Sheffield Lyceum panto Cinderella boasts double Dames with ugly stepsisters Damian Williams and Matt Daines

Matt Daines plays one of the ugly stepsisters alongside much-loved Lyceum Dame, Damian Williams.

He said: “Because it’s a shared role, the Dame becomes two, which is fun.

“It means that we can bounce off each other and we’re also two baddies – baddies you love to hate.”

Matt has a long history in pantomime.

He said: “I did 12 seasons at Leeds City Varieties before I moved over to panto production company Evolution for eight years, doing shows at different venues every year. It’s kind of nice, keeps it fresh.”

Evolution is the company that produces the Lyceum pantomime and many more around the country.

Matt loves it. He said: “Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without panto. There’s something quite unique and special about panto. It’s a great tradition and uniquely British.”

This is Matt’s first appearance at the Lyceum, although he said he's been to the city’s theatres plenty of times to watch friends on stage.

TV comedy star Natalie on stage in Sheffield musical

It’s also the first time he and Damian have worked together.

“It’s funny because I’ve known Damian for many years,” he said. “We also live five minutes away from each other in our real lives.

“I’ve known Damian back in the day and seen him as Dame and now I’ve seen him in his get-up here.”

He is very much looking forward to working with his friend on stage, bouncing off each other’s sense of humour.

“It comes down to your acting skills, you’ve got to give that person their respect they deserve whilst also scoring your own goals.

“It’s about timing and letting the lines sit. Because Damian’s such an ad libber, you’re not sure what’s going to come out of his mouth. He says off-the-cuff jokes really fast, just on the spur of the moment.

“It’s going to be fun, I hope.”

Matt said Cinderella is “the ultimate panto for me,” adding: “The ball is so magical and everything is so special about it. It remains one of my firm favourites.

“Playing an ‘ugly’ is really the ultimate, you’re a Dame and also the baddie.”

He loves the unique blend of getting laughs and boos from the children in the audience.

Matt has had some hilarious times coping with youngsters who get invited on stage. “Every show is different. There’s always something that goes off and you can’t control it.

“We invited somebody up and they literally took over the whole show. In the end me and the company actors sat down on the stage.

“We picked the wrong person but the right person. In the end we couldn’t get them off the stage, every actor just gave up. You just never know what to expect.”

For Matt, his Christmas is on the stage. He said: “Christmas Day is just a day off. I will dash home after the shows on Christmas Eve and try and have a relaxing day.

”Then I’ll be up at the crack of dawn on Boxing Day and straight back to it. Christmas is on stage and around Sheffield. It’s just a day to me and that’s absolutely fine.”