Football legend’s journey from pitch to dancefloor

He served under legendary managers
Brian Clough and Sir Bobby Robson and
won a record 125 caps for England.

And now the evergreen Peter Shilton will
take to the stage at Lincoln Drill Hall next
week to recall some key moments from
his incredible career.

Starting out at Leicester City as a
teenager in the 1960s, he’s probably
best remembered for his time in the
Midlands, with spells at Derby County,
Stoke City and, of course, Nottingham
Forest – with whom he won the European
Cup in successive years.

His name means something to every
age group of football fans and there are
now his recent appearances on TV’s
Strictly Come Dancing to chat about.

Away from the domestic football scene,
he travelled to three World Cup finals and
was involved in many of England’s
dramatic – and memorable – matches
from 20 years serving his country
between the posts.

You’ll most likely hear about lows such
as the infamous Hand Of God incident
with Diego Maradona, and highs like
England’s achievements at Italia ’90.

Expect some behind-the-scenes secrets
to be revealed, some personal memories
of footballing greats and Peter’s
knowledgeable take on football today.

Understandably coy about his material
for the Lincoln show, he did promise Echo
readers there would be something for
everyone when he visits the Drill Hall on
Wednesday.

He said: “I like to do a mix of serious
topical points about football today, but
there are a lot of fun topics, too.

“I played right through from the 1960s
to the mid-90s so there’s a lot to reflect
on. There are a lot of funny stories about
things that happen on and off the pitch.

“There will be something for all
Midlands fans. I was pleased and proud
to play for all the clubs I played for.

“And I’m sure there will be a few ladies
in the audience asking about Strictly. You
go into it to enjoy it and do well. I enjoyed
it a lot but, it was a really high standard
this year.”

Topics might take in the England cap
situation with David Beckham,
modern-day goalkeeping and the state of
the England international team.

Pushed a little on whether there’s a
clear-cut England No.1, he said: “We’ll
have to wait and see what I’ll say about
that on the night. I’m always being asked
about goalkeeping in general and it’s
something I’ll touch on.”

Expect more of Peter in the pipeline –
with further TV work and after-dinner
speaking dates lined up, he’s set for a
busy year.

The alarm bells are ringing

You may have picked up on the news last week that a glitch on the iPhone caused problems after the alarm device failed to wake people at the pre-ordained time, writes Patrick Astill.

But do we really need an alarm any more? Is it just because our sleep patterns are so irregular that we need shaking out of bed in the morning?

I’m not so sure. I tend to wake up at the same time each day whether it’s due to an alarm or not, and when I switch it off at the weekend I’m wide awake the very second it was due to go off. Not an ideal scenario when I feel like I need a lie-in.

So is the actual time itself important? Hardly anyone sits down to watch television when the programme starts these days. Sky+ and other methods mean you can park yourself on the sofa late and watch it from the start ten minutes later than you should have done. Or even the next day.

Granted, you need to be on time if you’re catching a train. It is better to be half an hour early than half a second late, as my grandad used to say.

Public clocks are seldom anywhere near the right time, in fact most are probably only correct twice a day.

People start work when they like – there are fewer factories and production lines that need to start up all at the same time, and clocking in or out is a rarity. As long as you do your hours, they can be done at work, at home, or even on the train you jumped on (in the nick of time).

Perhaps that’s a good thing, as workers are then driven by tasks and results rather than clockwatching.

Even at school we are taught that when the bell goes, it’s a signal for the teacher, not the class.

And even the ubiquitous wristwatch may be on the way out. Isn’t it really just a piece of jewellery nowadays, an age when everyone seems to check their mobile phones to see what time it is?

A survey in 2009 even suggested that more than half of us wake up to a mobile phone rather than an alarm clock.

There’s a lot to be said for that – you can programme them with the dulcet tones of birdsong or classical music to avoid a jarring jolt back into consciousness.

That’s if you choose to use such a tool. And if you do, make sure it’s working properly – unlike the iPhone.

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo. 

Ichthyotherapy

by Patrick Astill

Ichthyotherapy is a word to conjour with.

It’s the latest buzz-word in the world of pedicure, where you let your feet swim with the fish.

You’ve probably seen the publicity – salons setting up right, left and centre to offer fish therapy.

The scaly creatures don’t sit down and listen to your troubles … rather they nibble away at them, via your feet.

