Est: 2016
2021: RACE SCANDAL HITS PANTOLAND
Rufus Hound causes an outcry over his use of guyliner!
Actor and Comedian Rufus Hound was preparing for his panot debut in 2021 when he was accused of 'yellow face' racism after images of him dressed as villain Abanzar for the production of Aladdin were released.
Promotional images ahead of Peterborough's New Theatre's December pantomime showed the star wearing heavy eyeliner - prompting outrage from the public. The 42-year-old comedian - who found himself at the centre of a race row last year after old tweets resurfaced - has been accused of wearing 'racist make-up'.
Rufus revealed he had made the decision to open up about the situation to his twitter followers as he was 'sat here, having a cry and not knowing what to do about it'. He said 'Some days you just feel sad, y'know? Like even though there are plenty of good things, the bad things just feel a bit too heavy. Problem is, there's a lot of heavy s**t. The slide into fascism, the planet burning, love not winning in the end. Y'know. F**k I feel sad.' He went on: 'Let me please say to anyone who has seen the poster for the Panto I'm doing in Peterborough this Christmas…'I dressed myself and was handed eyeliner to put on, as the final image needed to look forebodingly down. I just tried to make my eyes as menacing as possible. At no point did I think it was yellowface or anything near, as the character of Abanazar isn't Asian origin at all. I swear - that's why it never crossed my mind. Seeing it now, I get it. I see that, with white actors having so often used eyeshape as a racist dogwhistle, the image resonates with racism for many.' Red Entertainmenr, the panto production company, promptly changed the image of Rufus to one of him without the offending eyeliner, with a spokesperson saying 'We overlooked an important mistake here. We are sorry for this oversight.'
The very same panto season would see historic tweets deemed to be racist in nature from actress Jane Godley to be enough to have her withdrawn from a planned panto role.
Just weeks after being announced as the lead star in Aberdeen's big 2021 panto 'Beauty and the Beast' it was revealed that actress and comic Janey Godley would not be appearing after all after historic "racist" tweets were unearthed. It was announced that Janey had withdrawn "by mutual agreement" with Crossroads Pantomimes and Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA), according to a statement released by the arts bodies. It goes on: "We do not condone any form of discrimination, nor do we condone online bullying, trolling and abuse. We recognise that the only appropriate course of action in these circumstances was for her to step down." They accepted that Godley had "apologised unreservedly" for her past comments.
2020: PANTO CANCELLED AS DISHONEST CUSTOMERS ABUSE DISCOUNT CODE
A pantomime production of The Little Mermaid by Joseph Purdy Productions starring Alex Reid at the Tivoli Theatre in Aberdeen has led to the cancellation of another panto by the same company later in the year, with organisers saying they are questioning their future in the city. The team behind the Little Mermaid panto released special codes allowing customers to get their hands on specially reduced £5 tickets for the show which was struggling to attract audience numbers at full price. However, more than 200 people used the same code to claim free tickets for future productions by the group, including The Jungle Book and Jack and the Beanstalk, due to show in March and April respectively.
As a result producers confirmed the Jack and the Beanstalk show had been cancelled with immediate effect. The show was due to run from 10th-12th April 2020.
In a statement Joseph Purdy Productions said: “While I appreciate it was our error; as a small business this would destroy us financially and the fact so many people took advantage of a code put out in good faith for one performance of The Little Mermaid only definitely questions our future in Aberdeen and the fact that so many people would be so disloyal and unhonest.”
They added: “We will make a decision in the new year on if there is any future for us beyond The Jungle Book.
2019/20 SEASON PANTO PROBLEMS
2019: Marlowe Theatre Canterbury: The Globe of Speed goes wrong!
The A cast member appearing in Mother Goose at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury was hospitalised after a stunt went wrong live on stage. The stunt motorcyclist, Dru Madorf, took part in arguably the most hair-rising scene of the Marlowe Theatre’s annual panto The Globe of Speed – an act which sees 3 cyclists riding round (at speed!) in a large metal sphere. During a matinee performance one of the riders fell off her bike and the show was then immediately stopped whilst the theatre team administered first aid and, as a precaution, paramedics were called and she was taken to hospital with fears of a potential neck injury. Amongst the star-studded cast was regular TV Doctor Ranj who was able to put his day job to good use and kept the patient comfortable until paramedics took over. The horrified and shocked audience who had been watching the show were all offered tickets to an alternative Mother Goose performance. Injured Drueicy Madorf was released from hospital 24 hours later and although battered and bruised she sustained no breaks.
2019: Darlington Hippodrome: Shirley Ballas hams up panto injury!
