James “Arg” Argent returns to the scene of his very first panto to play Peter Pan at the Kings Theatre, Southsea this Christmas, swapping Essex for the south coast once again.
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00:00 Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspaper. It's fantastic
00:06 to speak to James Argent, who is back in Portsmouth for Panto this Christmas, playing Peter Pan.
00:12 Now, Portsmouth is where your Panto journey started, wasn't it?
00:16 Yes, eight or nine years ago I played a role, a small role, called Dandini, in my first
00:24 ever Pantomime at the King's Theatre. I had a great experience, fond memories, and I always
00:31 kind of dreamed one day and hoped that I could come back and play a lead role in my own right.
00:38 And now it's happened. Now, you've done other Pantos in the meantime, haven't you?
00:42 Yeah, I've done a few other Pantos up and down the country, so I've kind of gained some
00:49 experience, which has kind of prepared me for this big opportunity.
00:55 Fantastic. And Peter Pan, what do you make of Peter Pan? What's he like without them?
01:02 Peter Pan, I think, is a bit of a, I suppose, young at heart, a bit like myself. He's a
01:13 brave person, taking on a hook and stuff. I like to feel that I've been brave in some
01:19 of my journeys and some of my life experiences. And yeah, and he gets to fly, he flies.
01:28 And that's the most exciting bit, you were saying?
01:31 Well, that's something I've never done in a Panto or a production or musical before,
01:35 so I'm going to be having my first experience of flying, which is one I'm very excited about.
01:40 Isn't that going to be terrifying, dangling by a wire?
01:44 Yeah, it's definitely a fear factor. Slightly nervous, but also something I'm kind of looking
01:54 forward to as well.
01:55 Fantastic. Well, I hope it lives up to all those expectations. Lovely to speak to you
01:59 and have a great Christmas in Portsmouth.
02:01 Good to speak to you too, Phil. You coming to see the show?
02:03 Oh, you bet. It's always one of the best around, if not the best, actually.
02:07 Come on, let's do this. We've got a plan, Phil.
02:10 Thank you.
02:11 Bye bye.