Ben Goffe, the real-life Buttons in this years Cinderella Pantomime at Wyvern Theatre, which is sponsored by local travel agency Swindon Travel Hub, has this afternoon taken to social media to remind Richard Hammond that the role has already been cast.
He also highlighted that it’s just 100 days until the curtain rises on the Cinderella panto, giving local theatregoers something to look forward to – even if Richard Hammond won’t be donning the Buttons costume after all!
The latest instalment of The Grand Tour, One for the Road, saw Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May reunite for their final grand adventure on Amazon Prime. The former Top Gear trio are renowned for their witty banter and playful ribbing, and this episode proved no exception, particularly when Swindon’s pantomime took centre stage in a rather unexpected jest.
The joke unfolded when Richard Hammond encountered a minor mishap: his vehicle suffered a petrol leak, much to the delight of his co-hosts. As Hammond wrestled with his car troubles, Clarkson and May seized the opportunity for some light-hearted teasing. Jeremy, watching James assist Richard, asked: “Why are you helping him?” to which James wittily replied, “I want him to survive, otherwise we can’t see him as Buttons in the pantomime.”
Richard protested, “Oh, please! Stop it with the Buttons.”
This light-hearted exchange snowballed into a full-fledged joke about Hammond’s supposed future role in a Swindon pantomime. Jeremy Clarkson took the banter even further, suggesting Hammond would indeed be appearing as Buttons at the Wyvern Theatre in a few years’ time. In typical Grand Tour fashion, the gag escalated, with Clarkson and May debating when Hammond would make his pantomime debut – Clarkson jokingly predicted 2025. May, a self-proclaimed pantomime hater, even declared, “I hate panto, but I’m going to that one.”
While The Grand Tour cast envisioned a star-studded fictional production, the actual cast for Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre Cinderella pantomime tells a slightly different story. Coronation Street’s Lisa George will take on the role of the Fairy Godmother, alongside Artemis Fowl’s Ben Goffe as Buttons and Swindon’s very own Dame, David Ashley, as Dame Molly Miggins.