Stick your feet in a bowl of Garra Rufa fish, which originated in Turkey, and they will nibble away at your dry and dead skin, and probably tickle a bit, too.

The service is offered in Lincoln at the Kensington Salon on Rasen Lane and the new Ticklfish unit in Waterside – and fortunately the little fish have no teeth!

Their busy nibbling can also be used to ease the pain of those suffering from conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

Both businesses also offer other services, such as teeth whitening and eyebrow waxing at the Kensington, and massages and hot stone therapy at the Waterside.

I had a 30-minute “dip” at Ticklfish.

Their watchword is putting priority on foot health. Before I even let the fish see your toes, my therapist Janine Heaton took a close look at my feet to make sure there are no wounds or illnesses. You wouldn’t wasn’t to follow someone who was suffering a verruca, would you?

After a quick footbath on warm water, I was asked to lower your feet gently into the tank, which contains about 150 of the little workers.

The first overwhelming feeling is the realisation that the fish are eyeing up their latest tasty treat. As your feet get closer to the water’s surface, they congregate as though someone has just thrown a cupful of food into the tank.

And then they’re off! And it IS a tickle. One or two will launch themselves at you while the rest go about their business, nibbling away at dry skin while you wriggle.

The tickling soon gives way to a pins and needles type of sensation, as the fishy biotherapists nibble away to give a result similar to acupuncture or reflexology.

They stimulate the points that regulate your nervous system, releasing a therapeutic enzyme and stimulating the growth of new skin cells.

I couldn’t resist looking down and watching them at work for the whole session. It’s oddly hypnotic but it’s great to see where they concentrate on.

As the therapist asks you to stretch out your toes, the fish charge in between them to give that area a good tidy up too.

And yes, after a minty foot massage from Maxine Jones afterwards, I did feel as though I was walking on air back to the Echo offices.

I am assured the feeling lasts several days as the enzymes continue to do their stuff.

And it’s then that you get hooked and become a regular…!

Ticklfish beauty therapist Jodie Clarke said: “It’s a completely different feeling from anything else. It tickles and you don’t quite expect it.

“The closest thing I can compare it to is when you turn a tap on and feel the vibrations of the water on your skin.”

Ticklfish was set up by Gail Oxley and Sharon Ellis, from Sheffield.

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo. 

Shop 'till you drop?

by Patrick Astill

We’re into the heart of the sales season already and it’s only just the New Year.

The tired old adverts for toys and food on the telly have been replaced with shiny new ones for sofas and holidays.

There are a lot of tempting offers online too – and some ungrateful people have already been bold enough to stick their unwanted Christmas presents on Ebay.

But what to buy… and can we really afford it?

Household fuel bills are facing a hike, petrol’s going up all the time – and VAT is soon going to hit us hard too.

But whether or not we have money in our pocket, I lay a bet with you right now that the Next Sale’s opening day saw feverish bargain-hunters queuing hours before opening time to grab the best deals.

And I bet BHS and Debenhams look like a jumble sale too, if the seething masses of shoppers have been rifling through their wares.

I suspect that some people might have some Christmas money to spend but many more will be buying on the never-never.

There are still plenty of catalogues that offer the service, and it’s easy to run up a tab. In fact, it is still so commonplace that when offenders have to tell magistrates their means in order for a fine to be fixed, they often quote “club book” as an important part of their regular outgoings.

But if you are looking for a true bargain, and you know for sure it’s an item you want or need, and you’re willing to spend the kind of money required, here’s my very quick guide to securing the deal.

Bargain Hunt on the telly is a game and a quest – and it’s a bit like that in normal shops in real life. You can sniff out a deal that doesn’t exist yet. Don’t be shy at asking. The assistant in Curry’s knows you will just pop next door to Comet if they don’t offer you the best deal.

If you can use older stock, something that’s not the newest model, something not in a box, a display item or something with a scratch, then that will attract the best discount, as they all need to be cleared out to make way for a new pallet of the latest stuff.

Be prepared to walk away – don’t get attached to a particular model if you can be flexible. And don’t give up because they want to make s sale, and you want to buy.

And, yes, I’ll be mooching around the showrooms this week. Carrying the bags and two paces behind my wife...

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo. 

The Mikado - Royal Concert Hall

by Patrick Astill

The witty lyrics of a light opera from more than a century ago often need a little updating to ring true with the modern audience of today.

