The History of Pantomime at Christmas: A Very British Entertainment

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“He’s behind you!” “Oh no he isn’t!” “OH YES HE IS!”

If you’ve ever been to a British pantomime, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, you’re probably very confused right now. Welcome to one of Britain’s most bonkers Christmas traditions—a theatrical experience that makes absolutely no sense but is utterly brilliant.

Let me explain why we spend December and January watching men in dresses, shouting at children, and cheering for characters who are definitely NOT behind anyone, despite what the audience says.

What Actually Is a Pantomime?

Right, for anyone unfamiliar: a pantomime (or “panto”) is a musical comedy stage production, usually based on a fairy tale or nursery story. They’re performed at Christmas and are designed for family audiences.

Key features of British panto:

• Men play older female characters (the “Dame”)
• Women play young male heroes (the “Principal Boy”)
• Audience participation is mandatory
• Terrible jokes and puns everywhere
• A villain everyone boos
• Musical numbers (often pop songs with changed lyrics)
• Cross-dressing, slapstick, and general chaos

It’s pantomime, not mime. Despite the name, there’s LOADS of talking. In fact, there’s barely any mime at all, which is confusing but just go with it.

The Origins: Not Actually British

Here’s the shocking truth: pantomime isn’t originally British. We just perfected it.

Commedia dell’Arte (1500s Italy)

The roots go back to Italian street theatre called “commedia dell’arte.” Travelling performers would do improvised comedy with stock characters:

• Harlequin – the cheeky servant
• Columbine – the beautiful daughter
• Pantalone – the foolish old man
• The Doctor – the know-it-all

These shows were physical, funny, and featured masks and acrobatics. They toured Europe and became hugely popular.

French Influence (1700s)

When these Italian troupes came to France, the shows evolved. The word “pantomime” comes from the Greek “pantomimos” (imitator of all), and French performers developed more elaborate versions.

Arriving in Britain (Early 1700s)

Italian performers brought commedia dell’arte to Britain in the early 18th century. But the British, being British, immediately started changing it to suit our tastes.

John Rich (1692-1761) was crucial in developing British pantomime. He was a theatre manager and performer who:

• Created the character of Harlequin as the romantic hero
• Added magic and transformation scenes
• Made the shows more spectacular
• Introduced the “Harlequinade” – the comic second part

These early pantos were actually more like mime—Harlequin didn’t speak. The word “pantomime” was accurate then, unlike now.

How Pantomime Became Christmas Entertainment

The Victorian Revolution

The Victorians basically invented Christmas as we know it, and they turned pantomime into a Christmas tradition.

Joseph Grimaldi (1778-1837) changed everything:

• Created the character of “Joey” the Clown
• Added more comedy and verbal jokes
• Made pantomime more accessible to working-class audiences
• Introduced audience participation

What the Victorians added:

• Fairy tale stories (Cinderella, Aladdin, Jack and the Beanstalk)
• Music hall elements (songs, comedy, variety acts)
• Spectacular scenery and effects
• The pantomime dame character
• Christmas timing (Boxing Day was peak panto season)

By the late 1800s, pantomime was firmly established as Christmas entertainment across Britain.

The Pantomime Dame: Why Men in Dresses?

The dame is the heart of British panto—an older female character played by a man in an outrageous costume.

Why this tradition exists:

1. Theatre history: In Shakespeare’s time, all women’s roles were played by men (women weren’t allowed on stage). When women were finally allowed, the comic “old woman” roles stayed male as a comedy tradition.
2. Music hall influence: Victorian music halls featured male performers doing comic female characters. This crossed over into pantomime.
3. It’s funny: There’s something inherently silly about a big bloke in a massive dress and terrible wig. It signals “this is comedy” immediately.

Famous dames:

• Mother Goose
• Widow Twankey (Aladdin)
• Sarah the Cook (Dick Whittington)
• Dame Trott (Jack and the Beanstalk)
• Baroness Hardup (Cinderella)

Modern dame performers:

• John Barrowman
• Julian Clary
• Christopher Biggins
• Danny La Rue (legendary)
• Local am-dram heroes nationwide

The dame’s costume gets more ridiculous each year. We’re talking:

• Massive dresses with hoops
• Outrageous wigs
• Comedy breasts
• Garish makeup
• The more over-the-top, the better

The Principal Boy: Why Women in Tights?

The romantic hero of pantomime is traditionally played by a woman. Yes, really.

