The Grand Opera House York have announced its first swashbuckling star for their 2026 pantomime.
After stealing hearts and helping deliver the ‘most successful pantomime in the Grand Opera House York’s history’ in last year’s Cinderella, comedy actor Jimmy Bryant is back.
This Christmas, he’s trading in Buttons for a pirate’s hat as he takes on the role of Smee in The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook from Saturday 5 Dec 2026 to Sunday 3 Jan 2027.
Jimmy Bryant said: “I’m absolutely pixie-dust levels of thrilled to be sailing back to the Grand Opera House York! Last year’s audiences were honestly unforgettable, and the thought of stepping back onto that stage gives me goosebumps.
“Smee is such a brilliantly bonkers character – loyal, chaotic, always in the wrong place at the wrong time- and I promise we are going bigger, bolder and sillier than ever before. This show is packed with spectacle, surprises and so much heart. York, get ready, because this Christmas we’re not just going to Neverland… we’re going to blow the roof off it!”
Jimmy’s return follows an impressive body of work across stage and screen. His recent theatre credits include Cockfosters (Southwark Playhouse), Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Cockpit Theatre), Al Capone in Peaky Blinders: The Rise, Herr Kutte in Jack & the Beanstalk (Cheltenham Playhouse), In The Dead Of The Night (UK Tour), Doctor Who: Time Fracture (BBC/Immersive Everywhere) and The Immersive Wolf of Wall Street (Stratton Oakmont Productions).
The theatre’s director, Allie Long, is equally delighted to welcome him back. “Cinderella was our most successful pantomime to date, and that was due in no small part to Jimmy’s brilliant and hilarious turn as Buttons. We’re thrilled to have Jimmy returning, and we can’t wait to welcome him — along with the rest of the Further Adventures of Peter Pan cast — to the stage for what promises to an unforgettable Pantomime season at the Grand Opera House.”
Tickets for The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook are already on sale, starting from £17.50 – get them here before they disappear quicker than a sprinkling of pixie dust.