Strictly Come Dancing judge Shirley Ballas was appearing as Mother Nature in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Darlington Hippodrome when she was forced to leave the stage for treatment having injured her hamstring. Shirley was devasted to have obtained the injury which she blamed on her flipping over too fast! The incident in act 1 saw Shirley have to limp off stage aided by fellow cast members. She did return for act 2 but her role was reduced to simply speaking her lines with all dance moves removed. The accident took its toll meaning her role in the rest of the run had to be adjusted to remove the dancing element to allow her to recover.
2019: Theatre Royal York: Martin Barrass get a mouth full of bucket!Slapstick can be dangerous as actor Martin Barrass discovered while appearing in Sleeping Beauty at the Theatre Royal in York. Martin knocked off the caps on two front teeth with a bucket in the process during the mishap, which happened on stage with a full audience watching and gasping. A spokesperson said Martin was checked out when he came off stage and continued in the second half, joking about the accident and had since fixed the teeth.
2019: Trouble struck Panto at Bolton's Albert Halls
Joe Purdy productions have been plagued with problems over the last few years and the 2019/20 season was no exception. When Joe Purdy Productions lost their tender bid to host the 2019/20 panto Aladdin at the Bolton Albert Halls they decided they would not be beaten and instead moved their production and the new title of Cinderella to Bolton's Victoria Hall. With the bold claim this would be 'Bolton's biggest ever pantomime' hopes and expectations were high. As the casting was announced many of the cast announcements fell flat with the possible exception of panto veteran Anne Nolan who was to lead the cast as the Fairy Godmother, although quirkily renamed Fairy Grandmother for this particular production. The other 'big' names were reality star David Potts (Ibiza Weekender), Davina De Campo (Ru Paul's Drag Race) and Antonella (YouTube reviewer).
The opening night performance went ahead as planned on Friday 29th November but the performance was far from perfect with technical issues resulting in disappointed audiences members leaving early and then leading to performances scheduled to take place over the next two days to be immediately cancelled early the following day. An initial statement (right) was issued by Joe Purdy Productions stating that due to illness in the cast they had been forced to cancel some performances whilst they auditioned for a replacement. Cast members being taken sick and being unable to perform is nothing new but any professional production company has contingency plans in place with well rehearsed understudies / swings ready to step in at a moments notice. To pull productions for this reason shows a total lack of professionalism and respect for audiences. In contrast to this situation, when a Qdos pantomime found it's star turn, Lee Ryan, was pulling out of his panto contract mid performance in 2018 they managed to have him replaced and the show back up and running within a 20 minute interval.
On the Saturday following the opening night performance actor Nick Newbould, who has over 15 years panto experience behind him, who had been cast as Buttons and hired as the Director of the performance revealed the truth surrounding the sudden cancellation of the weeks performances and the secret chaos that the production company did not want to be made public. Far from being 'very ill' as the statement suggested he was in good spirits and confirmed he had left the production as he felt he needed to distance himself from the show and the production company. Nick gave a full, honest and exclusive interview confirming that the show was in chaos with scenery not ready, props not provided, technicians not being competent and not familiar with the production, not enough microphones for the actors, poor dressing rooms facilities, a lack of chaperones and front of house stewards, costumes having to be provided by the actors themselves or sourced from local amateurs dramatic companies, this catalogue of catastrophes led to Nick walking away from the production.
One parent who attended the opening night performance but walked out of the production called the show a 'shambles' and said there were technical issues and the show had not even started on time meaning they were faced with a delay of almost 30 minutes. The attention of many children was not being held by the show, with an unchanging boring backdrop/set, very few props and poor sound this led to a disappointing experience. The Facilities Manager of the venue, Joshua Orme, gave a dismissive response to these claims stating 'you will have young children getting tired and wanting to leave'.
Claims were later allegedly made that Nick Newbould had 'bullied' his co-stars and had made them feel unhappy, this is something heavily denied by Nick and these allegations were only raised by Producer Joe Purdy after Newbould had taken the decision to step away from the production. No cast member themselves spoke of any such difficulties.
Panto Archive reached out to Joe Purdy Productions to give them a right to reply to the allegations made by Nick Newbould. Joe Purdy said ' I have nothing to hide and have told no lies, he (Nick Newbould) agreed with us saying we were cancelling due to him being ill'. Joe Purdy did provide us with a copy of a message which Newbould had posted on a production group's Whatsapp group page on the Saturday morning (pictured right). Although health is mentioned it is never exclusively given as the reason for Newbould's departure from the production but that word seems to have been cherry picked and exaggerated to put together a statement attempting to blame the cancelled performances solely on that aspect on Newbould's complaints and the wider issues were ignored. In a further exchange directly between Purdy and Newbould (Pictured right), Newbould makes his reasons for leaving relating to props, costumes and sounds very clear whilst Purdy pushes for agreement from Newbould to appease a 500 strong crowd who are expected at that mornings performance.
