THIS Morning presenter Alison Hammond is top of the panto rich list — commanding almost £200,000 for her stint this year.
The 49-year-old is currently in the middle of a 65-show run at Birmingham’s Hippodrome playing the Magical Mermaid in Peter Pan.
And she is said to be earning around £3,000 per show — bringing her total earnings for the run to £195,000.
Meanwhile, BBC Radio 2 hosts Vernon Kay and Scott Mills are the highest earning males, both pulling in around £190,000 for their run of shows this winter.
Vernon is playing the leading role of Aladdin at Wycombe’s Swan Theatre while Scott is Mayor Mills in Jack and the Beanstalk in Swansea.
They dethrone panto legend Christopher Biggins who was previously touted as the highest paid celeb in panto for years.
He is thought to be getting £180,000 for his role as the Spirit of Dreams in Sleeping Beauty in Woking, Surrey.
Britain’s Got Talent winner Sydnie Christmas is also jumping on the panto cash train with an £80,000 stint as Fairy Christmas in Sleeping Beauty in Dartford, Kent.
And reality TV stars Katie Price and Kerry Katona are both earning £50,000 for their Ugly Sister roles in Cinderella in Northwich, Cheshire.
Other big earners this panto season include Bradley Walsh and Brian Conley on £120,000, Nigel Havers on £60,000 and Pamela Anderson on £40,000.
But a source said: “Panto may be all fun and games for audiences but behind the scenes it’s dog eat dog.
“Agents are notoriously particular about where their client’s name is on the poster and how big the font is as it reflects the earnings. Industry wide it’s known if you’re in the top left you are the highest paid star.”
