John Barrowman Scoops Record Sum for Panto???

According to today’s Daily Mail, TV impresario John Barrowman is rumoured to be in line to receive a hefty cheque for his appearance in a pantomime version of Robin Hood this Christmas. For the six week run at the Birmingham Hippodrome, the Torchwood star is thought to have been offered a whopping £270,000.

Barrowman is a veteran of the West End, with a long list of credits to his name, including Phantom of the Opera, Chicago and Sunset Boulevard, but he is perhaps best known to British audiences for his television roles, including an appearance in Doctor Who which led to a starring role in the spin off show, Torchwood, and of course, joining Andrew Lloyd Webber and Denise Van Outen on the judging panel of a series of reality casting shows.

The astounding sum equates to around £45,000 a week, but it will be no picnic for Barrowman. The gruelling schedule will see him appearing in no less than 73 shows within the six week run, often with more than one performance a day. The star of stage and screen is used to the demands of pantomime, having appeared previously in Cinderella at the New Wimbledon Theatre, Jack and the Beanstalk at the New Theatre in Cardiff, and Aladdin at the Birmingham Hippodrome.