Eastenders fans could be in for a treat if they wander through the streets of Milford Haven this Christmas following news that Big Mo will be doing her dodgy deals and sarky asides when she appears as Queen Rat in The Big Pembrokeshire Pantomime.

“Laila Morse is delighted to be coming to Milford Haven and is looking forward to bringing her genuine touch of London to this wonderful production of Dick Whittington,” commented Vision Arts director Drew Baker, who will himself be appearing as Dame Sarah the Cook in the Christmas production.

The 78-year-old , who happens to be the older sister of actor and film maker Gary Oldman, didn’t make her acting debut until she was 51 when she appeared in Oldman’s BAFTA winning 1997 film, ‘Nil by Mouth’. As a result of her performance, she was awarded the Most Promising Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards.

In 2000 she made her first appearance as Mo Harris in Eastenders when a scathing tv critic described her acting as being ‘like a lump of cardboard’ .  She later admitted that it wasn’t until some three years later that she began to feel comfortable on set.

“I thought I’d only be in there for a couple of months, then be on my way,” she said.

Her more recent tv and big screen appearances include the Hellboy film remake, 'Big Fat Gypsy Gangster' and tv shows 'Honky Sausages', 'The Bill' and 'Great Expectations'.  She has also been a contestant on 'Dancing On Ice', 'I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!', Celebrity Masterchef and taken part in the ITV series Strictly the Real Full Monty.

Dick Whittington opens at The Boulevard Theatre, Milford Haven, on December 16 and continues until New Year’s Eve.