Ian McKellen and John Bishop prove panto season is for life, not just for Christmas

Through acrobatic feats of timetabling, I managed to avoid panto all Christmas in 2022. Not even giant inflatable beanstalks could coax me out of my Surrey hidey hole (though, admittedly, rail strikes didn’t make travel easy)

What the show proves is the enduring power of panto – nothing but an unapologetic celebration of the most bombastic and communal elements of performance.

What’s most striking about the show is how resolutely un-Christmassy it is. It proves that even without all the present-giving, fake snow and more, panto can more than stand on its own two-feet.

The show is running through to Easter and likely to drag audiences to beleaguered venues across the UK – venues that otherwise might be facing a tricky few months without big hit productions.