SOAP star and Dancing on Ice champion, Sam Attwater, better known as the Eastender's bad boy, Leon Small, has been signed up to bring real swagger to this year's pantomime at The Palace Theatre, in Redditch.

Sam will star as the boastful yet charming hunter Gaston in the family favourite, Beauty and the Beast.

He will be the local lothario who does his best to woo the heroine Belle, but will he be beastly enough, in the right way, to turn her head?

A show spokesman said: "Sam has been a regular fixture on our screens since his first foray into soap land in 2009.

"After completing his professional training at the prestigious Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Sam landed his first TV gig playing Ricky in the popular Chester based soap, Hollyoaks. "Following a stint on the hit show, Sam became a regular on Eastenders, stepping onto the infamous Albert Square as the effortlessly cool East End bad boy and ladies’ man Leon Small."

The spokesman added: "A student, who often bunked off school in favour of the boxing ring, Leon quickly earned a reputation as one of the square’s biggest womanizers, becoming involved in some of the soap’s biggest storylines in the process."

The dramas of the East End led on to Dancing on Ice.

Sam took part in the sixth series of the smash-hit skating show and over the ten run he clocked up top scores with the all-star judging panel and the viewing public alike, going on to spin, arabesque and butterfly jump his way into the final where he and his partner Brianne performed The Bolero in front of Jane Torvil and Christopher Dean and over nine million viewers at home. In fact, the duo were crowned the winners of the popular programme with this final passionate performance winning the hearts and votes of the public.

Sam's many theatrical credits include leading performances in End of the Rainbow, Dreamboats and Petticoats, The Rocky Horror Show and Jason and the Argonauts.

Pantomime producer, Paul Holman said “I am thrilled to have such a talented and accomplished actor taking the lead at the Palace Theatre. His years of showbiz experience will bring flair to this fabulous festive production.”

Beauty and the Beast opens on Monday December 5 and will play until Saturday December 31.

Tickets are available now from the box office (01527 65203) and online, www.redditchpalacetheatre.co.uk