Why this started:

1. Victorian morality: Having a woman show her legs in tights was scandalous and exciting. Audiences loved it (in a “naughty but nice” way).
2. Balanced the dame: Man playing woman, woman playing man—theatrical symmetry.
3. Singing voices: Many principal boy roles require strong singing. Female performers had the vocal range.

Classic principal boy roles:

• Prince Charming (Cinderella)
• Aladdin
• Dick Whittington
• Jack (Jack and the Beanstalk)
• Peter Pan (not technically panto, but same tradition)

Modern changes:

These days, principal boys are often played by actual men, especially in big professional productions. The tradition’s not as strict as it used to be, though many traditional pantos stick with female principal boys.

Some feminists argue the tradition’s problematic (women playing male heroes reinforces that women can’t be heroes as themselves). Others love it as a bit of gender-bending fun. It’s complicated, innit?

The Classic Pantomime Stories

British panto has about a dozen standard stories, all fairy tales or folk stories with added nonsense:

Cinderella

The dame: Baroness Hardup (Cinders’ stepmother)
The villain: None really, just mean stepsisters
Key scene: Transformation into the ball gown
Catchphrase: “You SHALL go to the ball!”

Aladdin

The dame: Widow Twankey (Aladdin’s mum—greatest dame role)
The villain: Abanazar
Key scene: The genie appearing from the lamp
Catchphrase: “It’s behind you!” (when looking for the lamp)

Jack and the Beanstalk

The dame: Dame Trott (Jack’s mum)
The villain: The Giant (Fee Fi Fo Fum)
Key scene: The beanstalk growing
Catchphrase: “Fee Fi Fo Fum!”

Dick Whittington

The dame: Sarah the Cook
The villain: King Rat
Key scene: Dick and his cat
Catchphrase: “Turn again, Whittington!”

Sleeping Beauty

The dame: The Nurse
The villain: Carabosse (the wicked fairy)
Key scene: Pricking her finger on the spinning wheel
Catchphrase: “Sleep for a hundred years!”

Snow White

The dame: Usually a comedy dwarf character
The villain: The Wicked Queen
Key scene: “Mirror, mirror on the wall”
Catchphrase: “Who’s the fairest of them all?”

Other Popular Pantos:

• Peter Pan
• Robin Hood
• Puss in Boots
• Ali Baba
• Mother Goose
• Goldilocks

Pantomime Traditions and Rules

Audience Participation (Mandatory)

Panto without audience participation isn’t panto. It’s just a weird show where men wear dresses for no reason.

The responses you MUST know:

Villain appears:
Audience: “BOOOOO!”
(The louder, the better. Teach your kids to boo with feeling.)

Hero appears:
Audience: “YAAAAY!”
(Equally enthusiastic cheering required.)

Someone says “Oh no it isn’t!”:
Audience: “OH YES IT IS!”
(Can go back and forth for ages. Performers love stretching this out.)

Performer says “He’s behind you!”:
Audience: “BEHIND YOU!”
(While the person on stage looks everywhere except behind them. Comedy gold every time.)

Call and response songs:
Performer: “When I say [X], you say [Y]!”
(Then you say the thing. Don’t be shy.)

The Slosh Scene

Most pantos have a scene where characters throw stuff at each other. Flour, water, custard pies, wallpaper paste—the messier, the better. Kids absolutely love this.

Why it exists:

• Physical comedy that works for all ages
• Gives the audience a break from plot
• Allows for improvisation and chaos
• Children find mess inherently hilarious

Front row seats = potential splash zone. You’ve been warned.

The Sing-Along

There’s always at least one song where the whole audience sings along. Often it’s a well-known pop song with panto-themed lyrics, or a simple call-and-response number.

Common sing-along songs:

• “12 Days of Christmas” (with added nonsense)
• Current pop hits with changed words
• Traditional panto songs everyone knows
• “If You’re Happy and You Know It” (works every time)

The audience is often split into groups (boys vs girls, left side vs right side) to compete on who can sing loudest. It’s chaos. It’s brilliant.

The Love Story

Every panto has a romantic subplot, usually between:

• The principal boy and the principal girl
• The comic characters (often hopeless romance)

There’s always a happy ending where the couple gets together. No exceptions. This is panto—we don’t do ambiguous endings.

