RUNCORN comedian John Bishop capped off a sell out Panto stint in Mother Goose at the Liverpool Empire with a record breaking Marie Curie charity fundraiser.

John Bishop starring alongside legendary X-men actor Sir Ian McKellen in the hit show which has nightly audiences laughing in the aisles.

And for their week of shows at the theatre the pair teamed up with the end of Life charity Marie Curie, as part of the charity’s annual Great Daffodil Appeal which helps support terminally ill people across Merseyside and the UK.

Despite the cost of living crisis, kind hearted audience members donated an incredible £9,000 through nightly bucket collections at the end of the shows.

Bishop said: “Marie Curie is an incredible charity supporting people across Merseyside who are at the end of life, and their families.

"I am blown away by the generosity of our audiences for digging deep in these hard times to support such a worthy cause. It has been amazing to be back in my home crowd to play this role alongside Ian which has only been possible with the support of the cast, theatre staff and volunteers.

"Panto is such fun and there has been a real buzz in the audience. Knowing that the charity has raised £9,000 from our shows makes this experience all the more special.”

The sell-out pantomime tells the story of Mother Goose (Sir Ian McKellen) and her husband Vic (John Bishop), who run an animal sanctuary and live a wholesome life inside an abandoned Debenhams department store, but the sudden arrival of a goose causes massive upheaval, leading to hilarious on-stage antics that left family audiences in fits of laughter.

Jen Corrigan, Marie Curie Community Fundraiser for Merseyside, said it had been a privilege to run collections in the theatre alongside the stars, cast and crew.

She said: “This was record fundraiser for us on Merseyside for panto. Every donation that Marie Curie receives for our Great Daffodil Appeal allows us to continue our vital work to support terminally ill people in the community, providing care, advice and support.

"I would like to thank John and Sir Ian and the Liverpool Empire Theatre and the Mother Goose production team for choosing us as their charity partner. It was an incredible experience. Everyone has been so generous with their time and money and every donation we get makes a real difference.”