Beauty. Beloved Milkshake! presenter David Ribi is set to don the crown as the dashing Prince Vincent, bringing his boundless energy and pantomime charm to the North East stage from 12 December 2025 to 4 January 2026.

A familiar face to families across the UK, David Ribi wakes up little ones every morning on Channel 5’s Milkshake!—but this winter, he’ll have the tricky task of waking Princess Rose from a magical slumber. David is no stranger to the stage either, with standout roles in Mamma Mia!, The Rocky Horror Show, Hairspray, and over a decade of pantomime performances under his belt, including recent festive appearances in Jack and the Beanstalk and Peter Pan.

David is thrilled to meet Sunderland’s pantomime fans: "I am so excited to be heading up to Sunderland this Christmas to meet all of you adventure-seeking Milkshakers! I'm going to need your help to rescue Princess Rose, so get ready to cheer me on! See you there!"

Joining David is Laura Main, star of Call the Midwife, who will bring a sprinkle of festive magic as the Good Fairy, Fairy Snowfall. And no Sunderland pantomime would be complete without the return of crowd favourites Miss Rory (Boulevard’s North East comedy queen) as Rorina the Cleaner and the ever-hilarious Tom Whalley as Vesta the Jester—back for their sixth year of side-splitting antics.

Producer Martin Dodd promises a festive spectacular: "On Milkshake he regularly wakes the kids up, so we’re looking forward to seeing if he can do the same for Princess Rose! With magic, music, and mayhem in store, this is one fairy tale you won’t want to snooze through—book your tickets now!"

Packed with laugh-out-loud comedy, toe-tapping musical numbers, stunning costumes, and plenty of audience participation, Sleeping Beauty is shaping up to be Sunderland’s must-see Christmas treat.

✨ Get ready to cheer, boo, and laugh your way through this magical pantomime adventure—because you definitely don’t want to get caught napping!

Tickets:

🎟️ Don’t miss out! Tickets for Sleeping Beauty at Sunderland Empire are available now at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland. Performances run from 12 December 2025 to 4 January 2026.