THIS year's Floral Pavilion pantomime has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beauty & The Beast was due to be staged in December, but after discussions with the show's producer UK Productions Ltd, the theatre's management have made the very difficult decision to reschedule.

It will now run from Saturday, December 4, 2021 through to Sunday, January 2, 2022.

Producer Martin Dodd said: "After 10 years of providing Christmas cheer through the Floral Pavilion pantomime to some of the best audiences in the country it is with deep sadness that we are having to make the decision to postpone Beauty and the Beast until next year.

"I know what a central part the pantomime plays in so many families Christmases and we are always so grateful that so many turn out year after year to support this fabulous theatre and our Christmas show.

"However in the light of the prevailing conditions we do not feel that we will be able to safely provide the high quality production that everybody has come to love and expect and we would be doing everyone a disservice if we had to scale it back.

"Regrettably, therefore, we and the Floral Pavilion Management have had to come to this decision.

"However we will be back next year, oh yes we will! and we very much look forward to seeing you all again.'

Existing bookings and reservations will be automatically transferred to the rescheduled dates in 2021 and all customers will be contacted by the theatre from today.

David Mackenzie, commercial manager at the Floral Pavilion Theatre said: "It's been a difficult decision to make but the continued uncertainty around live performance and our focus on the safety of all our customers, staff and cast has left us with no choice but to reschedule the show.

"We're grateful for all the support we've received from our customers during this very difficult time for theatre and we look forward to welcoming them all back soon."

Melanie Walters, best known for playing Gwen West in the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey and Sean Jones, well-known to audiences for his award-winning role as Mickey in Willy Russell's Blood Brothers will star in Beauty and the Beast.

Tickets for the 2021 production are available from www.floralpavilion.com.