King's panto stars Andy and Grant reunite for Maggie's Christmas fundraiser

Fans of the King's panto fans may have been robbed of the antics of their favourite pantomime heroes Allan Stewart, Andy Gray and Grant Stott this year due to the pandemic, but thanks to ​Scots cancer charity​ ​Maggie’s, ​there will be a chance to laugh along with two of them who have been reunited on the stage of the Old Lady of Leven Street for a festive fundraiser. ​

Funnyman Gray and radio DJ Stott have joined a star-studded line up for ​Maggie's ​inaugural Carols on your Couch, a digital event coming to you laptop​.​

On December​ 3,​ Scotland’s foremost cancer care charity​ will ​invite Scots up and down the country to a Christmas carol concert like no othe​r. ​Over the course of an hour, Stott and River City star Gray​ will play Santa and Andy the Elf​ in a routine filmed on the King’s Theatre​ stage. For ​Gray, who himself battled blood cancer, the appearance has a ​particularly significan​ce.

He explains, "When I was diagnosed, I was really taken aback and didn’t know what to do next. Maggie’s in Dundee was really there for me​.​”

KIng's panto stars Andy Gray and Grant Stott reunite for this year’s Maggie’s Christmas fund raiser

​Stott, who has worked closely with Maggie’s over recent years, has witnessed first-hand the life-changing impact Maggie’s centres support have had, adds, "​I’ve met some remarkable people whose journeys have been made just that bit more bearable thanks to the unwavering support they’ve received from Maggie’s.”

​Joining the panto stars on the bill of Carols on Your Couch will be local singing sensation​ and winner of the Evening News Edinburgh Has Talent star-search ​Caitlyn Vanbeck​, who will be performing Christmas classics, and the St Mary’s Cathedral choir w​ith​ a special, candle-lit carol concert performed live from the Cathedral itself. ​Author and former Blue Peter presenter, Janet Ellis, will also​ ​treat viewers to a Christmas reading, too.

Maggie’s first centre opened in Edinburgh in 1996. It was the vision of Maggie Keswick Jencks who used her own experience of cancer to create a new type of cancer care. Today, Maggie’s has a network of centres across the UK and abroad helping people take back control when cancer turns life upside down, with professional support for anything from treatment side effects to money worries.

Maggie’s Edinburgh Centre Head, Andy Anderson ​says, ​“This year has been incredibly challenging for people with cancer. Maggie’s is only able to be there for anyone who needs us because of fundraising events like Carols on Your Couch, which means so much to us and everyone who visits our centres. A huge thank you to everyone performing at our concert.”

Andy Gray and Grant Stott in this year’s Maggie’s Christmas fund raiser.

​Gary Smith of the King's Theatre adds, "​​The Kings Theatre is delighted to be able to support Maggie’s, alongside our panto stars, Grant Stott and Andy Gray​. ​As we are unable to open our doors this festive season, we are very happy to be able to spread some Christmas cheer through our support of this wonderful online event.”Tickets are available for a donation of £10 which will go straight to Maggie’s eight centres across Scotland. The event will also be screened free of charge in Scotland’s care homes to bring some festive cheer to residents and to say thank you to key workers for their efforts in the pandemic.To purchase tickets for ​Carols on Your Couch​, click here

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