In a not unrelated dispute there is also an ongoing debate relating to monies (believed to run into thousands) owed to Mr Newbould for his work as Director on the show and for his appearance in the opening night production. Mr Newbould has stated he is owed money and that he was told by Joe Purdy that he might consider making some sort of payment at the end of the run. Mr Purdy has denied that he is refusing to make payment and has cited the issue being with Mr Newbould failing to provide bank details and not sending an invoice which he was required to do as a self employed Actor and Director. All other cast members have reportedly been paid for their work so far on the production.
We asked Joe Purdy productions for their response and further clarification to issues raised by Newbould relating to front of house staffing, chaperones and to confirm changes had been made to the cast, set, props and sound. At the time of going to press we had received no further response but a twitter post was made on the official account for Bolton Panto stating..
' We’re back open tomorrow (Tuesday) folks! Fully cast and rehearsed fabulous show.. you’ve heard it from the horses mouth - don’t let aspiring journalists make you believe any different. Cinderella, you shall go to the ball!'
Further scheduled performances of Cinderella as listed below have now also been cancelled
Wednesday 4th December 1.30pm and 6.30pm
Thursday 5th December at 2pm
Sunday 15th December at 11am
Sunday 22nd December at 11am
We would advise checking with the venue / production company ahead of travelling to see any of the other currently scheduled performances and would strongly recommend thinking seriously about purchasing tickets for this production companies future productions.
For the full interview with Nick Newbould and Alex Belfield please visit http://youtu.be/0moCKpBCaL4
2019: A Scotty T shaped panto problem!
Early 2019 saw problems for Joe Purdy Productions as they embarked on a UK tour of their adult pantomime Jack and His Giant Beanstalk which was advertised and heavily promoted as starring Scotty T from the reality series Geordie Shore. Divina De Campo, Danny Beard, Jamie Jones, Tam Ryan, Ryan Greeves, Jon Dylan Brown and Troy Harris were also part of the cast. The tour was scheduled to visit Bolton, Wrexham, Aberdeen, Blackpool, London and Newcastle
Despite being promoted for several months with Scotty T being the big pull for people to buy tickets things would take a dramatic change at the very last minute. Controversial Celebrity Big Brother star Austin Armacost was drafted in as a replacement for Scotty T with hours to spare. The official line stated this was 'due to a illness'.
Ticket sales were slow throughout the tour for this production and despite being 'too ill' to perform and amidst rumours he had walked out and following a public backlash it was announced that rather than appearing in the production Scotty T would now take part in meet & greet sessions with the audience instead after the show.
With a growing backlash and the story being picked up by the national press, producer Joe Purdy took to twitter initially to deny claims that Scotty T had pulled out of the production saying
"Massive thanks to all the national newspapers and tabloids today for announcing on my behalf that Scotty T has withdrawn from my adult pantomime, Jack and his Giant Beanstalk. Oh wait, sorry, get your facts totally right first next time. Don't believe everything you read."
It was soon reported that Scotty T would not be performing as Jack as originally planned proving those initial reports to be factually correct. Scotty T was instead given a massively downgraded role as The Giant for which he pre-recorded his lines and was then to make a brief on stage cameo ahead of performing his meet and greet sessions. Sadly Scotty T was unable to appear at every performance due to 'prior commitments' begging the question if he already had prior commitments how was he ever going to have been able to carry out his original role anyway. The situation regarding Scotty T's lack of appearance was described as 'uncontrollable' by the man himself.
2018: A SENSATIONALLY DIRE PANTO!
A venue that put on a "spectacularly bad" pantomime has offered a refund to all customers who paid to see it.
Jack and the Beanstalk at Chippenham's Neeld Community and Arts Centre was billed as boasting a "sparkling set and glittering costumes".
But one disgruntled punter said: "There were only three people, no scenery, they couldn't sing or dance."
The town council, which runs the venue, said it "was not the standard of show the Neeld is used to presenting".
The company behind the show, OOOH ARRR Productions, said there had been a "booking error" and it had received a "handful of complaints" but had agreed a full refund with the venue.
'Mortified'
The show ran from 27-29 December, and was sold out, with standard tickets priced at £7.00.
Posting on the 158-seat venue's Facebook page, ticket-buyer Natalie Uff described the panto as "awful".
"At one point they were talking to voices in the wings as they ran out of people," she said.
Another panto fan, Tereza Cleverley, said: "It was spectacularly bad. It felt as if two of the cast members had been pulled in at the last minute and it was their first live show."
