I think you do have to go and see a pantomime in person to get an idea what they're about Alanna. I didn't really understand them until I went to one with my family a few years ago, but after a few minutes I was shouting "he's behind you" and boo at the villain as loud as the rest of the audience. I think it's the interaction between the performers and the audience that makes it work :)

I am Russian and I love British pantos. Especially after my mum came here to visit us and she watched it with us. She only spoke basic English but she found it very funny and got all the adult jokes. She still keeps talking about that panto now, it brought her so much joy!

North Americans generally, I find, take things very literally, and very seriously. I think its maybe the "Puritan" thing? A huge part of British theatrical tradition is farce. Ridiculous and surreal situations which you really need to suspend any kind of "literalism" to enjoy. Punch and Judy is another example. What I actually really find funny is North Americans puzzlement at it all.

Panto is literally for everyone. There's the stuff for the kids to join in and treats and easy jokes. There's stuff for adults, like double entendre and innuendo. The guy lead is usually a cute girl in a short skirt and the lady lead is a guy and gorgeous. Its traditional, silly, fun.

Alana, as a fellow Canadian living in the UK for the last (God knows how many) years, I can say this - Panto is great. It's not a kids v adult thing. A good panto has jokes on 2 levels simultaneously. The obvious slapstick for kids, and the (probably slightly innapropriate) jokes for the adults on top.

There is only one way to appreciate panto - live in a theatre, accompanied by a couple of kids. The kids see people live that they've only seen on TV before. Pantomime dames are essential but also you need a good villain to boo. And a principal boy (who is of course a girl), and a heroine (who is also a girl ) and lots of audience participation. Silliness and bad jokes are essential ingredients. Add in the occasional good fairy (perhaps a fairy godmother). Throw some candy/sweets into the audience and there y'go.

British tradition at it's finest and the more it confuses foreigners the better, we love them. Every panto has to have certain ingredients, men played by women and women overplayed by men. Matinees are for the kids and evening shows for grown ups, although not always the case. The sayings you must learn are:- He's behind you: Oh yes it is: Oh no it isn't: and you have to be able to BOO and cheer very loudly, this is the law! Local village hall productions are just as good as the big theatre ones, but more intimate. You haven't experienced one yet, which is deplorable if you've been here 6 years, really lady, get with the program!

The one with Paul Merton had Ade Edmondson as the dame and Neil Morrissey. Did you know that they do have panto in Canada? yearly at the Hudson Village Theatre in Quebec and at Toronto's Elgin Theatre each Christmas season. Basically Panto is a farce, full of slap stick, jokes for adults and kids, where the audience is encouraged to join in (break the 4th wall). Things always happens, actors forget their lines or something goes wrong and the actors break character and just crack up. But it's all part of the panto fun. You really need to go to one or even take part in one. I have done both, and they are just so much fun.

Pantomime is based, loosely, on bawdy Italian comedy of the 18th and 19th centuries, it was watched by people doing the Grand Tour back then and the idea was brought back. They are written to appeal to all ages, the innuendo goes over the kids heads or used to, the often topical and risqué jokes appeal to Mum and Dad. The cross-dressing is a dig at the time when it was illegal for women to perform on stage and all parts were played by men with boys dressed as women, hence the Dame being played by a man and the principal boy/male by a women.

Hi Alana, Panto is definitely NOT just for kids or adults. The whole point is that the kids have great fun and the adult humour goes straight over their heads and the mums and dads get to have a good laugh too. Panto demolishes the so-called "Fourth Wall" in theatre as everyone (yes everyone) has to join in with the cast. If you ever get the chance, please go along to a good one and check it out for yourself, it is so utterly stupid but at the same time great fun. You won't regret it - and if you get yourself into London, the Palladium Theatre has Donny Osmond starring in its Panto this year!

Pantomime, is like live football, it's totally different to watch in the ground/venue than watching it on telly. Being there is always much much better. The audience makes it.

It's a great british tradition. A good panto entertains everyone. The atmosphere in the theatre can be so christmasy. Merton and Edmondson are brilliant.

There's usually a lot of audience participation with traditional phrases for the kids to say such as "He's behind you!" or "Oh, yes it is!" - I guess you had to be there!

