With the festive season and all its trimmings fast approaching, it’s time for the return of Potted Panto, London’s longest-running pantomime.
Dan Clarkson, who co-writes (with Jefferson Turner) and stars in the show, tells us why Potted Panto is so popular and what we all need more of at Christmas.
Where: Wilton’s Music Hall
When: 3 Dec 2025 – 3 Jan 2026
Ticket link: https://wiltons.org.uk/whats-on/potted-panto-2/
Potted Panto is now a festive institution. What makes it so popular?
Honestly? I’d love to say it’s because of me, but even my delusions of grandeur don’t stretch that far!
I think it’s because Potted Panto offers everything people adore about pantomime, the heroes, villains, shout-outs, slapstick, and storytelling , distilled into one joyous, turbo-charged celebration.
It’s both a love letter to the tradition and a cheeky send-up of it. You get to see two men who should know better hurtling through seven pantos in 70 minutes and can’t help but get swept up in the Christmas chaos and cheer!
How did classic panto turned into this madcap mashup, and what is it like to perform?
Jeff and I have always loved pantomime, both watching it and performing in it. It was our Christmas bread and butter for many years!
I think it was during one season, while traumatising audiences as the Ugly Sisters somewhere deep in the wilds of Lancashire, that we started joking about how much fun it would be to parody the whole panto genre, not just the stories, but the traditions, the slapstick, the ‘oh no it isn’ts’ … the lot.
By the time we’d stopped laughing, we’d essentially written Potted Panto.
Performing it is gloriously chaotic. In 70 minutes I play everyone from Prince Charming to a giant beanstalk, both Ugly Sisters to all seven dwarfs, with a healthy number of fairies and villains in-between.
That amounts to more costume changes than should be medically recommended. It’s the greatest festive workout around.
In fact, I’m seriously considering launching my own Christmas keep-fit channel. With the right marketing, I could be the seasonal Joe Wicks!
You’ve been at Wilton’s for three seasons now. Does the setting make it even more special?
I have to say, Wilton’s might be one of my favourite, if not the favourite, theatres in the world.
There’s something about that beautifully preserved music hall that just screams magic the moment you walk through the doors.
And at Christmas, when it’s all dressed up in decorations, it genuinely feels like you’re stepping into a Dickensian Christmas card.
The theatre itself has the audience wrapped right around us, so the intimacy on stage is wonderful and even the scroogiest of Scrooges doesn’t stand a chance of resisting the Christmas spirit in there.
It’s a truly special place to perform, and an incredible place to spend the festive season.
Slapstick still makes funny bones twitch – why is this?
I feel Slapstick works because it reconnects us with our inner child. It gives us permission to laugh freely, loudly and without overthinking.
No matter your age or background, if someone gets hit in the face with a custard pie, you’re laughing. It might look chaotic, but it’s incredibly precise.
When it’s done well, it feels dangerous, surprising and effortless and audiences love that combination.
It’s comedy stripped right back to timing, chaos, and the occasional bruised ego. And honestly? I feel it’s something we all need more of right now, especially at Christmas.
Do you have a favourite panto or panto character?
That’s like asking who your favourite child is. I mean, I know I’m my mum’s favourite, but you can’t expect her to say it out loud!
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk. There he is, minding his own business, when some little oik climbs into his home, nicks all his stuff, and then, when the Giant quite rightly objects,does anyone apologise?
No. They chop down the beanstalk and gleefully watch him plummet to his death!
I actually think a lot of the villains get a bad rap in pantomime.
Meanwhile we’re all happily cheering on Prince Charming, who chooses his soulmate based entirely on her shoe size!
I’m pretty sure that ranks only slightly above Tinder as a method for securing a healthy relationship.