And John Snell said he was "mortified" by the standard of the production.
The Chippenham show was promoted using photos taken from a previous production with a different cast.
In a statement, the town council said "we pride ourselves in providing high quality shows for Chippenham" but the "images provided by the company for promotional purposes did not reflect the show they brought to us".
"We had been assured by the theatre production company there would be a cast of six professional actors with industry standard staging," it added.
In a statement on its Facebook page, OOOH ARRR Productions said the "disappointment and confusion" was the result of a "booking error" which saw the original "six person production" replaced.
"There were conversations with the venue that involved replacing it with the three person cast due to it potentially not selling well," the spokesperson said.
"The other members of our staff were only made aware of this issue following the first performance."
The company apologised for the "disappointment experienced as a result of this booking error" and added the person "responsible for this error" had left the company.
On its website, the Malmesbury-based firm describes itself as a "professional theatre company" that takes pride in being "fun, affordable and relevant".
2018: THE NOT SO MAGICAL LAND OF OZ
Scores of disappointed north-east families were turned away at the door of a popular kids’ theatre show after a ticket offer blunder by the producers.
Allanah Riddle was one of a number of people who had turned up at the Tivoli Theatre in Aberdeen hoping to take advantage of an online deal from the company of The Wizard Of Oz.
She was hoping to take her seven-year-old son Quinn and two of his pals to watch the stage show on Sunday afternoon after the production company advertised cut-price tickets.
Allanah, from Balmedie, claimed as many as 50 others were also turned away. Joseph Purdy Productions (Formerly Joe Purdy Productions) today apologised for the error and pledged to give those left out free tickets for their next Aberdeen show.
Allanah, 32, said: “We got the vouchers from the production company on October 20, which enabled us to get entry into the show for £5. On Sunday, theatre staff told us it was sold out.
“They said we could watch the later show, but we didn’t want to hang around for a few hours and risk it happening again, so we went home. We were angry and upset.
“The whole thing was poorly managed. It’s a nice theatre but it has definitely put me off going back there.” The theatre’s manager Caroline Morgan said her staff were “devastated” to have to turn so many people away. She said: “The Tivoli has not faced a situation like this before. “The show promoter heavily publicised £5 tickets on social media and many took up this offer.
“Then a number of people turned up with emails from the producer saying tickets had been set aside for them to pay for at the door. Unfortunately we had reached our capacity.
“Staff had to deal with a lot of understandably upset and angry customers. We are devastated people were let down and turned away. We are having our own investigation with Joe Purdy, the producer. The issue was specific to this show.”
Mr Purdy said: “This was purely an administration error.
“This was our error and nothing to do with the venue. We apologise profoundly for this and will be reviewing everything in depth to ensure this doesn’t ever happen again.”
2018: JIMMY OSMOND SUFFERS STROKE DURING PERFORMANCE
With a huge adoring fanbase, Birmingham audiences were in for a treat when Qdos confirmed singing legend Jimmy Osmond was heading their way to star as Captain Hook in Peter Pan for the 2018/19 season.
Jimmy was no stranger to panto having made several appearances in previous years with Captain Hook being one of his favorite roles. Poor Jimmy sadly had to withdraw from the production part way through the run after suffering a stroke whilst performing on stage. Despite suffering the stroke during the show, ever the professional Jimmy struggled through and managed to complete the performance because he did not want to disappoint fans. He was rushed straight to hospital following the performance where the stroke was diagnosed.
Captain Hook understudy Luke Redford temporarily stepped into the role and then West end star Darren Day was drafted in at short notice to complete the run as Captain Hook as soon as his own pantomime commitments came to an end.
2018: LEE RYAN REPLACED MID-PERFORMANCE
Boyband singer Lee Ryan had been cast in the title role in Aladdin for Qdos at the New Wimbledon Theatre for the 2018/19 season and with comedian Paul Merton as Widow Twankey and Pete Firman as Wishee Washee it had all the promise of a fantastic show.
Disaster struck on the evening performance on Friday 27th December when Lee Ryan unexpectedly pulled out of the panto production halfway through a performance claiming to be suffering from a chest infection. The following week a spokesperson for Qdos Entertainment gave this statement: ‘On Friday night Lee Ryan informed us that he would not be continuing his contract, a position Qdos Entertainment has accepted.’ They added: ‘The part of Aladdin will now be covered by Chris Durtnal.
National press were quick to point out that Lee had been spotted partying hard throughout December and was a regular visitor to the pub across from the theatre casting doubt over the real reasons for his sudden panto departure.