Not reaction material but Jim Davidson's Sinderella with Charlie Drake is a must see adult rated panto....as for the rest, taking your kids to a theatre with all the Christmas atmosphere and excitement can't be beaten, it's often British kids first experience of live theatre and if you can get tickets with famous celebrities making idiots of themselves, even better. Even David Hasselhoff has had a go...it will end up as a lasting memory...and if it snows on your way out of the theatre, like it did one year we went, it's magical :)

They are actually adult pantos that are very popular now. I like how it's interactive normally in a theatre you stay quiet but with pantos you basically get to almost heckle the bad guy

It works on both levels. The children won't notice innuendo where it occurs, if it occurs; adults will. It's just a daft over the top traditional Christmas entertainment.

Pantomime is a great British tradition - the leading boy is played by a girl, the ugly old woman is played by a man, there's plenty of thigh-slapping, jokes for the kids, jokes for the adults... for a lot of children it might also be their first introduction to theatre. It's for kids, it's for parents, it's for people who want to be kids again. It's full of audience participation and interaction like "He's behind you!" and "Oh yes he is!" "Oh no he isn't!". Often the productions will revive old vaudeville comedy routines which the children might not have seen before and the adults will be very familiar with. The clip with Paul Merton / Neil Morrisey / Adrian Edmondson was from a series of pantomimes made by ITV which were broadcast on tv, full of all-star casts. I think they did one a year for four or five years.

I can appreciate the bemusement of someone not originally from the UK! I went to the pantomime every year as a kid, it installed in me my love of theatre and now I'm delighted to take my little niece every Christmas, it's one of 'our things', can't wait for this year. Really, you have to be there to appreciate it, I can be a grumpy sod at times but you'd better BELIEVE I'll be shouting out loud with everyone else! Yes, I'm an awesome uncle... ;o)

Right, so I literally asked my husband the other day what a Panto is. He was like...ugh...this. And he proceeded to show me an old as hell video on YT. I was crackin up! Being Canadian and never seeing this before, I find them funny and refreshing. Maybe my brain turns to mush around the holidays...but this sort of simple hilarity beings a smile to this grinchs face 😊 Hoping you are enjoying the season over there, eat a real mince pie for me..please 😄🥧 Also, amazing video as always!

Panto is a very British institution, when you’re a kid it’s silly, entertaining and a lot of fun, but there is a lot of innuendo that completely goes over a child’s head and only adults will get. We go every year (except last year of course..!) to our local one. I can’t wait to go back this year with my niece and nephew, seeing it through their eyes is wonderful.

I think part of it, is seeing famous celebrities making fools of themselves in ridiculous roles, like soap stars, pop singers. David Hasselhoff once played Captain Hook in a British Panto. Pantos are big over here in Ireland too. Cringe Jedward once starred in one of them lol

Ah, that 90's one had Paul Merton reading and the actors were sitcom stars, the dame was Ade Edmondson, so it was a pro job for telly😉

Hi, Alanna, I enjoyed that I've never been a fan of pantomimes but that was fun. When we saw the first panto I thought we'd slipped into an Alanna cooking video. I think best pantos should be a mixture for children and adults at the same time. Hope you do more like this.

They’re so strange! My sister got a new job in the Grand Opera house in Belfast, so she has to watch pantomimes all the time right now! When I was young I was always terrified that I would be brought on stage, audience participation is my nightmare!! I hadn’t thought about what someone from another country would think of a pantomime! It was a really good idea for a video! It was really funny!

For me its the interaction between the audiance and the light hearted actors who dont take it to serious.

Watching a Panto on TV at home would be like being at home watching people in a pub on tv and then wondering why you're not having as much fun. You need to be there, participation is the key.

Serious answer: who’s it for - all the family. Please go see one: shout out “he’s behind you”, laugh at The Dame, sing along to the songs.

Hi Alanna ,Panto is entertainment for all of the family, one just has to sit back,relax while you can( not for long though )until the show begins and then enjoy the silliness of it and watch the children laughing and shouting at the characters,there you go,that is it.panto cannot under any circumstances be taken seriously.cheers.Roly 🇬🇧.

Pantomime is made by audience participation, it has to be experienced in the flesh to understand what it is about. And the first two examples you showed us are not good examples unfortunately. Thanks anyway for trying.

