Greg McHugh will be reprising his role as Gary: Tank Commander with a twist.

Gary will be swapping the 104th Royal Tank Regiment for a magical kingdom as Garry Muddles, best friend to the beloved Princess Snow White.

The BAFTA award-winning actor is staring in this year’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pantomime at SEC Armadillo. Greg, who called performing in front of family audiences ‘an absolute buzz,’ said there is nothing better than seeing adults and children laugh together.

Greg said he did not come from a showbiz family and understands that for many children in the audience that the pantomime is the start of them exploring live entertainment and theatre.

“The pressure on kids is so exam-driven with education,” Greg said. “They need to understand there is a world of art and people can behave like idiots and do it for a living. I want them to firstly enjoy themselves, but also wonder ‘Oh, can I do that?’.”

Though Greg is often associated with the hilarious yet surprising Gary, he is trying to push his range as an actor. There are no current plans to reboot Gary: Tank Commander, but he has been starring in The A-Word, a drama about a boy with autism. Currently Greg is working on a project about men’s mental health.

He said theatre allows him to also push his acting limits, but live shows bring problems of their own. During a performance last year Greg forgot his lines playing an American character and improvised by shouting in a Scottish accent.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will be playing December 14 to December 31. With a line up of high-profile actors such as Two Doors Down comedian Doon Mackichan, Greg said the quality of content and casting means this pantomime will be on a different level.

“Performing for families is always so different than acting for anyone else,” he said. “When you’re not funny you’re told by kids during the show. They’re very honest.”