Lee would later blame this panto for ruining his soap career in Eastenders. Lee had accepted the panto role whilst still appearing in the hit BBC soap as at that time his character's future was looking uncertain with producers not willing to commit to the character's long term future leading Lee to accept other work, including the panto. This meant key storylines for his character were dropped and ultimately Lee was axed from his soap role.
2018: MAIDSTONE PANTO CANCELLED...OH YES IT IS!
The team that cancelled the Christmas pantomime has said customers would all get refunds.
Promoter Danny Wright confirmed that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves show would not be doing any more shows in a statement made on 18th December 2018.
It was meant to be set at The Friars, Aylesford, but had to shut down after contractors claimed they had not been paid in full.
Organisers blamed the decision on "a select few who are not willing to make this work."
The statement said: "Although we have had much support from many contractors, locals and The Friars, a select few are not willing to make this work.
"With the weather of November becoming a huge factor to this result.
"Long term, we’ve been up against it from the beginning, with local authorities, opposition theatres and people in power really not supporting what we are trying to achieve, and have not made it easy.
"All we were trying to do was bring something bigger to Maidstone, but unfortunately many have not seen it that way. The event itself shows that there is a strong need for a larger event space or theatre in the area, or access shall be made more accessible by local authorities to event spaces already established.
"The show was great, and the cast, crew, FOH staff and our audiences were all fantastic.
"To all of our event partners and sponsors, we sincerely apologise for the unexpected occurrence of the event.
2017: TINA MALONE PANTO DRUG SCANDAL
In 2017 Joe Purdy Productions saw their production of Sleeping Beauty struck by a drugs scandal that would rock the panto world and hit the front pages of national newspapers.
Ex Brookside and Shameless star Tina Malone was booked to the lead the cast playing villain Carabosse but was sensationally sacked after being found to have been using cocaine backstage at the venue in Cumbria.
The actress was arrested outside of the the venue as she tried to leave in a taxi after shocked theatre staff tipped off the police with claims that Malone had told one parent watching the performance that the white powder under her nose was showbiz snow. Police searched the star and found her to have the drug on her person. The actress later admitted to being in possession of the class A drug but not before trying to claim that the drugs had been oplanted on her and that she had been set up. Earlier in the day she had misplaced her 'bag of snow' and was making her way around the backstage cast and crew asking if anyone had found it. Tina begged police not to handcuff her as they led her away from the venue as the audience from the previous show were still exiting and she would be in full view. Malone was replaced by a male actor called Alan French for the rest of the run.
2017: TIMES SQUARE PANTO FIASCO
Hundreds of fans were left out in the cold after the pantomime starring former Emmerdale actor Adam Thomas was cancelled on its last day. The production of Jack and the Beanstalk was due to come to an end with two final performances but a notice posted on the door at the Times Square Pantomime venue confirmed it had ended early.
The notice blamed the cancellation on the venue's heating system, but furious fans hit out at the show for only making the news available on the door of the building and not on social media.
One fan blasted: "What a shambles, hundreds of people outside upset that @timessqpanto has been cancelled."
"Haven't even got the decency to announce it on their twitter page.
: Absolutely shocking service from @timessqpanto, turn up to the panto with a sign on the door to say that it’s cancelled! What an absolute joke no email no phone call nothing!!"
Shock claims from the Mirror newspaer alleged the actors threatened to walk out of the show if they weren't paid what was owed to them and just ahead of the penultimate performance at 2pm, the show was cancelled.
It came just weeks after actress Denise Welch quit the role of Mother Nature because she wasn’t paid and was concerned by "chaotic" rehearsals. The Loose Women star left the production after a series of problems backstage including cast and crew not receiving wages on time, "chaotic rehearsals" and sets not being finished on time, insiders claim.
The source says: “It was a total shambles backstage – the panto wasn’t ready to open when it was due to, so the first two days of shows were cancelled.
“Sets weren’t finished, a technical rehearsal couldn’t go ahead because the production was running so behind.
“Another rehearsal was a total disaster, and then cast weren’t being paid on time or at all. At one point, an Equity rep had to be called in to mediate.
“A few days into panto rehearsals, Denise and other cast started getting concerned as it wasn’t very professional at all because no-one seemed to know what they were doing."
The insider added: “Some of the crew had never even worked backstage before.”
In a statement Denise told The Sun Online: "I am so terribly upset and hugely disappointed that I will no longer be appearing in the Times Square Pantomime in Newcastle.
“Those who know me and have supported me during my 40 year career will know how passionate I am about my job, Newcastle and its people.
"All I ever wanted was to star in a fabulous, spectacular pantomime that I have been proudly publicising since February.
“If there was anything I could do to change this highly regrettable situation I would.
