What makes Worthing panto audiences so very special?

Katie Pritchard has done panto every year since she was a child apart from one.

Transcript

00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Now, panto

00:06is fun, isn't it? Especially at Worthing, where the big panto this year is Robin Hood.

00:12And it's lovely to speak not to Allendale, but Alana Dale. Now, Katie Pritchard, you

00:18love panto in Worthing, don't you? What makes it such a good place to be?

00:23I do love panto in Worthing. I, well, right now I'm looking out the window, I'm like the

00:28bright sunshine, the waves on the beach. You won't get that throughout December, will

00:34you? Well, and then I remembered on Sunday when

00:37we arrived and it was the storm. We couldn't walk down the street. But I do love it. I

00:44love Worthing. I love the town. I love the seafront. It's so nice. And just the really

00:52nice crowds that we get here at panto. Absolutely. So you love the venue, you love

00:56the crowds, but you also love panto. Why panto? What is it about panto that you adore?

01:03Oh, it's so silly. And I just think I really like a group of people coming together on

01:15stage being very silly, just to bring lots of joy into the theatre space. And, you know,

01:23experiencing festivities and excitement with everyone that's coming to watch the shows.

01:29I think that's my favourite thing, especially when people come dressed up, you know, in

01:34their Christmas outfits and we're backstage going, oh, have you seen the third row there?

01:40They look amazing. So, yeah. And the lovely thing is your very accommodating

01:45family will have a second Christmas just for you afterwards when you finish.

01:49Just for me. Just for me, they'll lay out.

01:55Just for you opening the presents.

01:57I make them all sit there and watch me have a Christmas day.

02:02Well, you're the one who will have earned it, won't you?

02:06We do a fake Christmas. Everyone has a nice second Christmas day because you don't just

02:12want one Christmas day when you could have two Christmas days. So, yeah, we do a nice

02:18fake Christmas after Panto. Brilliant. Well, really lovely to speak to you.

02:22Have a fabulous Christmas in Worthing. Thank you for your time.