And a couple of excerpts from this production made the evening worthwhile.

It was a little disappointing that as a "semi-staged" production, there was no scenery, no costumes and precious little movement on stage.

The voices of the vast chorus were also a little muffled to those of us who didn't know the masterpiece inside out.

Granted, many members of the audience had most likely seen the show before and many were singing along, tapping their feet or laughing at the plot and the performance.

A manic Richard Suart as Ko-Ko stood out from the crowd, while sour-faced Jill Pert did a great job as Katisha, who she's played before.

The re-writing of Ko-Ko's "little list" brought a mesmerising updated version of people and events that won't be missed, and his dilemmas throughout the show were brilliantly expressed.

Alistair McGowan, in something of a cameo as the Mikado, hit the spot with a re-worked version of his own role, with some carefully chosen asides to the audience and a topical slant on his lyrics (in which he fortunately claims responsibility for the groaners among his gags).

So, as most of the audience already knew, Nanki-Poo, the Mikado's estranged son, disguised as a minstrel, falls in love with Yum-Yum in the town of Titipu. But she's already due to marry Ko-Ko, and they enlist the help of Pooh-Bah, the Lord High Everything Else, to solve the situation.

The second act was stolen by Richard Suart, Jill Pert and McGowan, and we left with the words and music ringing in our ears.

First published in the Nottingham Evening Post. 

Snow joke for posties

by Patrick Astill

There was a report earlier this week about how a postman had been injured in a snowball attack.

He was set upon by two grown men, who must have thought it was a great laugh.

But it was clearly an unsavoury event, because they pushed him off his bike first.

What was really going on here, though? Did the culprits imagine for a fleeting moment that they were enacting a scene from the Beano comic?

Was it on a par with knocking a policeman’s helmet off with an apple, as we saw in the old days?

Their failure to recognise that they had crossed the line shows that perhaps the days of “posties” and “coppers” are long gone, as are the days of childish fun.

For instance, how many kids own a peashooter these days? If they had a catapult would they be in line for a caution for possessing an offensive weapon?

The reality is that the boundaries are somewhat blurred.

My car was pelted with snowballs as I crawled along a snowy High Street this week, but it was some teenaged schoolkids taking pot shots at anything moving slowly enough for them to hit.

If there had been balls of ice involved, resulting in a broken window (as happened in another incident at a Grantham post office this week) perhaps I wouldn’t have been so touched by the winter wonderland feel of it all.

Of course kids want to play. It’s inevitable that older kids will indulge in horseplay. Somehow, fully-grown adults still manage to get involved in vandalism and criminal damage.

Who can teach them the difference? And how can they work out whether a prank is funny or upsetting?

My kids ambushed a neighbour this week with a hail of snowballs as he got out of his car.

He responded by sweeping all the snow from its roof on top of them with his arm as they stood there, bewildered.

Who should be handed the Asbo in that particular scenario?

And what about the men who attached the postman? A caution? An Asbo? Who knows what it would take to make them realise they got it wrong.

If the yobs needed support and rehabilitation from a probation officer – or perhaps punishment in the form of what used to be called community service – they would have to go through the court system at a high financial cost to us all.

But what a lot of fuss, and upset, for presumably what started out as an idea to have a bit of fun.

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo. 

Coughs and sneezes spread diseases

by Patrick Astill

I noticed the chemists are all full of people holding tissues to their noises and looking for their first cold cures of the season.

We get the first bit of cooler, wetter weather and people are claiming flu, coughs, colds and head colds.

All that wind and rain last week surely can’t have wafted bird flu in from paradise?
I really don’t think they can all be ill.

Perhaps it’s psychosomatic – getting up when it’s a bit darker and watching the nights drawing in might just be helping folk imagine themselves into a wintry state of mind.

Are we lulling ourselves into sickness and snot simply because we’re dreading the thought of five months of winter?

We all know that illness can be affected by your thoughts.

Particularly traumatic experiences in life can literally turn people’s hair grey – or make them lose weight or become chronically sick with a whole variety of illness.

So is the same thing happening with the change of seasons on a lesser scale?

They say there’s something called Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is down to a lack of sunlight.

But surely that isn’t restricted to the wintertime with our odd climate?

And anyway, that doesn’t give us a cold, just makes us glum.

