Panto! facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Panto! |
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Opening Titles
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| Genre | Comedy Drama |
| Written by | John Bishop Jonathan Harvey |
| Directed by | Christine Gernon |
| Starring | John Bishop Sheridan Smith Chesney Hawkes Samantha Spiro Mark Benton Michael Cochrane Kaye Wragg Lisa Jackson Trevor Dwyer-Lynch Kenneth Cranham |
| Ending theme | Aeroplane |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | John Bishop Lisa Thomas Lindsay Hughes Henry Normal |
| Producer(s) | John Rushton |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Baby Cow Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV, STV, UTV |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 27 December 2012 |
Panto! is a special TV show from 2012. It's a funny drama made for Christmas. The show was broadcast on ITV on Thursday, December 27, 2012. It was made by Baby Cow Productions.
The story is about a local DJ named Lewis Loud. He lives in Morecambe and is trying out acting for the first time. He's starring in a Dick Whittington pantomime. A pantomime is a fun, musical play often performed around Christmas, usually based on fairy tales. Lewis plays a character called Jack the Lad.
What Happens in Panto!
Lewis Loud, played by comedian John Bishop, starts his day doing an early morning radio show. His producer, Deborah (Lisa Jackson), isn't very impressed with him.
After his radio show, Lewis goes to rehearsals for his first ever pantomime. It's a play called Dick Whittington. During rehearsals, Lewis starts to like Tamsin (Sheridan Smith), who plays Dick. Tamsin is also famous for playing 'Mad Mindy, The Axe Murderer' on a popular TV soap opera.
Rehearsal Chaos
The show's producer, Di (Samantha Spiro), calls for a full dress rehearsal. Everyone is feeling stressed. Di's daughter, Chantelle (Ami Metcalf), plays Dick's love interest, but she seems to be miscast. The director, Francis (Mark Benton), tries his best to make the show work. But Di keeps getting in the way and changing his plans.
Meanwhile, a famous TV star named Johnny Darby (Michael Cochrane) dresses up in drag for his role. And the accident-prone singer Chesney Hawkes also tries to help with the show.
Family Matters
During all this, Lewis's son, Paul (played by John Bishop's real-life son Daniel Bishop), is dropped off with him. Lewis's ex-wife, Gina (Kaye Wragg), and her new boyfriend, Tony (Trevor Dwyer-Lynch), are going on a fancy holiday. They won the trip by creating a jingle for a toilet company.
New Opportunities
Tamsin's agent, Jerry (Kenneth Cranham), offers her a spot on a new reality show called Celebrity Sleigh Ride. This show involves celebrities racing to the North Pole, with people getting voted off each day. Tamsin decides to take the offer. Jerry also offers Lewis a spot, but Lewis says no. He wants to stay and take care of Paul.
Because Tamsin leaves, the pantomime cast has to change. Paul ends up playing the cat, and Greg Chip (Dean Whatton), who was originally the cat, now plays Dick. Later, Gina's holiday gets cancelled because the toilet company goes out of business. She decides to break up with Tony and be on her own.
In the end, the pantomime is a big success! Lewis and Paul play football together, happy after the show.
Main Characters
- John Bishop as Lewis Loud: A local DJ trying his hand at pantomime acting.
- Sheridan Smith as Tamsin Taylor: A famous soap opera actress who plays Dick in the pantomime.
- Samantha Spiro as Di Jenkins: The producer of the pantomime.
- Daniel Bishop as Paul: Lewis Loud's son.
- Michael Cochrane as Johnny Darby: A well-known TV star.
- Chesney Hawkes as Himself: The singer, playing a role in the pantomime.
- Mark Benton as Francis de Winter: The director of the pantomime.
- Ami Metcalf as Chantelle Jenkins: Di's daughter, also in the show.
- Dean Whatton as Greg Chip: Originally the cat, then plays Dick.
- Kaye Wragg as Gina: Lewis's ex-wife.
- Trevor Dwyer-Lynch as Tony: Gina's new boyfriend.
- John MacMillan as Finlay
- Lisa Jackson as Deborah: Lewis's radio show producer.
- Kenneth Cranham as Jerry: Tamsin's agent.