It’s definitely for kids but there’s always something that makes parents love it. That humour for the adults that goes over the kids head is what make it for everyone

My mum was a wardrobe mistress for the local theatre and she worked during the pantomime season, Snow white and seven dwarves featuring Lenny the lion as buttons and Denise Nolan from the Nolan sisters as Snow white. The dwarves drank my dad under the table during an after show party. The family will never let him live that down.

Panto is so different wherever in the UK you go. The ones at the theatres in Nottingham are really good. They can be enjoyed by all ages, if you give in to the "cringe"/silly factor as you get older.

A panto is definitely an acquired taste. Some can be pretty good, and having the likes of Paul Merton, Neil Morrisey and Ade Edmondson on the last of those three you checked out certainly helps. Our local one usually strives for a big 'name' as a lead, fails miserably and ends up with someone who was in one episode of Hollyoaks, yet somehow it still gets big audiences. I think you'll need to drag along some kids to get the best of it though, and be ready to throw yourself into the audience participation bits if you're really going to try out the full effect Alanna!

Look out, Alanna. It's behind you lol.

Panto is basically the same as Monty Python: It is fundamentally just silly ideas. But it is written by clever people, so it can't help help being inadvertently sophisticated at times. But as at its core it is just silly. So it is basically for kids but let's face it, all kids are accompanied by adults, so it is for adults too.

I was having a miserable day then I remembered it was Tuesday! Thanks for cheering me up Alanna!

In a nutshell, Pantomime is primarily for children, with some subtle innuendo to keep the adults interested. It also relies heavily on audience participation. Great fun if you're an adult with children to take along, and most importantly, it's a great introduction for children to live theatre.

It's an introduction to theatre, for children. You can't appreciate panto as an adult, if you haven't appreciated it as a child. As a child, I loved the experience of being 'taken to the theatre'. I loved the costumes, backdrops, silliness, familiarity of the story - Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Dick Whittington et all - and I escaped into the whole experience, joining in - booing, hissing "Oh, no you can't!" - and it was exciting! For adults, in the UK, they remember that feeling and remember the 'in jokes' - "When I nod my head, hit it!" - and anticipate the hilarity of their children. Of course, there is coarse humour for the adults, which flies over children's heads, but it's for the children. Let's face it, few adults would be excited by fun-fairs, but we can all remember the excitement of them, as children and so, we take our children. How many adults want to see the latest Disney Cartoon? Yet, we take our children. And if you can't be silly; join in the singing and enjoy the joy of your children/nephews/nieces on a 'special occasion', that's sad. Would I go to a panto, fun-fair, Disney cartoon, or circus now? Hell, no! But, the next generation is almost ready!

Panto is generally for children but with something to keep the adult escorts happy! love the jumper, have a lovely Christmas and a happy new year!

What a stellar cast in the last one. Watch ‘Bottom’ or ‘The Young Ones’, with Ade Edmondson, who plays Jack’s mum, and the great Neil Morrisey, from ‘Men Behaving Badly’ as Jack. I can see you already recognised Paul Merton.

You're Rock'in in that Christmas jumper. Cannot wait to see what you'll wear next week.😉 🎄 ☃️

Pantomime is a mix of Comedia dell'arte, Harlequinade and old style Music Hall theatre where the audience is encouraged to join in and be part of the occasion. Basically it's just a silly, fun night out.

There is a tradition in theatre that at the end of a long run, one day in the last week the actors then take the piss out of the production and ad lib in part. That would be fun to watch.

Its abit fun for all ages to understand them you need to see one live and join in with the crowd

panto is the first introduction to theatre for most kids

I could be wrong but i believe that Panto may be the inspiration for many Drag Queen and Drag King shows as well. I'm Canadian and although I have not been to many of either I would say it's the quirks and audience interaction that is supposed to be good silly fun.

"2 from the top and 1 from the bottom ,please Carol" A sexual reference to the game show Countdown

Great Christmas jumper, I used to have a Vault-Tec bunker.

Pantomime is the best! Thank you for introducing us to your quaint Canado-British customs.

haha love your jumper Alanna! : D

The last one was funny. I didn't get the others. I love your jumper.

It's aimed at children but they can't go on their own so the adults have to go with them. The innuendos are for them. Otherwise they'd probably throw cabbages and eggs.

Alanna's facial expressions are so funny 🤣. Thank you!

