Panto

The Panto season will soon be with us again and much of it originates in Scarborough.

Qdos(based in Scarborough) and Family First Entertainment will present a six week run of 29 pantos to an estimated 1.7 million people this Christmas with takings of a projected £150 million.

Qdos, the largest pantomime producer in the world, has 19 productions. In 2000 Qdos had a stranglehold on the market with 30 productions, employing 600, with storerooms in Nottingham housing 5000 costumes. The secret of the success was sticking to tried and tested formulae but with regular script updates, using the kind of talent from television coupled with local comedians who didn't have to waste time winning audiences.

Three years ago FFE arrived on the scene with a mission to persuade proper actors to appear in quality pantomime in theatres owned by parent companies which had previously hosted Qdos shows. Scripts are bespoke to the cast and written fresh every year drawing in talent from around the world including Oscar winners, Actual actors.

There are only 10 titles to choose from as it is essential that the whole audience, irrespective of age, knows the basic stories already. We have Cinderella, Snow White, Peter Pan, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Mother Goose, Goldilocks, Dick Whittington, Jack and the Beanstalk, Robin Hood.

The future of pantomime seems secure as a form of genuine community theatre in which children are actively encouraged to misbehave. It is a tradition stretching back to the mid 18th century.

While Qdos proudly flies the traditional panto flag of championing local comic talent. FFE looks further afield. It is hoped to bring over major Hollywood talent in the next few years and then taking the productions back to America.