Former EastEnders actor Todd Carty will be among the celebrity cast in Chatham Central Theatre’s Christmas panto, it has been announced.

He will play the Evil Abanazar in Aladdin. He is best known for his roles as Tucker Jenkins in Grange Hill, Mark Fowler in EastEnders and also as the villainous policeman Gabriel Kent in The Bill, but most recently took part in ITV1’s Dancing on Ice.

Also appearing in the panto will be Britain’s Got Talent runners-up Twist and Pulse. The south London duo will be playing PC Hip and Hop, the Chinese policemen.

They were runners-up in the 2010 show and have since toured the UK with their unique brand of “streetomedy” – streetdance and comedy.

Producer Chris Jordan said: “We are very proud to be bringing our version of Aladdin to the Central Theatre this Christmas.

“Having visited the pantomimes in Chatham many times over the previous years, we know how important the tradition of panto is to the Medway audience and we aim to carry on building on that success to further increase the quality and the magic of the shows in the years to come.”

This year’s panto will be staged by Jordan Productions. Evolution Productions had put on pantomimes at the Chatham theatre since 2006.

Cllr Howard Doe, in charge of community services, said: “We are excited to have such a successful and well established production company coming to Medway to produce our Christmas pantomime.

“The panto is one of the highlights of Christmas in Medway, and I am sure Jordan Productions is going to make it one to remember.”