“Legally, I can say no more but I write this with a heavy heart.”
2017: ROXANNE PANTO PULLS OUT OF PANTO AS THE NATION TURNS ON HER
In 2017 following a disastrous stint on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother ex Emmerdale actor Roxanne Pallett became possibly the most hated person in the UK. A scandal erupted as she accused fellow house mate Ryan Thomas of bullying her, the nation turned on her as her lies were exposed on live TV and Ryan was seen to be innocent. Roxanne had secured a lucrative panto deal at the Pomegranate Theatre in Chesterfield in the title role in Cinderella for PHA pantomimes prior to entering the reality TV series but just days after she was removed from the Big Brother house it was confirmed that by mutual decision she would no longer be making her planned panto appearance. She had been due to star opposite singer Rhydian Roberts. A statement on Chesterfield Theatres’ Twitter page read: ‘Roxanne Pallet has today decided to step down from her upcoming role as Cinderella in Chesterfield, in order to take some time out and reflect on recent events. ‘We wish Roxanne the best and will be announcing her replacement in due course.’
Naomi Wilkinson was later announced as the replacement star.
Connor Byrne, Roxanne Pallett’s co-star from her previous pantomime performance of Jack and The Beanstalk later claimed the actress accused him of violence, comparing his incident to the events during Pallet's time on Celebrity Big Brother.
Following the overwhelming backlash against the former Emmerdale actress, Tracey Beaker star Connor Byrne called the incident a ‘carbon copy’ of accusations she made against him at the tail end of 2017. In a now deleted tweet, obtained by Connor wrote to his 18,800 followers: ‘Sad to say, from what I’ve heard, I had a very similar experience with this lady last year. ‘I’ve not seen it (Big Brother). Just had a colleague who witnessed my encounter where I was falsely accused of violence. She doesn’t care about anyone or any consequence, only herself.
2017: AL PORTER QUITS PANTO AS SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS EMERGE
The producers of Dublin's Olympia Theatre Christmas Pantomime confirmed Al Porter was stepping aside from his lead role in the show that had been scheduled for the 2017/18 season, following claims of inappropriate behaviour.
A statement from public relations firm Pat Egan Management and the show’s producer Stuart O’Connor of Spotlight Productions, confirmed “due to recent developments, Al Porter is standing aside from his role in this year’s Pantomime ‘Polly and the Beanstalk’ at the Olympia Theatre.”
Porter was to star in the production, and co-wrote the pantomime show alongside comedian Karl Spain. Porter has performed in the Olympia Christmas pantomime for more than a decade.
The statement said “a replacement star will be announced shortly.”
The show was scheduled to open on Friday December 15th, and to run until Sunday January 14th.
Al Porter also resigned from Today FM, where he had presented a lunchtime show since February 2017, after allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
The comedian said that “while my conduct, which had been in keeping with my flamboyant and outrageous public persona, may be regarded as offensive and unacceptable by many people, I at no time intended to upset anyone.
“Up until now I had been unaware of these complaints or the impact of my conduct, and I am truly sorry for any distress I may have caused in what I had regarded as light-hearted and good-natured circumstances.”
Today FM accepted his resignation on Sunday afternoon.
In a tweeted statement Porter said, “I have been completely taken aback by reports in the media and on the social networks over the weekend, and by the scale and tone of the vitriol. Although, on legal advice, I cannot comment on specific allegations at the present time, I nonetheless sincerely apologise to anyone I may have genuinely offended.”
The 24-year-old comedian, who has been on stage since he was a child, said he had “come to the personal decision that I need time away from the spotlight after decades in the entertainment industry”.
Porter was replaced by Mrs Brown's Boys star Rory Cowan.
Sexual assault charges were later brought against Porter, real name Alan Kavanagh, and in 2019 he walked free from court when the case was dropped.
2015: BEN ANDERSON PANTO PAY DISPUTE
A pantomime producer previously investigated for fraud was accused of owing thousands of pounds to his 2015 casts and crew.
Ben Anderson’s company Strictly Productions produced four pantomimes in the year, with people involved in with three of them reporting that they were owed more than £20,000 collectively.
Police looked into Anderson’s activities in 2014 following claims he owed dance schools money after setting up an unaccredited exam board. At the time, the police did not proceed with their investigation. However, claims of unpaid monies in relation to pantomimes Anderson produced then emerged from cast and crew members on Jack and the Beanstalk at the Forum Theatre in Barrow-in-Furness, Aladdin at Blackpool’s North Pier Theatre, and Peter Pan at the Grange Theatre in Northwich – which featured reality stars Nikki Grahame and Christopher Maloney.