The Dame’s Costume Changes

The dame will change costume multiple times, each outfit more ridiculous than the last. The audience applauds each new costume, and the dame often comments on how fabulous they look.

This is usually where topical jokes come in—costumes referencing current events, politicians, or pop culture.

Pantomime Jokes: Terrible But Essential

Panto jokes are spectacularly bad. That’s the point. Here’s what you can expect:

Dad Jokes on Steroids

“I went to buy some camouflage trousers yesterday, but I couldn’t find any!”

“I’ve just been on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. I’ll tell you what, never again!”

Groan. But everyone laughs anyway.

Local References

Every panto makes jokes about the local area:

• Nearby towns (always rubbish compared to where you are)
• Local landmarks
• Regional rivalries
• That one road that’s always under construction

Topical Jokes

Whatever’s been in the news gets referenced:

• Politicians
• Celebrities
• TV shows
• Viral moments
• Current scandals (family-friendly versions)

These jokes date the show immediately, but that’s fine—panto is of-the-moment entertainment.

Innuendo (For the Adults)

Panto is clever about this. Jokes that go over kids’ heads but make parents laugh:

“I haven’t had a sausage in weeks!”

“That’s a lovely pair you’ve got there!” (referring to earrings or something innocent)

“Ooh, matron!”

Kids laugh because adults are laughing. Adults laugh because they caught the double meaning. Everyone’s happy.

The Worst Jokes Competition

Many pantos do a segment where characters compete to tell the worst joke. The audience groans and boos, which is exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Example: “What do you call a man with a spade on his head? Doug!” “What do you call a man without a spade on his head? Douglas!”

Terrible. We love it.

Celebrity Pantomimes vs Local Productions

West End/Big City Pantos

Features:

• Celebrity performers (TV stars, soap actors, reality TV people)
• Elaborate sets and costumes
• Orchestra instead of backing tracks
• Professional dancers
• Expensive tickets (£30-80+)

Typical casting:

• Former soap stars
• Children’s TV presenters
• Reality TV personalities
• West End musical performers
• The odd genuine celebrity

Local Theatre/Am-Dram Pantos

Features:

• Local amateur performers
• Smaller budgets but huge enthusiasm
• Everyone knows someone in the cast
• More intimate venues
• Affordable tickets (£10-20)
• Often better audience participation

Why they’re brilliant:

• Proper community events
• Your neighbour might be the dame
• Kids from local schools in the chorus
• All the tradition, none of the airs
• Just as much fun as the posh ones

Honest truth: Local pantos often have more heart than celebrity ones. Big names don’t always understand panto, but am-dram performers who’ve done it for 20 years? They GET it.

When Do Pantos Run?

Traditional timing:

• Open late November/early December
• Run through Christmas and New Year
• Close by mid-January

Peak panto season:

• Christmas holidays (schools off)
• New Year period
• Weekend matinees

Typical schedule:

• Weekday evenings
• Weekend matinees and evenings
• Multiple shows daily during school holidays
• Special relaxed performances for children with additional needs

Pantomime Across the UK

England

Panto central. Every town, no matter how small, probably has a panto. From massive London productions to tiny village hall shows, it’s everywhere.

Scotland

Scottish pantos lean heavily into local humour and references. Glasgow and Edinburgh have huge productions, but even small Scottish towns maintain the tradition.

Wales

Welsh-language pantos exist alongside English ones, keeping the tradition alive in both languages. Local references to Welsh culture feature heavily.

Northern Ireland

Strong panto tradition, particularly in Belfast. Productions often include Irish cultural elements alongside British panto conventions.

The Future of Pantomime

Modern Changes

More inclusive casting:

• LGBTQ+ performers openly playing dame roles
• Diverse casting in lead roles
• Disabled performers included
• Not just white actors in every show

Updated humour:

• Less casual sexism (though still plenty of innuendo)
• More current pop culture references
• Avoiding outdated stereotypes
• Keeping it family-friendly but not outdated

Technical improvements:

• Better production values even in small venues
• LED technology for spectacular effects
• Improved sound systems
• More ambitious staging

What Hasn’t Changed

• The audience participation (never going away)
• Men playing dames (too core to the tradition)
• Terrible jokes (they’re perfect as they are)
• The spirit of chaos and fun
• Christmas timing

Challenges

Competition from other entertainment:

• Streaming services
• Video games
• More expensive tickets
• People staying home more

But panto survives because:

• It’s live and interactive (can’t get that from Netflix)
• It’s a proper family event
• It’s tradition—families return year after year
• Nothing else quite like it exists

Why Pantomime Matters

It’s Accessible Theatre

For many families, panto is their only theatre visit all year. It’s an introduction to live performance for children who might not otherwise experience it.

