Elton John and step into Christmas 8 minutes passed for a tooth for No It's 8 minutes past 2 honestly and. I was looking at the wrong way round. Forget it that way. It's me with the through till 3 o'clock this afternoon sitting in for Dave Andrews he's going to be away for a couple of weeks we're taking a bit of a break over Christmas so Jack Cafferty will be looking after things for him from next Sunday but Andy Pierce is is in his usual place 3 to 7 this afternoon with their weekly cats rule of interviews in all sorts that you may have missed throughout the week here on b.b.c. Radio Leicester function rare grooves with Uncle Frank this Sunday so today for 3 is the magic number the amazing artist had a Williams and the affirmations picking some caucus for you. Yes Uncle Frank Yeah it's going to be talking about Jay z. Being featured. On an album he can tell you all about that little later and the Sunday Sizzler as well all coming up for you this evening and Graham Tointon running off your evening so you would love your company. That's of course panto season. Is well and truly upon us and I don't know about you I haven't decided what I'm going to see if I could go and see all of them how do you fancy Robin heard at the little theater will they Bantry spoke to Tim Stokes who's playing Robin Hood about how much work actually goes into preparing a pan and it's been quite a lot of work we've had a few less Scripter hassles this year because we had to do a lot of dancing there's a lot of principals so we've needed more dance rehearsals but you know we've we've got where we needed to be and we're in the stage where the directors are now nit picking at the little things so is which is good it's all in the details now which is where we want to be a week before opening Well a little theatre is always renowned for putting on a great family shown a great family and mom sure Robin will be no different I'm going to be honest that the story of Robin Hood as a pantomime is not one I'm as familiar with things like Aladdin and Jack in the Beanstalk consider a little well known ones but you know what's the basic plot of Robin Hood Ok so you've got obviously your hero Robin and a few merry men and sometimes in pantomimes you have Robin Hood and the babes in the word usually played by children or juniors but we don't have that this year we do have our junior dances but they won't be playing the babes in the word basically Robin is fighting against the sheriff as in most Robin Hood stories but there's an evil witch in the scenes as well and she wants to flatten the forest and make an evil theme park and so there's a whole fight in a wrestler over who gets the title deeds to share with Forrest and then Robin goes on a journey of discovery to find out something quite important about that right so traditional current image of Robin Hood played by you and of course it's got to be an evil sheriff and above and there's got to be a Maid Marian in there somewhere as well. Absolutely there is a Maid Marian played by a newbie to the little theatre but not to pantomime Nicole Collins she's been some layoffs productions at the Haymarket if anyone seen that track and she was truly scriptures in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang shall we play Mary in this year she's fantastic and then must of course the dame of course it wouldn't be a panther without a dame and it almost wouldn't be a little theatre panto without John Bale and John Bell has not only written the script and been directing but he will be playing the dame again I think this is his 4th year in a row now as he will be playing De Mille enough in the miller's wife and she is the mother of much the mills Yes he's one of Robin Hood's merry men according to tradition and yes there's a link in so much to Miller sons played by James King who was a city baby last year Silly Billy part again this year yeah he's reprising his role again and he is the son of the dame and they have many funny altercations there are many outlandish costumes as well what about other Mary minimum Traditionally there's there's always your little Johns and we'll scarlet and writeups that's when we go to any of those in there yet we don't have a fry talk this year but we have a little John played by a wonderfully tall Robin McAllister who's another newbie to pants a we've got Joe Dickinson who is playing Tom The cobbler and he is just the importance of being honest that theater and he's making his debut in panto we've got a lot of rookies this year that's great yeah and alongside that instead of a Will Scarlett who's a traditional character we have Livia Philip she's playing Scarlett wills just like a kind of a lot of version of Will Scarlett she's his daughter I think we did say that in the script it must be great fun being part of it's exhausting as well because it's a long run at the little is know you well what really makes you want to be part of this because of this is the 4th one of the little you've done you say it is yeah and this is also the longest run we've had we're adding on to extra shows $26.00 in whole. Not only. Is it great fun to do a pantomime I know some people think it's a bit silly but it is there's nothing quite like getting a shout out from all the audience whenever you're interacting with them but also it's the people you know it becomes a real family if you can always say if you can get through pants over someone you can get through anything with them and say By the end of that run you really are a tight knit group in your family and you may be happy to leave behind but leaving the friends behind is a lot harder and we often and a meeting throughout the year and you know we do lots of other things and follow each other into the show so that's probably the biggest thing for me that always takes me back is knowing the fun we're going to have and the friendships will break and you love your average dramatics don't you think you're going to be taking part you already auditioned for others and yeah I have just landed at the main role in The Wedding Singer with weeks and a trial for attics which is in May next year at a little theater so I like to keep busy to get as much in as possible well it's brilliant I know the tickets have gone incredibly well and certainly want to get in to see the plans mamma think I have yet in pretty quick I'm like yeah you may have to get in pretty quick and if you're going with the great you may have to sit separately as well but there's a few a few shows with a few little groups left but if you're thinking of coming you definitely should take down saying well enjoy the run good luck to