David Farnor | On 27, Dec 2025

Director: Chris Foggin
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, Rebel Wilson, Derek Jacobi, Meera Syal, Katherine Ryan, Danny Dyer
Certificate: 12

Hands up if you believe that Kiefer Sutherland is a horrible person. That’s the hook for Tinsel Town, Sky’s festive original comedy that sees the 24 legend sending himself up in the role of a washed-up action star who finds himself in a small British village doing panto to save his career.

Sutherland is Bradley Mack, a self-centered, egotistical and vaguely untalented man. Swaggering away from stuntmen on fire and never remembering anyone’s names, he’s wonderfully convincing and enjoyably game – one sequence in which he does film acting vs theatre acting on stage is genuinely hilarious. He winds up in Stoneford when his agent (Katherine Ryan) desperately takes a Christmas gig to bring in some money – and, not realising it isn’t in the West End, he agrees. And so Bradley has to remember how to be an actual decent human, with nowhere to escape from the smalltown charm of rural England. Will his cold heart thaw in time for Christmas, to make amends with his estranged daughter?

There’s no surprise for guessing where Tinsel Town lands – particularly when Rebel Wilson joins the party as Jill, the choreographer for the panto that Bradley’s starring in, who is also romantically available. But Tinsel Town’s success – apart from Sutherland’s commmited turn – isn’t its predictable script, but the fact that it’s less about Bradley’s transformation and more about the magic of theatre itself. Director Chris Foggin (Bank of Dave, Fisherman’s Friends) is no stranger to feel-good storytelling, but he also knows how to share screentime with an ensemble, and the supporting cast – including Derek Jacobi and Meera Syal, plus Danny Dyer in a similarly self-aware role as Jill’s ex – get a welcome opportunity to showcase the heart, camaraderie, hard work and magic of pantomime.

The result is a familiar, but sweet and endearingly sincerely celebration of the arts, and a reminder of the importance of Christmas pantos to fund theatre for the rest of the year. Come for Kiefer Sutherland treating everyone like dirt, stay for the thespian love.

Add to Watchlist