Anna-Jane Casey to replace Mel Giedroyc in Mother Goose

Last month, Mel Giedroyc withdrew from her role of the goose in pantomime Mother Goose citing "personal reasons".

The former Great British Bake Off host was due to star alongside acting legend Sir Ian McKellen and comedian John Bishop.

West End star Anna-Jane Casey will now take on the role of Cilla the Goose.

Ambassador Theatre Group Productions also announced further cast appointments including Mairi Barclay, Becca Francis, Shailan Gohil and Laura Tyrer also confirmed to join the company.

Mel Giedroyc pulled out of Mother Goose which is due to open in Brighton (Image: Newsquest)

They join the previously announced Ian McKellen as Mother Goose, John Bishop as Vic Goose, Oscar Conlon-Morrey as Jack, Simbi Akande as Jill, Sharon Ballard as Good Fairy Encanta and Karen Mavundukure as Evil Fairy Malignia.

The cast is completed by Adam Brown, Gabriel Fleary, Richard Leeming and Genevieve Nicole.

A West End star for over three decades, Anna-Jane Casey was most recently seen as Fraulein Kost in the award-winning production of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.

Her many other West End credits include Velma Kelly in Chicago, Mrs Wilkinson in Billy Elliot, Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, Anita in West Side Story, Rizzo in Grease, Buffy, Dinah and Pearl in Starlight Express and Rumpleteazer in Cats.

Anna-Jane Casey and Sir Ian McKellen (Image: Craig Sugden)

She played Dot in Sunday in the Park with George at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Mabel in Mack and Mabel at the Watermill Theatre, for which she won the TMA Award for Best Performance in a Musical and the title roles in Piaf and Sweet Charity and Violet Butterfield in Flowers for Mrs Harris, all at the Sheffield Crucible.

Mother Goose will open at Theatre Royal Brighton from December 3 to 11.