you and at all cost thank you very Group. Oh. Oh. That's Hansen. On b.b.c. Radio less than 18 minutes post to me looks absolutely beautiful out there because the sun is should be making into the building here at once and Nicholas place on Jubilee square the ice rink you've got people on the wheel as well so really nice Christmassy atmosphere actually And talking of Christmas I did you ever wonder where some of our Christmas traditions of come from for instance Christmas stockings and why we actually have them well here's Steve Bruce with with his thoughts. While the Christmas stocking story goes back to the days of Saint Nicholas who many people regard as the original Father Christmas figure he was an early Christian bishop of the 3rd and 4th century and it was said that he got to hear about a very poor man who was living with his 3 daughters all of marriage age but he was an able to have any of them married because he simply couldn't afford sufficient for the down for one let alone for 3 and the story goes that after one day doing some laundry the girls hung their stockings by the fire to dry overnight and then there are 2 versions of how the next book came about one is that sent Nicholas threw something through the window the other is that he dropped it down the chimney but he actually put it into the stockings either one large piece of gold or a small bag of gold into each of the 3 stockings so when. I got up the next morning and found these riches in their stockings lo and behold they had enough for their down and everyone then lived happily ever after and I suppose that's where they are coming down the chimney it grows from as well does that it's quite possible it comes from that but equally the the bags of gold covered chocolate coffins that we hang on the tree that also goes back to that particular story Dave and various other associations of gold with Christmas as well also can come back to that including the eating of oranges that Christmas reflective of one large gold coin and we've got another another sort of link to this linking to the gold in the monetary aspect and so on and so forth and that is there's a link with the pawnbroker believe it or not oh well so resume is to do with the hanging balls symbol is it it is yes a single gold ball or disc which originated sort of from this story came to be the pawnbroker's symbol via the family in Florence in Italy because they lived in the the area of known as Long Body where pawnshop banking actually originated under the name of Lombard banking and as you probably know there are lots of Lombard Street in various cities all over the world usually associated with the merchant and banking area of those places so all of that goes back to this this story of Nicholas and cynical is also a house of our strings to his burrow if I can put it like that which might have associations with Christmas for example he's the patron saint of brewers and could. As in barrel makers Yeah the patron saint of children the patron saint of pawnbrokers themselves. Also nothing to do with Christmas but the falsely accused you can call upon the help of Nicholas if you've been falsely accused he was a pretty sight he was yes yes and of particular interest to you Dave and your colleagues he's also the patron saint of broadcasters namely on yank pay pay respects even in future get our money paying respects just remember that into didn't when he dropped the gold into the stockings and gave us the traditions of both the Christmas stocking and the chocolate gold covered Cohens at Christmas time . More from Steve Bruce a little later before 3 o'clock they self the name in fact interesting stuff isn't it that we're going to talk a sort of is going to help. More plant flower related stuff in about 20 minutes or so still to come on the program another Pantai this time is Jack in the being stuck at Burketown hole more on that a little night. This is a track that I grew up listening to along. The way let the sun a. And . You know. You. Love. Me No. I just want. To our. Symphony and. Sort of b.b.c. Radio that's that if you are thinking of coming out and about. All the rides likes your. Pass. The junction just after midnight and park with that working fairly busy of the morning with a couple minutes to your journey as well. And the Easter junction looking fairly slow as well. As usual for a Sunday afternoon or sluggish at the moment if you heading for force Central. Christmas shopping traffic as well as you head and tours of the city center on the group the road and the complex 2 minutes onto your journey as well they are also on a 47 and. Park. On a 60 head and starting junction. To travel in 30 minutes. Still loved that a Snow Patrol earned chasing cars on b.b.c. Radio Leicester 80 n.j. With you tomorrow morning from 6 o'clock heading to a stoke Golding school who are celebrating Christmas a bit differently this year and they also going to be giving you the opportunity to win tickets family tickets I think they are for the ice rink in Jubilee square so make sure listening out tomorrow morning from 6 through till 9 can't as well she's been talking lots about Panta especially if you were listening on Friday she she had various people in talking about the different pantries around the city in the county and I was talking about Aladdin yesterday because I met up with a cast on Friday and missed that. I had a chat with oh gosh what's his name Antony Costa from blue if you want to go back and listen to to to him talking about playing Abba Naza in Aladdin with Martin Balaji you can do that just look from our program yesterday of course there's loads of other ones that are going on to the other one that we're talking about right now is even is happening in life brought town hall is Jack in the bin stork and James Peake who plays the dame and lucky Johnson have been telling Dave Andrews about them it's going well it's going very well the shows have all been very well sold their audience has been great left pro is always very if you save with their reactions they don't hold back they love it and we love them for loving it's great it's a terrific band so as always I suppose just just for listeners a wee bit but it's sort of describe what part you play not Lottie 1st of all what are you doing in Jack in the Beanstalk I am playing Jill so Jack and Joe I don't know what's taking your different method rhyme but they've merge them into one and it works very well I mean the mayor is daughter in the town of La. In the show but you are I think you know without being too much of a spoiler alert you're the sort of love interest or yeah yeah we Jack and