Back-to-school germ sharing must have finished by now. That annual phenomenon is good news of course, because it hardens off the immune system to battle the dangers ahead …

The clocks haven’t even been put back yet. It’s not been wellie weather for schoolkids. We haven’t had a truly cold night.

Yet everyone seems to have had their heating on.

When I was a lad even the schools weren’t allowed to fire up the boiler until after half-term week.

Maybe the warm environment, combined with people staying in and sitting inside steamed-up public transport is the key?

Or perhaps the first warning shots from mother nature that winter is finally on its way reminded people to stock up on their vitamin C and menthol pastilles … just in case.

That rush to the pharmacy counter might have combined with the snifflers and splutterers to cause the queues this week.

Whatever it is, I’d wager that a healthy outlook on life might count just as much as any over-the-counter proprietary brand.

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo. 

Surviving Christmas - just a state of mind?

by Patrick Astill

Yes, it’s the season to be jolly, but it’s also a time when stresses and ailments can take their toll.

Why not give a thought to surviving winter and the festivities, as we ask some experts how you can alleviate those pressures for yourself.

The first step, of course, is to accept that Christmas time will bring additional stresses.

That means that you’ll have to work harder to keep the normal things going and acknowledge from the outset that your current lack of routine – being off work, having lots of visitors and so on - might be unhelpful.

There’s always the danger at Christmas that you try to spread yourself too thinly and aim to please everyone.

The message here, quite simply, is “don’t do it!”.

You should take control of your own destiny. It’s not rude to decline an invitation – after all, you can’t be everywhere at once.

And don't be afraid to say how YOU want to spend Christmas. You’ll be unhappy if everyone else decides what you should do, and when. You are entitled to change things and there's no need to feel guilty or be apologetic.

Try to factor in a day off from full-on socialising or entertaining. You owe it to yourself.

Lincoln-based life coach Philip Underwood said: “You can learn to say no and not feel guilty.

“First of all, you acknowledge the request on your time by saying how nice it was of them to ask.

“Then decline. Say something like, unfortunately I’m not going to be able to do this.

“Then the important part – give a reason. This is where you have to get creative, but it could be something as simple as saying ‘I’ve already committed that time to be with my family’.

“Last of all, offer an alternative. By doing that it puts you in the driving seat.”

And it’s vital to work in some “me” time.

“Christmas is a time for the family but there’s got to be ‘me’ time built into that.

“We are individuals who are part of a family. When we spend so much time with other people we must find time to love ourselves too.

“After all, it is a holiday and time to relax and reflect.”

* TOP TIP: Help preserve calm at tense family gatherings by drawing up a
list of the sensitive topics which are 'banned' (such as politics or
another branch of the family), and agree a present limit to avoid
competition over giving. You may be surprised to find many relatives
feel the same as you do if you have the courage to raise the issue.

There’s a lot of temptation about to over indulge both in terms of food and alcohol.

There's really no need to hoover up everything in sight when you sit down to eat. By making eating a conscious process you'll be in control of the food and let it know you are the boss. Feeling tired and stressed will make you more vulnerable to eating for comfort and drinking to relax which will result in depressing and unhealthy weight gain.

Nutritionist Louise Carder, who runs Lincoln Nutrition, said: “The simple answer is just to be a little bit more aware of what you are eating at this time of year, when it is easy to over-eat.

“A meal sized portion can be approximated by cupping your hands together in a fairly open fashion, your meal should be able to fit in that space.

“Turkey itself is not an unhealthy food, it is everything else that goes along with it, such as calorie laden puddings, alcohol and chocolate.

“Temptation is there, but if you are going to indulge just limit yourself to one mince pie not two.

“The average person puts on 5lbs over the festive period, so if you are going to eat a little more just be aware you will have to work harder in the new year to lose it again.

“Try not to eat for the sake of it. Thirst can often be mistaken for hunger, so have a glass of water and then decide if you really want something to eat.”

Unfortunately, skipping meals can also equal stress.

If you’re busy, relying on coffee and the odd snack means blood sugar drops and in response the body releases stress hormones, which make people feel even more panicky, irritable and anxious.

Women – in particular - juggling work, family and festive preparations often skip meals to save time, and hope it’ll keep them trim.

But that’s a bad idea.