Panto is for the whole family of all ages. Parents take the children and even grandma will join them. They are meant to be over the top and fun. It is a British tradition The last one you watched is what most of them are like. They have celebrities in them. Jack is played by Neil Morrissey, his mum Adrian Edmondson and narrated by Paul Merton. You really have to be there in person to really get it. The adults join in with the children and it's the interaction with the cast and the audience that really makes it fun. It's also an introduction to theatre for the children.

you need to go and see it live and take part its the only way its not the same on tv we go most years even now when the kids have grown up, its still fun

Omg yes! I was literally just thinking about this and wondering if I should go to a pantomime show.

In that last one we’re Paul Merton, Neil Morrisey, Ade Edmonton - all famous from the telly.

If you didn't grow up in a culture that embraced pantomime it maybe hard to appreciate that style of humor, but there is no denying these performers are extremely talented and dedicated to their craft...

If anything you'v e got to see it live, it can be a blast

Hey Alanna, glad you got to take a look at this very British thing. Panto is definitely a unique and acquired taste that, IMO only really works as a live experience. A screen simply can't capture it, like being at a live concert. There's also a lot of not very good panto, that feature a very old, dated style of humour. The ones you watched seem a bit like that. Yet, there are some really fantastic ones out there and that last one had a big cast of well known faces that can actually act.

I don't know what was funnier - the ridiculousness of the panto or seeing a Canadian react to it :'D You really do need to go see one in person though - it's all about the experience and the audience participation!

It's definitely part of the fun as an adult watching the kids having no idea what they're laughing at. Agree with others - you have to see one live. Oh yes, you do!

My first panto was in about 1963/4 very hazy memories starring Helen Shapiro all I can remember was she sang one of her hits sitting on a silver crescent moon! It may have been Cinderella but who knows? Very broad and very British!

Canterbury Marlowe theatre does an amazing big pantomime every Christmas to January time I would definitely recommend !

As soon as you said I'm going to watch a pantomime I heard millions shout back.. 'oh no your not!' 😂

I stayed thru this because l adore you , l actually enjoyed this , thank you. How is it that you get more beautiful with every post ? Is there a portrait of you aging in an attic somewhere? All kidding aside l love your posts , hoping you make a few Christmas posts.

Pantomime is older than it looks. It goes back to the Commedia del Arte tradition of renaissance Italy. That made it to England fairly early, England being very much under the influence of Italy in those days. At least one Commedia del Arte play has survived-- Gl'Ingannati "The Deceived". Shakespeare is thought to have known that play. (And maybe others). Over time, the semi-improvised style of Italian comedy that Shakespeare knew, morphed into Pantomime. It's uniquely English, now.

I don't yet get panto but I do understand the appeal. As a kid growing up in the Chicago area we would go to a performance of The Nutcracker and/or A Christmas Carol every year. Tradition, Family, and Fun seem to be the theme for all of it.

As a kid, we went to panto, one year, and the next to a circus. That was in the 1950's

For me Panto is a family event at the theater (I my self have never been) but have watched many on TV. The best being quite old ones with the like of Roy Hood

Also Pantomime breaks the 4th wall which the public gets to interact the actors, you'll hear them say he's behind you! The the actors say O no he's not, Then the audience say O yes he is. Its never easy watching on a screen. You need to be there. Even though I have never been. Even at 60. 😁

I’m going to panto over Christmas! The quality of Panto definitely differs from theatre to theatre. The one we go to at Colchester is normally really good. It’s enjoyable or both kids and adults. I think though, you kind’ve get the best out of a panto as an adult if you go with children. It’ll be my youngest’s first panto, so looking forward to seeing him enjoy it. A lot of it is clowning. Some of the music though in pantos are really good. Just got to let yourself be silly to enjoy it i guess, but definitely helps if you go with kids, not sure why that is, but it is!

Alanna, really the only way to appreciate what panto is about is to go and see one live. You miss so much just watching a video, and I think some of that feeling carries forward with you when you later see them on video- but live is the best way. You get a feeling of involvement that is different to other art forms. If you know anyone with kids then tag along with them- that's also part of the experience and enjoyment. Or offer to take the kids for them- give them a rest as a Christmas present! You'll see things through different eyes by seeing a Panto live and with involvement of kids. And It'll save you any embarrassment of going as adults too! Go on, you know you want to. Oh yes you do!