Why it works:

• Affordable (relatively)
• Designed for children
• No pressure to be quiet and still
• Making noise is encouraged
• Fun for adults too

It’s Community

Local pantos bring communities together:

• Amateur performers from the area
• Audiences supporting local talent
• Shared experience across generations
• Social event during holiday season

It’s Tradition

In a rapidly changing world, panto remains reassuringly the same. Grandparents took their parents, parents take their kids, kids will take their kids. Four generations might have seen the same local panto.

It’s Uniquely British

Like tea, queuing, and apologising when someone else bumps into you, pantomime is distinctly British. Trying to explain it to Americans or Europeans is basically impossible.

“So a man dresses as a woman, a woman dresses as a man, everyone shouts at the stage, the jokes are terrible, and it’s based on a fairy tale but with pop songs?”

“Yes.”

“And this happens at Christmas?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Tradition, innit.”

How to Enjoy Your First Pantomime

Never been to panto? Here’s your survival guide:

Before You Go

Book tickets early:

• Popular shows sell out
• Get seats in the middle section if possible (best view and participation)
• Matinee performances are usually calmer than evenings

Know the story:

• Read the basic fairy tale to kids beforehand
• Don’t worry about plot making sense
• Expect major departures from the original

Prepare for participation:

• Tell kids it’s okay to shout
• Practice the responses at home
• Embrace the chaos

During the Show

Join in enthusiastically:

• Boo the villain (loudly)
• Cheer the hero
• Shout “behind you!” when prompted
• Sing along to songs
• Don’t be British and reserved—let go

Laugh at the terrible jokes:

• Even if they’re not funny
• Especially if they’re not funny
• That’s the point

Don’t expect high art:

• Plot holes everywhere
• Nonsense timeline
• Characters breaking the fourth wall
• Random celebrity impressions
• Just go with it

After the Show

Talk about it:

• What was your favourite part?
• Which joke was worst/best?
• Could you see the villain coming?
• When can we go again?

Many theatres do meet-and-greets with performers after the show. Kids love this.

Pantomime Controversies (Yes, Really)

Cultural Appropriation Debates

Some traditional pantos (particularly Aladdin) have been criticised for:

• Stereotypical portrayals of Middle Eastern/Asian culture
• Yellowface/brownface in older productions
• Outdated racial stereotypes

Modern response:

• More culturally sensitive portrayals
• Diverse casting
• Consulting cultural advisors
• Updating problematic elements whilst keeping the story

Gender Politics

The cross-dressing elements have sparked discussions:

• Is the dame tradition transphobic or just theatre fun?
• Should women play principal boys in 2025?
• Are we laughing WITH or AT performers?

General consensus:

• It’s theatrical tradition, not mockery
• But sensitivity matters
• Modern pantos handle it better
• It’s evolving, which is good

Animal Performances

Some pantos use live animals (ponies, dogs). This divides opinion:

• Are they treated well?
• Do they belong in theatre?
• What about animal welfare?

Many productions now use puppets or costumes instead.

The Bottom Line

Pantomime is gloriously, unapologetically bonkers. It makes no logical sense. The plots are nonsense. The jokes are terrible. Men wear dresses. Women wear tights. Everyone shouts. It’s chaos.

And it’s absolutely brilliant.

For a couple of hours, families pile into theatres across Britain and collectively lose their minds. We boo villains, cheer heroes, shout at people on stage, and sing songs badly. We laugh at jokes that aren’t funny and gasp at plot twists we see coming a mile off.

It’s theatrical heritage that goes back centuries, adapted and evolved by each generation but keeping its essential spirit. It’s community theatre at its best, even when it’s got big stars and massive budgets.

More importantly, it’s tradition. Taking your kids to panto, just like your parents took you, and their parents took them. Creating memories, sharing experiences, keeping something alive that’s uniquely, wonderfully British.

So this Christmas, if someone asks if you want to go to panto, the answer is “Oh yes you do!”

(And you absolutely do.)

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Related: Back to UK Christmas Traditions Guide

What’s your favourite panto? Or your worst panto joke? Share your panto experiences in the comments—oh yes you should!