Christmas means panto – it's my 50th year!'

THIS WEEK'S COLUMNIST Actor, singer and author Su Pollard

- WORDS: VICKI POWER. PHOTOS: GETTY, SHUTTERSTOCK

This is my 50th year in panto and I keep going back for the love of it. I seem to suit it. I like the larger-than-life part of it and the silly gags. It’s beautiful because the children really get into the magic of the story and they’re allowed to shout things back at you. In Shakespeare, you’re just supposed to keep quiet. I wouldn’t miss the experience for the world.

I nearly went up in smoke in one of my first pantos. I was a fairy in Babes in the Wood in Bournemouth. In those days the special effects were a bit less safe. The director said, ‘At this point in the script, the pyrotechnic will go off.’