A CHAT WITH VICKI MICHELLE MBE is a tonic and just what we all need towards the end of this unprecedented year. Her positivity is infectious and it’s hard to imagine anything getting her down.
Still familiar to many of us as waitress Yvette Carte-Blanche in the award-winning BBC TV series ‘Allo ‘Allo!, Vicki completed her 30th panto season last year, playing the Wicked Queen in Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs at the Grand Opera House in York.
But this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, pantomimes across the country have been postponed and Vicki feels for everyone involved – those who are usually on the stage, those who work so hard backstage and, of course, the audiences.
“It’s so sad because kids look forward to it every year,” she says.
“It’s a family tradition. As much as the kids enjoy it, you see the grandparents and the parents looking at the children’s faces. They’re looking at them enjoying it and they get so much enjoyment from that.
“It’s so sad for the public, because I think a lot of people across the country look forward to panto. I’m going to miss it. And there will only be three days of Christmas.”
In addition to her work in TV and film, Vicki has had an extensive career in various productions in the theatre. And pantomimes have long been a big part of her life.
“I’ve done one every year for those 30. I think the only time I didn’t do one was when I was in I’m A Celebrity when I was in the jungle,” she says.
“I just love panto. I love doing it. It’s like celebrating Christmas for a much longer time.
Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
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Denne historien er fra December 2020-utgaven av Let's Talk.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford
It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...
Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning
Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.
Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love
Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox has been trawling through some books to find words of wisdom from so many people about gardening and farming. Here she shares just a few.
Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto
For actress Vicki Michelle, Christmas usually means performing in panto. But, due the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be different. Vicki speaks to Rachel Banham about her plans for the festive season, her outlook on life and her fond memories of filming in East Anglia.
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.
TURNING 50
Here at Let’s Talk we recognise that our magazine is targeted at those aged 50 and older. So we hope we are always fair to our readers and to the older generation in general. But it seems many believe other media and businesses do not treat older people in the best way.
THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh
He is one of the most popular celebrities on television at the moment. He’s a comedian, singer, actor, personality and probably the best quiz show host doing the rounds. David Clayton looks back to when Bradley Walsh came to Cromer.
The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE
Claire Manion, of Norfolk-based Broadsky Astrology, looks at how we have always honoured the winter solstice, our shortest day.
PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow
In view of such uncertainty hanging over the rest of this year – and possibly well beyond – it was hard to come up with a suitable offering for December in his usual style, says Keith Skipper. So, he has decided to settle for a festive story set in 1951, that he wrote some time ago.
Friends
Readers of our short stories don’t have to have long memories to recall work by Anne Maxwell, who had a previous short story entry published in the summer.
