Dame Maureen Lipman has announced she’s joining the cast of this year’s panto at Richmond Theatre.

The Coronation Street star will take on the role of Mrs Potts, but renamed Mrs Potty, in Beauty and the Beast.

Dame Maureen last appeared in Richmond panto as the Wicked Fairy in Sleeping Beauty in 2016.

The esteemed actor was awarded a CBE in 1999 and a Damehood in 2020.