Thank you, Michael Billington, for your timely warning against “the filthiest panto” you’ve ever seen (Julian Clary unleashes a tsunami of smut in eye-popping gag-fest, 22 December). But what makes it a show for “highly sophisticated” grown-ups? What is sophisticated about “a tsunami of smut” being unable to get beyond crude lavatory “humour” and taking over that most quintessential of Christmas family entertainments to which we all used to be able to go with our children, parents and grandparents, knowing everyone would be able to enjoy it – the pantomime? I’m no prude, but I am sick to death of gimcrack TV “celebs” being allowed, even encouraged, irresponsibly to hijack our children’s airwaves, screens and stages. Why can’t we allow children to be children? I want my young grandchildren to enjoy with me the sheer fun of panto, the outrageous costumes, stock characters, dancing and singing, spectacular scenery, audience interaction, jokes – both scripted and visual – they can understand and paper-thin plots. The historic stylised cross-dressing of dames and principal boy is comedy: children of all genders dress up, cross-dress, enjoy it when adults do so too, and love and laugh at extravagant exaggeration.
Quality pantomime can be wonderful. But what you describe is something quite other and, I would suggest, even sinister in the way it has doused what used to be all-age family entertainment with ill-disguised ordure.
Anne Johns
Derby
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