Joe go together very well yes not just up the hill but yeah. And James the archetype or pinto character for you yes oh I know I'm the cow getting on I'm the dame It's my 3rd in left this year and it's been a joy to come out this year I'm playing Dame Helga skelter trot which is a and not to her profession or the truck family of which Jack belongs and also my daughter simple Simone his sister we run. The professor which is based on the actual of Professor which has been running for I think we say in the show 700 you Jerry here's something very historic fair enough for you you see that's how we get to go to trot Yeah who runs the ice cream store Yes And of course there in lies quite a lot of fun with the ice cream store does a little quieter ice cream brings all the boys to the. You mention simple Simona nuts I think a lovely change in a way to the pantomime that they because it's often the dopey boys' part isn't it but you're right no I don't think girls part this year we've still got we've retained the dopey boy Christian coming and he's been with me doing it for 3 years he's playing Jack this year who is wonderful and and dopey in his way but yeah the comic character this year has been played by Jane Thomas who was in between the beef last year and won a won a pantomime a great British pantomime award for best newcomer very thoroughly deserved and she's come back as as one of the we know of the only female comics in the land and she's she's absolutely correct and she's she's still minute the other thing that really stood out I saw some some great effects and yeah the production value is really amazing obviously beanstalk there is a giant And that is. Very very well it is incredible how much I was really really impressed by your by your huge giant the giant is so agile and is a massive giant to get around on stage and in such tiny wings it's quite a big stage because the wing space isn't massive and to get the giant round he has a lot of mind is guiding him as well and. I mean James he is as always in a way it's the it's the part that does hold the show together doesn't is a lot of pressure on you for that it's been quite nice the 1st year I went to bluff paternal to play Dame I was taking over from someone's That was a big thing as well last year I had to prove that I was still as good for this he has been absolutely wondrous come in hit the ground running there are quite a few familiar faces certainly obviously working in the town hall but also on stage we got Sam Horton back playing the baddie who played Bell's father and beating the beast I've got to say Lottie having having seen it James just mentioned the baddie there and what really made me smile is that there are so many times where we're almost you find it difficult to think of him as a baddie because he he he almost has to laugh at me yeah you know he does very well he's good strikes a great balance between scary but you know not terrifying they want to know I felt he's almost a likable baddie when Yeah you know that way when when I left left the pantomime and of course the frogs James you know well what do you want to say about the frogs I don't want to give too much away but they they. Are just so they're a feat of engineering and they get more and more ridiculous every year the Morgan bring to rights the banter and directs the banter and designs the banter to be inside his brain for a minute would be awash with glitter and and theatrically. It's magical what comes out of his brain you know some of the outfits are out. Stunning and of course all the usual pantomime effect yet all the bells and whistles. All the magic that that is expected on stage yes and all the songs and all the quotes and usual kind of audit of all the audience participation just participation we've got not too much politics and so I think everyone see a little bit tired of that so we've got lots of topical references lots of references to you know places nearby and the local pubs and clubs and hangouts it's everything you'd wish for and obviously if you rose a to a might want to bring your umbrella you might get a little bit wet I tell you I was further back than that and I got a bit where I was like you want me to go further back you know yeah Ok but over here for Rose a 2 a it's been pretty much a sellout so it seems audiences being pretty full audience is a very very nicely nicely packed in laughter and have and have been here on years that's why it's so glorious to come back to I think there are still we're until Jan or the fair thing so there are still. A few seats if you can grab them but yeah go on the proton or website and find them they're great a really really good family show just finally for both of you may be a memorable moment of either the rehearsals or the productions so far all I think the 1st time. I got to watch. Your ice cream making scene was my name read to watch that with 3 actors you know completely what they're doing and know all the sort of like to hit it was just perfectly in sync and hilarious and really great fun toys certainly lots of fun what about you James and the standout moments for you I mean any moment where I can go off script is my favorite so on Garland I the one that you came to there was a bit of set came across some props are in the wrong. Close but it was you know 20 minutes material to me it was great it was so much fun and to be honest I think the audience all thought that it was actually all in the script and you handled it so well to keep it in there so you say carries on the run carries on to yes January the 5th you're on to almost every day I think we get we get Christmas Day I think they give us that yeah but now apart from that now you have a have a look for tickets there or there are some out there we promise sounds good sounds good Delano I've just been talking about pantos. And. Tommy a year isn't it you got to go and see at least one somewhere love to actually you know mention to I went to the behind the scenes backstage to Aladdin on Friday and I'm some of those interviews yesterday with Anthony Costa from blue and. Matthew Pomeroy who's an illusionist in the Tasha that you know there's going to be lots of allusions and that sort of thing on stage as well allowed in with parent he and I feel awful now because it was opening day yesterday having spoken to Matthew . I've never found out that he actually ran into. A bit a set and watched his face and he's i Cutty's I quite badly yesterday at the 1st show and he was rushed to the hospital and he's actually tweeted on the demand for a whole Twitter handle just to say thank you to everyone and then he went back and h