I was fortunate enough to receive the wonderful Doctor Who: The Vault book under my Christmas tree this year and have spent many hours immersed in its vast wealth of material.
One image really caught my attention – the front cover of a programme for a 1982 pantomime starring newly regenerated Doctor-Who-at-that-time, Peter Davison.
If you don’t know what a pantomime is, imagine a Broadway production with the budget of a school nativity, performed for the children (but with plenty of adult jokes) and starring lots of ‘celebrities’. These pantomimes are an annual event for the British public with hundreds performed for several festive weeks around the country.
Having a pantomime performed by a current Doctor Who was clearly a big thing at that time and it seems they played heavily on this fact. Listen out for Who references in the promotional video below.
I don’t expect to see any of the modern era Who actors in pantomime any time soon but if the recently departed Matt Smith were to turn up in my local theatre, I’d definitely be watching!
Take a look at this fan-made trailer for Davison’s time as the Doctor, and try to imagine him transported into the role of Buttons.
Hayden Yale
Latest posts by Hayden Yale (see all)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Duvets - August 18, 2017
- Blue’s Journey into Cosplay! - August 11, 2017
- Blazing Star has the “ultimate in computer graphics!” - June 11, 2017