The Great British Pantomime Awards 2018

On Sunday 15 April, the pantomime industry gathered at the New Wimbledon Theatre, London for the second annual Great British Pantomime Awards.

Founded by Samuel Munday-Webb and Daniel Dawson in 2016, the awards celebrate best practice in pantomime across 25 categories including Best Dame and Best Costume Design and see a team of judges award prizes to theatres, companies and individuals who have demonstrated excellence in their field.

From humble beginnings in 2017, when the ceremony was held at London's Theatre Cafe and attended by 60 people due to space limitations, to the grand New Wimbledon Theatre with an audience of over a 1,000 in a ceremony hosted by Christopher Biggins, the Great British Pantomime Awards featured a seven-piece live band and performances from Olivier award nominee Gary Wilmot, as well as awards presented by panto doyenne Susie McKenna, BAFTA-nominee Phil Gallagher (CBeebies' Mister Maker) and leading pantomime Dame and expert Nigel Ellacott.

Presenting the award for Best Fairy, Susie McKenna noted that pantomime is "more important than ever because creativity is being stifled in schools." She added, "we should be proud that our industry keeps the doors open in virtually every theatre in the country" before thanking her mentors and highlighting the great sense of family the industry has.

That particular award was won by Elaine C Smith, whose acceptance speech highlighted the important role pantomime and theatres play in and for communities up and down the country.

"I think it is really important at this point where we are, that we have gathering places. Gathering places are those theatres in the Christmas season where people get to come. And you can be sitting in the same row as a cabinet minister, a judge or a lawyer, a cleaner, all people come to see pantomime and it is that joy and those children who come along for the first time, who see dance for the first time, hear a live band for the first time, and it changes their life."

Many of the award winners spoke passionately about the need for the genre to be respected and acknowledged as an intrinsic part of British culture. Smith continued, "when I was at drama school, a conservatoire as it is now, pantomime was seen as a low art, something that didn’t require skill, it didn’t really require anything but wandering onto a stage and making it look like good fun.

"Well, there’s a huge amount of skill in that and a huge amount of skill in this room tonight, and beyond, and that’s what’s applauded by the thousands and thousands of pantos up and down the country who make it part of their Christmas. I’ve often said for many, many years, and I’ve been doing panto now for about 25 years, I’ve often said what is really, really important about this is recognition that pantomime is our other national theatre and it matters every bit as much as our supposed legitimate theatre National Theatre."

The awards celebrate the industry's great diversity and important contribution to the ecology of contemporary theatre in Britain, whilst honouring key individuals who act as ambassadors for the genre and champion excellence.

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award was shared between Qdos Entertainment chairman Nick Thomas and pantomime writer, director, performer and historian Roy Hudd.

On accepting his award, Hudd said, "I love pantomime. I love it. I love everything about it. I've been involved with it for a long, long time now."

Hudd recounted how he was taught to fall off a chair by Comic Richard Hearne (Mr Pastry) and slapstick from the great clown Charlie Cairoli.

He also spoke fondly of his friendship with Jack Tripp, whom he called "the best Dame in the business," and doing pantomime with the "great ad-libber" Arthur Askey, who at a Wimbledon matinée full of Equity members, refused to deliver a punchline, jesting that the audience would be given his best material for free.

The full list of winners is:

• Best Ensemble: Peter Pan - Hexagon Theatre, Reading

• Best Song Sheet: Matt Slack – Cinderella - Birmingham Hippodrome

• Best Lighting: Ben Cracknell – Cinderella - Birmingham Hippodrome

• Best Costume Design: Paul Shriek – The Lambton Worm - Customs House, South Shields

• Best Double Act: The Chuckle Brothers – Snow White - Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

• Best Director: Chris Nelson – Snow White - Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury

• Musical Supervision: Robert Hyman and Trish Cooke – Rapunzel - Theatre Royal Stratford East

• Best Choreography: Twist & Pulse – Jack and The Beanstalk - Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage

• Best Speciality Act: The Timbuktu Tumblers – Peter Pan - Newcastle Theatre Royal

• Best Staging and Set: Morgan Brind – Beauty and the Beast - Derby Arena

• Best Script: Alan McHugh and David McGillivray – Dick Whittington - London Palladium

• Special Effects: Flying Bus – Twins FX – Dick Whittington - London Palladium

• Best Newcomer: Al Murray – Jack and the Beanstalk - New Wimbledon Theatre

• Best Ugly Sisters: Ben Stock and Neal Wright - Cinderella - Milton Keynes Theatre

• Best Fairy: Elaine C Smith – Sleeping Beauty - Kings Theatre, Glasgow

• Best Supporting Male: Richard David Caine – Snow White - The Pavilion Theatre, Worthing

• Best Dame: Ben Roddy – Peter Pan - Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

• Female Baddie: Elaine Paige – Dick Whittington - London Palladium

• Male Baddie: Lawrence Boothman – Robin Hood - Loughborough Town Hall

• Leading Male: Charlie Stemp – Dick Whittington - London Palladium

• Leading Female: Faith Omole – Jack and the Beanstalk - Lyric Hammersmith

• Best Comic: Danny Adams – Peter Pan - Theatre Royal Newcastle

• Best Pantomime under 750 Seats: Jack and the Beanstalk - Salisbury Playhouse

• Best Pantomime 750 – 1500 Seats: Mother Goose - Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

• Pantomime of the Year 1500+: Dick Whittington – London Palladium

• Lifetime Achievement: Nick Thomas and Roy Hudd