BACK IN TIME WITH COLIN BAKER

BoB's very own Time Lord prepares for an alternative to panto, recalls his early reading choices and having his scenes cut from two cutting edge comedies

Happy Christmas to all Best of British readers. From The Wizard of Oz in 1969 (at The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford) to my last appearance in 2013 as Abanazar in Aladdin in Basingstoke, Christmas for me always meant pantomime. And the rewards were always a more than adequate recompense for the twice daily hard work; and here I am talking about the joy of sharing with families the one experience, apart from Christmas Day itself, that hopefully brings undiluted fun and happiness to the whole family.

I am probably being a sunny-eyed optimist in saying this, but the feeling of excitement that floods over the stage from the audience during the panto season is a rare and welcome reward for performers.

This year, in the lead up to Christmas, I am sharing a different Christmas story alongside my friend and Doctor Who veteran Peter Purves, who is Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol (crimeandcomedytheatrecompany.co.uk/ dates) with which we are touring theatres in the Midlands and southern England until the week before Christmas.