The Northampton Chronicle And Echo Interviews Nickelodeon UK Presenter Anna Williamson
Below is a interview with Nickelodeon UK and Ireland presenter Anna Williamson (Nickelodeon UK's "Camp Orange", "Jamie's & Anna's Big Weekend", "UPick Summer") from the Northampton Chronicle & Echo:
Star Interview: Anna Williamson
Vivacious television presenter Anna Williamson has amassed many strings to her bow over her many years in front of the camera. She is recognisable from her roles on GMTV's Toonattik and Action Stations!, Milkshake! on Channel Five, and roles on Nickelodeon and as an entertainment reporter for GMTV. But lesser known facts about Anna include that she gives up her spare time to man the phone lines at Childline and is a panto veteran, with this year marking a decade since her panto debut. “Panto is such a fantastic experience, because it is quite often the first piece of theatre that children will see and I am a huge advocator of panto as an art form,” says Anna, who is set to take to the stage as Cinderella in this year's pantomime at Milton Keynes Theatre. “It’s my tenth one and genuinely I am so pleased that it is Cinderella. “Playing Cinderella I think is every little girl's dream and that's why I like playing her, because it makes it all worth while when you see a little girl in the audience and they are just completely sold with the story, and that’s why I love live theatre.” And working with kids is something Anna rates with great importance. “I love working with kids and I feel very privileged to have been a children’s presenter for over 10 years now, having worked on most of the children’s networks and continuing to do so. “Children’s audiences are so important and for any television audience it starts with the kids. They are our next generation of adults so I think to be able to inspire and entertain and educate youngsters is a real privilege.” But working on children’s television was not the first entertainment career Anna embarked on. “I actually started out in an all-girl band when I was 16 and through that I had a few opportunities, as you do in bands, to do some TV appearances and children’s TV was a really good vehicle for that to promote bands. “So I went on quite a lot of them and just really enjoyed the whole fun aspect of children’s television. “So when an opportunity came up to do some children’s television presenting I grabbed it with both hands. “I’m really lucky because I have had lots of career highs. I mean breaking entertainment stories as an entertainment journalist, I remember breaking that story that Cheryl Cole had been fired from the X-Factor in America. That was quite exciting because we were the first network to vocalise it on screen. “Another one was last year I was in pantomime in Wimbledon, with the very great Dame Edna Everage, and working and living practically along with Barry/ Dame Edna for a couple of months was terrific. “He’s a complete industry legend and I learned a lot from him, I was completely in awe of the man and I am pleased to say he is a bit like a surrogate granddad.” But when Anna is not entertaining, she still dedicates her time to the younger generation. “My other passion is I am a ChildLine Counsellor. Every week I take to the phones and I try and listen to the young people. “I wanted to join, I am a trained counsellor anyway, but I knew Esther Rantzen very well and I wanted to join her campaign to promote ChildLine, and to be able to get under the skin of ChildLine, and to talk about it knowledgeably, I had to actually be one of their volunteer counsellors. “So I made the decision to do the 12 week training, and six months ago I qualified as a counsellor, and I now counsel over the phone.” Anna will be in Cinderella at Milton Keynes Theatre until Sunday, January 6 for tickets visit: www.atgtickets.com.
Cinderella at Milton Keynes Theatre: From the left; Deniece Pearson, Louis Spence, Anna Williamson and Kev Orkian
Just when you thought panto couldn’t get any camper, Louie Spence twirled onto the stage and with a shimmy here, there and everywhere he certainly brought the traditional Cinderella into the 21st century this Christmas, writes Amanda Devlin.
The big star not only had my belly aching from laughter, but he brought a tear to my eye with his suggestiveness that somehow managed to drift over all the young minds in the audience, who stared wide-eyed at his hilarious portrayal of wedding planner Dandini.
Buttons, who was superbly played by comedian Kev Orkian, spoke to me after the show about his love for Milton Keynes theatre and his fellow cast members.
Kev said: “It is amazing to come to Milton Keynes and get that kind of reaction. There was quite a pressure on press night and to make the children laugh and have a good time, but it was a really good feeling.
“I am really excited about it, it is great to be in MK, it is one of the most brilliant pantos in the country. It is Christmas time, so it’s great to have that energy from the audience.
“I have never worked on a production where every individual is incredible. I am so lucky to be a part of it.”
Alongside Kev and Louis, Fairy Godmother Deniece Pearson stood out from the crowd as she delivered an incredible performance throughout. She really was a cut above the rest when it came to belting out the high notes and blowing everyone away with her love for singing.
So with all these big stars it was inevitable that this year’s MK panto would be a magical evening for all of the family. But what was it like working with self-confessed diva Louis Spence?
Kev said: “He is just an energy entity. He is like a firework that has been let off. The energy he brings to the stage is fantastic.”
However, quite clearly Kev’s leading lady remains to be Anna Williamson, a former nickelodeon and CITV presenter who looked at home on stage alongside the handsome Prince Charming, Andrew Derbyshire.
Kev added: “To top it all off I have my Cinderella, with who I have developed a kind of brother sister relationship with since we met doing panto before. We have been in contact ever since and meet up with our other halves for dinner.
“So when reviewers have said that we have that kind of family relationship on stage, they are spot on. We have got that chemistry, so I’m really pleased to be back with her.”
Make sure you don’t miss out on taking the whole family to experience a night of glitter and sparkle with a gangnam style introduction and seriously impressive high-kicks from Louis.
Cinderella is running at Milton Keynes Theatre until January 6.
For booking details, call the box office on 0844 871 7677 (group bookings on 01908 547609) or log onto http://www.atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes.