In all honesty, if you love panto, going to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show live at the theatre is basically a (very) adult panto. There are many interactions learned and used by old fans. Sadly, like sweets thrown at the kids, there are some that you can't do in the theatre all the time but there are always alternatives! I highly recommend if you are a fan of the film

Hi Alanna, hope all is well. Nice video :)

I went into the library and asked the librarian if there's a book about pantomimes. She said 'It's behind you.'

Hay sweetie, he's behind you, oh no he isn't! ✌️🌹🇨🇦👍🦌, greetings from Glezga.

Panto looks like it’s for kids and they will enjoy the experience but there is also hidden jokes in there that only adults will understand. That’s part of the appeal of it, there’s lots of “dad jokes”, silliness and yes there is cross dressing traditionally, it’s huge, over the top, slapstick.

It's just a bit of family fun to take the kids to while the cooking is getting done or presents got wrapped or just to get out and have a break

I was always non-plus about pants until I took the kids. We go to the Marlowe, Canterbury and they have been great.

The look on Alanna’s face when realising it’s Paul Merton is priceless.

I've never seen one, but it looks like - A panto is something which needs to be watched under the influence of something very strong … 😂 You were rocking that Christmas sweater Alanna🎄

I haven't been to a panto since I was a bairn and I loved them back then. I wouldn't dream of going to one as an adult unless to take a bairn along.

Hey Alanna, great video. I haven't been to a panto in ages but they can be a lot of fun specially if they have a good cast & are well written. Also they are better experienced live so you should give a panto a try at least once. Alternatively how about you and the Butler do an A&N pantomime this year from Naps HQ kitchen. 😀. On a side note just at the perfect moment in the video when you said "Right, lets take a look at a second Pantomime" YT cut to a Promo for the new Bond film. For one moment I was very confused, "James Bond doing a panto" I thought, now that would be different. 😊

Whatever you think of pantomime it only works live. Its about audience participation. High production, headline stars works as well as the amateur local productions with "in jokes". It is absolutely designed to appeal to children as well as adults. It follows the " Comedian del' art" traditions, the "Fool" and the "Play within the Play" found in Shakespeare.

The big Pantos will usually have famous people in and they are well loved, the “Campness” (women dressed as men and men dressed as women, goes back hundreds of years to probably when Shakespeare was around) is not really about cross dressers or anything along those lines, it is meant to be fun for all ages, sex’s or dressers, it’s just all for a laugh and it’s what is at the core of being British, having a great sense of humour…

Panto is where 1980s northern entertainers and forgotten TV personalities go to die.

There used to be this weird concept called 'family'... It involved children and adults interacting!

Nice video Alanna. 🙂

Pantomime, or just 'Panto', is traditional fairytale stories have been dramatised for stage presentation. It's like our version of live-action Disney, except that it's actually live, and we did it first.

I love your fallout Xmas jumper xx

Well done, loved your reaction 😁. I hate panto more than mince pies, seriously. But you still warmed up my chilly Tuesday 👋

Your face on the first two summed up my attitude to panto.

Pantomime usually have two versions . On a daytime matinée version it will be mainly children . The evening matinée will be much risqué. Silliness is the byword .x

That last one literally brings me back to my childhood they showed this one along with Cinderella, Aladdin and dick Whittington on itv2 every Christmas until recently the one you saw also had Julie Walters in it as the good fairy

I think you are right to say it very much depends on the panto you see! There are different quality productions, ones that incorporate local knowledge and traditions more or less, ones that are more or less focused on getting a celebrity name, ones that are more traditional or subversive etc… Panto can be what you make it and that can be another aspect of its appeal 😊

Go along and see a live panto or six! Some can really make your chuckle muscles hurt🤣 There’s usually mention of local towns, shops etc. in the script. Even Henry ‘The Fonz’ Winkler from ‘Happy Days’ has done a pantomime or two - we’ve had a few celebrities from across “The Pond” and elsewhere star in our pantos. It’s all done in the best possible taste! 😉 Enjoy a night out, with or without kids!

Panto is farce for the kids and innuendo for the adults. It helps to have childhood memories of shows.

Jim davisons Cinderella .is a must watch 🤣🤣🤣

A good place to start is the ITV Pantos that we're broadcast on TV about twenty years ago; they're all on KZfaq and star a host of *at the time) famous British comedians and actors. Aladdin with Ed Byrne is the best.