Louise said: “Skipping meals is the worst thing you can do if you are trying to lose weight.

“Skipping meals on a regular basis can lead to problems with blood sugar levels, which can result in headaches, irritability and feeling faint.

“If your blood sugar is low then you tend to crave a quick sugary fix, which satisfies for only a short while before you need another one. It is like being on a sugar roller coaster, with the result being excess calories taken on board via unhealthy sugary foods.

“By not skipping meals you are making sure your blood sugar levels stay more stable and you can then choose the food you want to eat, including healthy options, rather than having short notice cravings that have to be satisfied immediately.”

You can also pace yourself with the booze.

Everyone knows that avoiding the hangover in the first place is by far the best remedy, and celebrity doc Hilary Jones agrees.

He suggests minimising the effects of alcohol by having food before you drink, choosing lower strength drinks like a spritzer (white wine and water), alternating a glass of water with an alcoholic drink and drinking several glasses of water before going to sleep.

If you do go out, and there’s lots to drink on offer, county advice group lincs2alcohol.co.uk suggests these tips to avoid binge drinking:
* Drink long drinks, such as shandy, as they take longer to drink.
* Put your drink down on the table rather than holding it in your hand
as you will drink slower.
* Try to alternate you alcoholic drinks with soft drinks.
* Limit the amount of time you are out. If you know you won’t be home
until late then go out later, are you really missing anything?
* Limit the amount of money you have on you and leave your bank card at
home!
* Sip drinks rather than gulping!

You might need to get firm in refusing alcohol if you start to feel as though you’re losing control, or worry about you actions.

If that’s the case, don’t hesitate to say no, look the person in the eye and ask them firmly to stop buying you drinks.

Don’t feel bad about refusing – the more practice you get, the easier it will become and the less people will ask you about having an alcoholic drink.

If you do succumb, a traditional natural remedy you might try would be Nux Vomica, available from Boots and other health food shops, good for a hangover, nausea, vomiting and constipation.

Jo Smith, healthy lifestyles team leader at the city council, said: “Food Standards Agency advice is that the two main features of a healthy diet are to eat the right amount of food for how active you are and to eat a range of foods to make sure you get a balanced diet.

“This can still be done over Christmas with a little thought. Think about mixing lots of fruit and vegetables with starchy foods like wholemeal bread and protein like meat and fish, and try to keep control of your portion sizes.

“Try to exercise over Christmas too. A Boxing Day walk is a big favourite for working off some of the excesses from Christmas day.

“Our Healthy Lifestyle Team is here to support people in making healthy lifestyle choices. To find out what the Healthy Lifestyles Team can do for you, call 01522 873581 or text CHANGE to 64446.”

You can minimise the risk of a bad cold or flu over the festive period by taking time to plan ahead – without having to trouble your family doctor.

Homeopath and health counsellor Annie Hall, who has a clinic in Lincoln, said: “One of the problems with both colds and flu is that you may well need to change the homeopathic remedy daily.

“While aconite may well help at first, then you may well need pulsatilla or gelsemium if you have full-blown flu, where you can’t move and have heavy limbs.

“It can be done homeopathically, which is what people used long before antibiotics became available.”

She also provides a helpful definition of flu, distinguishing it from a cold or even the notorious ‘man-flu’.

“It’s when you are in bed and ill, no one really knows how ill you are,” she said.

“And even if there was a £50 note floating at the end of your bed, you are far to ill to stretch out and catch it.

“Anything else is a bad cold. If you have that sort of proper flu then stay away from colleagues, they may well not be as fit as they should be and will not thank you for spreading it.”

* TOP TIP: When you’re out wear a woolly scarf and cover up your nose as well as your neck. The nose is the first line of defence against winter germs which cause sore throats and colds, but cold temperatures make the small hairs in our noses, and lungs, which help get rid of mucus and particles, less efficient.

Maybe, just maybe, surviving Christmas is a state of mind.

Be proactive.

As health counsellor Annie Hall, who also has clinics in Stamford and Louth says: “I have a bee in my bonnet about preventative care, so striving for personal happiness so one can share it with others has always been at the top of my list.

“I try to practice what I preach so I walk with my dog, help to look after the grand children, go to a concert, have a good yatter with a friend, read a borrowed good book, learn another tricky Scottish Country Dance, and volunteer with the Stamford Orchard Group.