Among those reporting that they had not received full payment was Grahame’s agency White Label Management, which claimed it was owed around £3,000 in unpaid VAT.
A representative confirmed that everyone involved in the pantomime was due to be paid in weekly instalments, but the payments were “around four days late” each time. He said the agency had been paid the fees due for Grahame’s appearance, but was still waiting on the VAT.
“When someone comes forward with what looks like professional pantomime, a reputable fee, an office… you don’t really see this kind of thing happening,” they told The Stage.
Grahame had been cast in the pantomime before it was revealed Anderson was being investigated by police for fraud in September 2015. The representative said he “had reservations” about her starring in the production after reading The Stage’s article, but added: “I think you always have to give someone another chance and nothing up to [the late payments] had been questionable.”
White said he last spoke to Anderson in February, after which he said the pantomime producer had stopped replying to emails and phone calls.
A crew member, who did not want to be named, worked on three of the pantomimes and he was waiting to be paid £9,000 – including his wages and expenses incurred while working on the production – which he claims Anderson said he would pay back.
Other people who said they had not received payments included Joe Purdy, who was hired as a production assistant on Aladdin at the North Pier Theatre and production manager on Jack and the Beanstalk at the Forum Theatre. Purdy claimed he loaned Anderson £7,500 towards the latter production, but is still owed £5,500.
The same pantomime’s star, Jade Meaney, told The Stage she was owed £4,250 in wages. She worked for both the Barrow-in-Furness festive show and the earlier pantomime Aladdin, staged over the October half term. Her Aladdin co-star Steven Hall, a Britain’s Got Talent finalist in 2011, claimed he was owed £500.
One source estimated that Anderson owed more than £30,000 to cast and crew members of the four pantomimes.
An attempt was made to dissolve Strictly Productions in April, but was halted after an objection by a creditor.
A few weeks earlier, Anderson had set up a new company: Majestical Theatrical Associates Limited.
Anderson could not be reached for comment.
2015: PAY ROW BRINGS CURTAIN DOWN ON PANTO
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the White Rose Theatre in Leeds came to an abrupt end after a pay row closed down the production.
With a top star cast including comedy legend Jimmy Cricket, Brookside's Louis Emerick, Coronation Street's Tupele Dorgu, Geordie Shore hunk Scotty T , Rainbow puppet royalty Zippy & George and a video appearance from Ken Dodd this had all the ingredients of a triumphant panto in the making.
Sadly a success it was not! After audiences complained that it was practically unwatchable the panto has had the rest of its run cancelled. The Geordie Shore star Scotty T, who played ‘Prince’ in the Snow White show, quit the show earlier the same week after complaining a ‘scam’ meant he wasn’t being paid what was originally promised. A performance of show was then cancelled without a warning just before it was about to begin as Scotty walked out, becoming the first of many cast members to leave. Three further shows that were promised for the Friday night, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were then suddenly also pulled.
Scotty T wasn’t afraid to expose those he thought had underpaid him, tweeting: ‘In my view, this whole production has been a scam with no funds for wages from day one and false promises delivered from the directors about funds'
he continued...
‘I would like to apologise to everyone who has purchased tickets for the event and I’m so sorry that I will no longer be a part of this performance. ‘I am sad that I have not been able to finish my commitment to the rest of the cast. I apologise to anyone who was hoping to see me in the performance, but I hope you understand my reasons.’
Refunds were being offered to everyone who had tickets for the last three performances of the panto. Writing on their website, bosses as The White Rose Theatre — where the show was held — explained that ‘industrial issues’ had led to the show’s cancellation.
‘It is with the deepest regret and our sincere apologies to patrons that due to industrial issues that Liberty Events (Leeds) Ltd hereby advise the remaining scheduled performances of the pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the White Rose Theatre, Leeds are cancelled,’ the statement read.
2012: PORNO PAST CATCHES UP WITH PANTO STAR
A talented musical star who shot to fame on the BBC talent show Any Dream Will Do was been sacked from his role as Prince Charming after it was revealed that he starred in a porn film. Craig Chalmers made his name after appearing in the hit BBC show Any Dream Will Do which searched for a new lead to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
He went on to established himself as a talented performer and was due to play Prince Charming in Cinderella at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline, Scotland for the 2012/12 season. But the star, from Edinburgh, was axed after bosses were tipped off that he had starred in X-rated movies.
In the married actor’s adult film, in which he used the name Ryan Ryder, he can clearly be seen taking part in sex acts and his profile and photograph were also included on an adult talent agency website.
The shocking revelation prompted theatre chiefs to axe Chalmers who was replaced with his co-star James Mackenzie.
