King's Head Theatre casts RuPaul's Drag Race UK stars Victoria Scone and River Medway in 2026 pantomime Dick Whittington
King's Head Theatre has announced initial casting for its 2026 Christmas pantomime, Dick Whittington and His Cat, with two RuPaul's Drag Race UK stars leading the bill. Victoria Scone returns to the Islington venue as Dragpus, while River Medway makes her King's Head debut as Queen Rat. Both performers competed on the third series of the drag competition show, with Scone going on to appear on Canada's Drag Race: Canada vs The World — and credited as the first contestant assigned female at birth to compete on the UK franchise (WhatsOnStage).
Scone is a familiar face at the King's Head, having played Dame Trott in the theatre's 2025 pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. Medway comes in fresh from playing Jem in the UK and Ireland tour of Here and Now: The Steps Musical, a role she originated at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham.
The production runs from 22 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with a press performance on 29 November. A separate adults-only version, Dick Whittington: Adults Only, runs from 26 November 2026 to 2 January 2027, with its press night on 27 November. The Adults Only format, a King's Head tradition, packs the late-night performances with guest appearances from theatre and drag performers — past guests have ranged from Cassidy Janson to Kate Butch.
Andrew Pollard writes and directs for a third consecutive year, following Cinderella in 2024 and Jack and the Beanstalk in 2025. Pollard was named Best Writer at the 2026 UK Pantomime Awards. The creative team includes Nicky Bunch on set and costume design, George W Parris as musical supervisor and musical director, Alex Lewer on lighting and Anna Smart on sound. General management is by James Quaife for Luminous Entertainment Group.
Tickets are on sale now, with Pay What You Can performances across both runs offering seats from £15. Reduced-price tickets are available through the theatre's KHT Artists Club, Under 35s Membership and N1 Membership schemes.
The King's Head is also continuing two access initiatives alongside the pantomime. The Golden Bells Pay It Forward scheme raises money to provide free tickets to local children, and a partnership with the Mayor of Islington's 11 by 11 programme — which aims to give every child at least 11 free cultural activities by age 11 — runs alongside it. More than 2,250 schoolchildren have attended the theatre for free over the past two years. The 2024 Cinderella raised £4,820 for free school tickets, allowing 855 schoolchildren to attend, with 1,405 tickets distributed through schools, charities and community partners.
For a 180-seat pub theatre in N1, those numbers are doing real work. Pantomime is the commercial engine that keeps the lights on at many regional and fringe venues through the lean winter months, and the King's Head has built its model around pairing drag and theatre talent with a community ticketing operation that puts children in seats they would not otherwise fill.
