All in the family

Kids in tow, Shane Richie swaps Walford for Woking and the seasonal merry mayhem of Robin Hood

Comedian, presenter, singer, actor – when it comes to showbiz jobs, Shane Richie has done the lot. Now the former EastEnder is combining all his talents to play the outlaw Robin Hood, eponymous hero of the pantomime which swings into the New Victoria Theatre, Woking this month.

“It’s going to be more of a big musical than a panto,” declares the 54-year-old, Surrey based star. “Actually, it’s not so much a musical as an event. It’s a big, big show and all those who appear in it are people who have stuck with me for the past 17 years. We’re like a travelling circus.” 

Shane, best known for his EastEnders role Alfie Moon, began his career as a 16-year-old Bluecoat at a Pontins holiday camp on the Isle of Wight. He has since triumphed in musical theatre with sell-out West End runs of Grease and Boogie Nights, had a No 2 hit in the singles chart and appeared in countless stage and television dramas. 

And it would seem that he has passed his talents on to his children. 

“One of the reasons I’m looking forward to doing this panto so much is that my kids are in it with me,” he says, rays of fatherly pride bursting through. “For me, Christmas is about spending time with the family, so I was going to give panto a miss this year. But then my kids were like: ‘Dad, you can’t do that, you’re just spoiling everything. It won’t be Christmas if you don’t do it.’”

Festive fun aside, however, Shane has tried hard to dissuade the younger Richies from following in his footsteps.

“I do everything I can to stop them,” he laughs. “My eldest boy, Jake, is in a band [Rixton], so he’s off doing his stuff, and he’s getting into acting now too. My 11-year-old just won a drama scholarship. And my nine-year-old daughter… well, she’s… she’s Katy Perry.

“But they only see one side of the industry at the moment – the nice seats at the theatre and people asking their daddy to be in photographs. At some point, I will have to sit them down and say: ‘You can only have a career in this business if you can handle rejection.’ 

“I’ve been very blessed, but what you don’t see is all the things that I’ve gone for and then missed out on. That’s the nature of the business. You just have to put the disappointment behind you and move on.”

And so, as the Richie entertainment wagon rolls into Woking, Shane is looking forward to giving Robin Hood all he’s got.

“The show is anything I want it to be,” he laughs, with a trace of menace. “As soon as I step onto the stage, I can take it in whichever direction I like. No two performances are the same. 

“I enjoy the anarchy – in fact, I love it. You’ve got the audience to riff off and it’s fun, it’s chaos. I’m not sure that the other cast members always feel the same way though. I can see them wondering what’s going to happen next! But that’s the beauty of panto.” 

Let the merriment commence.

  • Robin Hood is at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking fromDec 9 – Jan 7. For details and tickets visit: atgtickets.com

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