A spokesperson from the Alhambra Theatre said that the content was not appropriate for someone appearing in a family show and that Chalmers had admitted his involvement. She said: 'In light of information given by an anonymous member of the public, of which we were completely unaware, we can confirm that Craig Chalmers is no longer taking part in our pantomime Cinderella.
'We are extremely disappointed that Craig Chalmers did not see fit to make us aware of his involvement in the adult entertainment business. 'If we had been made aware Craig would never have been cast in our panto.
'The Alhambra panto is all about fun for all the family and it would be entirely inappropriate for him to take part.
'The role of Prince Charming will now be played by CBBC’s Raven star James Mackenzie.'
Chalmers has previously performed with an all-male strip group called G-Force and had a short-lived career in boyband No Reason but he became a household name in 2007 when he finished fifth in Saturday night show Any Dream Will Do and was later chosen to play Joseph in the UK touring production establishing him as a musical star.
2007: PAUL DANAN AXED FROM PANTO AFTER FOUL MOUTHHED RANT
Former Hollyoaks actor Paul Danan was been given his marching orders from Preston's Jack and the Beanstalk panto in 2007 after indulging in a foul-mouthed tirade at the traditional switching-on of the Xmas lights.
According to the Lancashire Evening Post, Danan repeatedly swore in front of the 3,000-strong crowd "which included hundreds of children" at the light switch on ceremony. First up, he swore "when asked by one of his fellow cast members why he was not wearing his costume".
He was quickly deprived of the mic, and given "a comedy smack on the bottom by a fellow cast member". A couple of minutes later, however, he swore at the crowd again "in an attempt to generate some noise".
Police slapped him with an £80 on-the-spot fine shortly after the incident, and the next morning he was relieved of his lead role of Jack by the panto's producers. Viv Wells, of Pele Productions, confirmed: "He has been sacked, obviously because of what happened last night. We are a family-run business, I have three children of my own and our shows are for families and do not even have any innuendo in them.
"I did not have my kids with me last night, but I was left feeling sick because of what he has said in front of an audience of children and families. It was totally out of the blue and I am completely shocked."
Wells concluded: "I spoke to Paul's agent and she said it was totally out-of-character and that he is going to write a full apology letter to us for his actions."
Danan did indeed apologise in a video message saying: "I got a bit excited and wanted to get the crowd warmed up and accidentally swore. I feel really awful about it. What I was looking at was teenagers, students and adults and I didn't realise there were some kids. I'm extremely sorry if I offended anyone."
The paper also has outraged reaction from several witnesses, including Preston's mayor. The lone voice of support for Danan is one Jess Butterworth, who offered: "Children hear stuff like that all the time at home. I don't think he's done anything wrong."
Danan was replaced by ex Eastenders star Jack Ryder.
2004: JIMMY KRANKIE'S BEANSTALK FALL
Children's entertainer Wee Jimmy Krankie, or in real life Janette Tough, was taken to hospital with head injuries after falling 10ft off a pantomime beanstalk in Glasgow.
The 57-year-old was starring in a production of Jack and the Beanstalk at the Glasgow Pavilion Theatre and fell off the prop during a matinee show.
Fellow cast member Scottish soap star Gary Hollywood (Mrs Brown's Boys star) was also said to have been injured in the fall.
The duo's conditions were on the day described as stable by the Glasgow Royal Infirmary. The evening performance at the theatre had to be been cancelled and the audience who saw the fall during the day have been given a full refund.
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "Wee Jimmy Krankie fell out of the beanstalk on to the stage and was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary."
Wee Jimmy, a cheeky Scottish schoolboy, is played by actress Janette Tough, who stars alongside her husband Ian Tough in their double act The Krankies.
The accident took place as the first half of the pantomime drew to a close.
The special lift which holds up the beanstalk fell, sending Mrs Tough and her co-star crashing onto the stage.
Theatre Manager Iain Gordon said: "She was at the top of the beanstalk at the end of act one.
"The beanstalk goes in the air about five metres, and as they were coming down approximately 10ft from the ground the beanstalk bent."
1869: BRISTOL PANTO STAMPEED DISASTER
The Prince’s Theatre in Bristol (an impressive 2800 seart venue) had it's own panto disaster on 27th December 1869 at their production of Robinson Crusoe. In a very small enclosed space a large crowd began to form from as early as 4pm to await the doors opening at 7pm and as the doors opened there was a mad rush with the crowds surging forward to get inside. The result was the people at the front were trampled on, and 18 people (mainly children) were killed in the stampede with over 40 others injured. Police arrived quickly and in an attempt to clear the area they started to shout 'Fire'. Amazingly the Theatre Manager refused to cancel the performance and it actually went ahead despite the pre-show death count.