“All these help to keep me happy. Yes I think I tick most of the boxes, do you?”

* TOP TIP: If you’re missing out on regular exercise, and can't get out for a run or a brisk walk, run up and down stairs several times in the morning and evening. Use water bottles as hand weights, lifting them in spare moments - such as waiting for a phone call or the kettle to boil - to tone upper arms. a walk, or a snowball fight, or get busy with wii fit can help!

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo. 

Sleeping Beauty, Newark Palace Theatre

by Patrick Astill

This was a panto that had it all.

Big name stars, a comic that really got the crowd going, and – unlike some other big pantos in the area this year – some fantastic set-pieces that everyone loved.

We were treated to a comedy wallpapering sequence, some fun with getting kids from the audience up on stage, the traditional face-off between the dame and a ghost – and much, much more.

It was largely down to the very talented and popular cast. Who'd ever have thought we'd be seeing 70s pianist Bobby Crush sitting centre-stage at his mini-grand, in a bright orange dress, tights and heels, with a ginger wig and bashing out a rock'n'roll piano medley?

There's a time and a place for everything, and this was both the time and the place!

Then we enjoyed Vicki Michelle, from the 'Allo 'Allo sitcom, as Carabosse, the evil fairy, who warmed to her task as the show went on. Working well with Bobby, they executed a vessel-with-the-pestle sequence with aplomb.

Mike Newman Jnr, as Muddles, won the children over from the start, again easing into character to win one of the biggest cheers at the end. With everyone cowering from his water pistols he surprised us all by leaping into the audience to get a better shot!

Everyone has their musical solo and, with some brilliantly executed dance movements from the girls at the Tozer Dance Studios, this must surely be one of the best in Newark for many years.

The spectacular laser light show added to the story, rather than taking over the performance, and it was only at the end when we had time to catch breath that everyone sat back to say "wow".

If you see one panto in Notts this Christmas, make sure it's this one.

First published in the Nottingham Evening Post. 

From TV's The Royal to panto royalty - Michelle Hardwick

by Patrick Astill

You might not spot Princess Jasmine if she walked past you in the street, but that’s something actress Michelle Hardwick has become used to over the years.

Fans would certainly recognise her in her 60s gear as ever-present character Lizzie Hopkirk from TV’s The Royal, who she’s played for six years.

Now resident at the Lincoln’s Theatre Royal for the next five weeks, she’ll be sharing the stage with veteran comedy duo Cannon and Ball, ‘Confessions’ film star Robin Askwith, and Lincoln's own panto dame Steve Barclay as Widow Twankey.

And with the curtain rising on the first performance yesterday, the hard work is only just beginning.

“It is hard work,” she said. “It can be three shows a day, sometimes, and we’ve got a two-hour show. There are 53 shows ahead of us!

“It’s an odd one, panto, because you only have five or six days of rehearsals. I learn my lines before I get there and then concentrate on the songs.

“In television you can be getting up at 6am, sitting in make-up by 6.30am and then it can be 12-hours plus.

“There’s more adrenaline on stage in panto, though, you’ve got to be quick, and working with people like Tommy and Bobby I have to be careful they don’t make me laugh because I’m playing a straight character.”

Michelle started off on The Royal when she was 25 and did eight series in all. In fact, she worked with Bobby Ball on one story while he was doing straight acting.

Working with Cannon and Ball is a privilege and a pleasure, she said: “It’s natural to them; they are such professionals. It’s been a good mix of laughing and not too much messing about.

“It’s fabulous for me because when I was younger I wanted to go to see them. I did have red braces that said ‘Rock on Tommy’ on them, but I haven’t dared tell them that!”

In panto, of course you can get away with any slip-ups. But not so much when Michelle is on stage by herself or in a two-hander.

That’s why her musical numbers are so important, because she up there on her own and the audience can share her love of music.

“I’m not a trained singer,” she said, “I’m an actress who can hold a tune! I enjoy singing, and if you enjoy something it makes it so much better.”

She’s all for traditional panto, and happy there’s a female principal boy as Aladdin, and that last year when she was in a Cinderella, there was a female prince, in Dandini.

So what’s her panto highlight this season? “For me it’s the scenes like the one where I am choosing the lamp and the kids are going through the roof – it’s the reaction from the children, being on stage and bringing them in to the show. It’s magical.”

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo.