Explore every episode of the podcast Just Imagine

Actor, singer, and dancer Anita Harris has enjoyed a remarkable career spanning six decades. From chart-topping hits to memorable roles in the iconic Carry On films, Anita has shared the stage and screen with some of the biggest names in show business, including the legendary Morecambe and Wise.

A lifelong lover of pantomime, Anita has appeared in countless productions over the years and still delights in attending them whenever she can. Join us as we explore her extraordinary journey through entertainment, filled with laughter, music, and unforgettable stories.

This week’s guest on Just Imagine is true panto legend, TV presenter, and all-round entertainer Bobby Bennett.

Bobby’s love affair with panto began at just seven years old, when he stepped onto the stage for his very first show. From that moment, he built an extraordinary career in showbusiness. In 1964, he made his mark on Opportunity Knocks, and just a few years later became a household name as the presenter of ITV’s popular children’s variety show Junior Showtime (1969–1974).

On stage, Bobby first delighted audiences in “silly billy” roles before embracing the much-loved tradition of the panto dame. His favourite role? The outrageous Dame Henrietta in Robin Crusoe, where he shared the stage with pop legend David Essex.

Panto isn’t just Bobby’s passion—it’s a family tradition. His daughter, Emma Bennett-Goodridge, now carries that same love into her role as one of Imagine’s very own Marketing Managers.

This week, Martin sits down with Pravesh Kumar, Artistic Director of Rifco Theatre Company, to talk about Surinderella — his brand-new, Bollywood-inspired pantomime, touring this autumn. Produced in association with Imagine Theatre, Wolverhampton Grand, and Watford Palace, the show promises a dazzling mix of East and West.

 In the episode, Pravesh shares the story behind Rifco Theatre Company, what inspired him to reimagine the classic Cinderella tale, and why he believes panto is the perfect stage for blending his South Asian heritage with his British roots. Drawing on the shared vibrancy of early Bollywood films and traditional pantomime, Surinderella offers a fresh, contemporary twist while keeping all the beloved elements that make panto magical.

Pravesh hopes this production will welcome new audiences into the world of panto while delighting long-time fans. With its colourful 

This week on the podcast, Martin is joined by the brilliantly funny Jarred Christmas.

Originally from New Zealand, Jarred has called the UK home for over two decades, carving out a successful career as a stand-up comedian. He's a familiar favourite at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, where he's been delighting panto audiences since 2021.

In this episode, Jarred chats with Martin about his journey from a shy child to a confident performer, his first taste of pantomime, and how he’s had to adapt his comedic style for the unique world of panto.

This week we are going behind the scenes into the world of the DSM. We are joined by Jazmyne Evans and Kayleigh Alstin who both have a range of experience in theatre including as DSMs. 

Martin talks to them about how their interest in theatre led to working in stage management, the training they have received, how they developed in the role and just what a day in the life of a DSM is like!

This week Martin is joined by dazzling La Voix. 

La Voix will be spending her third pantomime season at Wycombe Swan this year for Imagine in Jack and the Beanstalk.

La Voix was most recently seen wowing judges in the final of Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK.  No stranger to the screen she has appeared on Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, Celebrity Weakest Link; Queen of The Universe and in AbFab The Movie. She was a Finalist in 2014’s Britain’s Got Talent. Touring with her own shows around the UK, she is also a regular performer onboard P&O Cruise ships and had enjoyed many years performing in pantomime.  

In this episode we explore the rich, provocative history of cross-dressing in theatre with acclaimed author and performance scholar Janet Tennant, author of the book It’s a Drag: Cross Dressing in Performance. 

From ancient Greek theatre to Shakespearean stages to modern drag performers, gender has always been more fluid under the lights than many realise and has always played a significant role in pantomime in particular. 

In this episode, Janet dives into the historical and artistic significance of cross-dressing in performance — why it was necessary, how it evolved, and what it reveals about the societies behind the curtains. 

On 19 May Imagine held an open day to mark the official opening of our new home Trafalgar House. We were delighted to be able to welcome many of the people that have been instrumental in Imagine’s growth over the years as well as many of the Trafalgar team who have helped to make the move a reality.

On this episode Martin joins Sarah and Steve on a tour of the building, shares highlights from the day and talks to some of the guests about the amazing new building. 

Comedian, actor, presenter and panto legend Joe Pasquale joins Martin on the podcast this week.

 This season Joe is performing in his first ever Imagine panto, returning to Swansea Grand, where he performed panto alongside Swansea legend Kev Johns 35 years ago.

 Joe talks through his extensive and fascinating career, from early days on New Faces and being taken under the wing of comedy legends Ken Dodd, Des O’Connor and Bob Monkhouse to winning I’m A Celebrity in 2004 and taking part in Dancing on Ice. He also discusses his approach to panto, his love of the genre and how he overcame his fear of flying to become a pilot!

 Ahead of starring in Aladdin this Christmas Joe is currently touring with fellow comedians Bradley Walsh, Brian Conley and Shane Richie in The Prat Pack which sold out within a day of going on sale.

This week Simon Sladen and Robert Marsden join Martin to discuss the panto Puss in Boots.

One of the rarest pantomimes to be performed in recent times the panto is usually based on the Perrault version of the story from 1697. It is a typical rags to riches tale with baddies, fairies, skin characters, a panto dame, principal boy and a love story.

 It has a fascinating history and was central in cementing the tradition of the female principal boy with Eliza Povey playing the role in 1823 in Covent Garden and Simon and Robert discuss this history along with some of the problematic themes and morality within the story.

This week Martin is behind the scenes at the UK Pantomime Association Awards at The New Victoria Theatre in Woking. The UKPA Awards are an exciting opportunity for the industry to come together and celebrate this special art form.

Amongst others Martin talks to Anita Harris, Elaine C Smith Simon Sladen, Sam Munday-Webb, Ben Goffe, Andrew Ryan and Basil Brush about the awards and their love of the genre.

They say there is ‘nothing like a dame’ and that can certainly be said to be true of pantomime. This episode Martin is joined by two performers who have played the role for many decades, Eric Potts and Iain Lauchlan.

 They discuss the development of the panto dame from ancient Greek theatre to the dames of the early 19th century, where what we recognise as a panto dame today came into being.

 They also discuss those performers who have influenced their style of dame and their own individual approaches to playing the role.

In this episode Martin chats to performer Ben Goffe who has recently been nominated as Best Comic in the UK Pantomime Awards for his role as Buttons for Imagine’s production of Cinderella at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon.

Ben comes from a theatrical family and learned to dance at his mum’s dance school from the age of 3. During his career Ben has spent two years with the RSC and two seasons with the National Theatre. A talented musician Ben has also appeared in the West End in the smash-hot Choir of Man where he played the trumpet and tap-danced, and has also made an appearance in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

We have reached 100 episodes of the Just Imagine podcast, and to celebrate our host Martin Ballard shares snippets from interviews with some panto legends including Morecambe and Wise, Roy Hudd, Danny La Rue, Larry Grayson, Nigel Ellacott, Bob Monkhouse as well as some favourite panto memories from the Imagine team.

 Don’t miss out on the special celebratory edition!

This week’s podcast takes place in Coventry, taking you on a tour around our brand new premises and HQ. Martin is joined by Sarah and Steve Boden who will be talking about the move and the need for a bigger space to house all of Imagine Theatres sets, costumes, props and office staff.

In this episode Martin gets an exclusive look at the new Imagine Theatre HQ, with a guided tour by Sarah and Steve and gets an understanding for the much needed move.

This week’s podcast subject is set design and Martin is joined by award-winning set designer Ian Westbrook. Ian has designed for theatre, television and film since 1985 and despite working on some high-profile productions he retains a deep fondness for panto and has designed a number of sets for Imagine Theatre in recent years.

 In this episode Martin learns how Ian came to be a set designer, how the design process and technology has changed since Ian first started in his career and the process he uses himself when designing sets.

This week some familiar voices return to the podcast as Robert Marsden and Mairi Cowieson join Martin to talk about Sleeping Beauty.

 Variations of the story have existed for hundreds of years all over the world. Rob and Mairi discuss the different ways in which they and others have approached the pantomime and the way the pantomime is forever evolving in line with the changing attitudes of the audience.

This week Martin catches up with Steve and Sarah Boden to talk about how the 2024 season has gone.

The 2024/25 panto season saw Imagine create their first ever panto in a big top circus tent, perform two brand new titles in Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Robin Hood and produce the first ever panto in the brand-new Fareham Live alongside continuing to develop their digital sets with the additional of digital versions of Aladdin and Jack and the Beanstalk.

They discuss all this, as well as what the team gets up to now the shows have closed and the exciting news that Imagine HQ is relocating to larger premises in Coventry within the next few months.

This week Martin catches up with some of the cast of Beauty and the Beastie in Glasgow: Liam Dolan, Valissa Scott and Nikki Auld.

The Pavilion panto is a big part of festive tradition for many Glasgwegians as well as the actors themselves – this year is Liam Dolan’s twenty-sixth panto with Nikki just pipping him having done twenty-eight!

 With the longest run of any of all of the Imagine pantomimes is not surprising to learn the cast are more like family than friends and Martin talks to them about why they love it so much and why the Pavilion panto in particular is so special. 

This week Martin is joined by The Chase’s Jenny Ryan who is spending the festive season in Crewe as The Enchantress in Beauty and the Beast.

Jenny talks to Martin about how she was influenced by theatre from a young age due to her grandparents links with the Octagon in Bolton, how she came to be one of the legendary Chasers and about why panto and live theatre in general is so special to her and the different ways in which a theatre visit for a child can inspire and enrich them.

This year due to the refurbishment of the Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock East Ayrshire Leisure took the decision to do pantomime in a big top circus tent – and what better panto to choose than Goldilocks and the Three Bears, a panto set in a circus!

Martin talks to director and dame Andrew Agnew; Goldilocks herself, Ailsa Erskine, who is making her professional panto debut; Gary Morrison who is appearing in his tenth Kilmarnock panto and Craig McDougall who returns as part of the Killie panto team to play the ringmaster, to talk about the benefits and challenges of producing panto in the big top and how much they are enjoying the show!

 Listen now!

Andy Hockley is a hugely experienced theatre and TV actor, despite having originally trained in theatre design. He has appeared in 18 pantomimes at The Belgrade since 1989 in a variety of roles including both dame and baddie and this year he is playing King Rat in Dick Whittington.

As well as pantomime Andy has appeared in some of the UK’s most popular musicals and is possibly the longest serving Wizard in Wicked in the West End having been in over 1,000 performances. He also appeared in The Phantom of the Opera on tour and the West End followed by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang before his long stint in Wicked.

Andy talks to Martin about his vast career and deep affection for pantomime as well as what it is like working with panto legend Iain Lauchlan.

This week Martin is joined by two choreographers, Mitchell Harper and Claire Darcy.

Mitch has a wide range of choreography experience from opera and musicals to pantomime. 

Claire has been appearing in the Inverness panto since she was a child and has appeared in over 1,000 performances at Eden Court - going on from being a member of the Junior Ensemble to a professional performer and now also their choreographer.

In this episode Mitch and Claire discuss the processes and methods involved in creating the routines for panto, how they are influenced by the music choices, the special effects and the performers themselves and much more!

Have you ever wondered why ticket prices cost what they do?

In this episode Martin delves into the complex world of theatre finance with Sarah Boden to discuss this very question.

Sarah talks Martin through the various different aspects that influence the cost of a ticket – from size of venue to the type of casting and all the extras that people may have never considered such as VAT, royalty fees, levies, transport and more!

This week’s podcast was recorded at the North Wall Arts Centre in Oxford at the UK Pantomime Association panel event on Relaxed and Accessible Performances.

The panellists were Jess Thom, Annie Bannister, Chris Jarvis and Dr Chris Abbott all of whom also took the time to speak to Martin directly on the subject of making performances as inclusive as possible.

People from theatres across the UK attended the event to hear more about the variety of needs that audience members might have and how to create an environment that is welcoming, comfortable and accessible for all.

This week Martin is talking to David Lloyd-Jones. From early memories of Punch and Judy in Llandudno and his first panto experience at Swansea Grand aged 9, David has gone on to have a varied career in the theatre industry, including being a current trustee of the UK Pantomime Association.

As a young performer he was predominantly a vocalist but he decided early on in he had an interest in teaching which he tied in with his theatrical training and he was also the first in Wales to undertake an apprenticeship in pantomime directing. Learn all about this and more in this latest episode of Just Imagine! 

Martin joined the team at a photoshoot and caught up with some of the Imagine team and casts from a number of different pantos.

Jack Malin who is part of the team running the Theatre Café in London and is also playing Prince in Swindon’s Cinderella this year in one of the people chatting to Martin as well Maisie Scarlett who will be playing Cinderella alongside him.

Martin also talks to panto dame Steve Elias who has had a strong career in musical theatre and has also gone on to teach at many of the UK’s top performing arts schools and Nathan Morris and Aled Thomas Davies who are playing Starkey and Captain Hook in Halifax this season.

Andy Nurse has spent many years working as a production manager for Imagine Theatre and also specialises in many of the technical aspects of live performance.

From an early love of playing musical instruments Andy changed course to work behind the scenes in the industry and has worked in many different areas.

He discusses his career with Martin and offers advice on how to get into the industry and gain the necessary knowledge for a successful career  as well as going into detail about the role of a production manager on a pantomime.

From playing a mosquito aged 3 in Alice Through the Looking Glass to the present day Nathan has always loved performing.

Coming from a strong theatre family Nathan was actually in a panto in the Junior Ensemble before he had even been in the audience to watch one and his love of the genre has been with him ever since. He has spent many years as a comic with Imagine Theatre in Porthcawl and Rotherham and this year will be playing Will Scarlett in Robin Hood.

Not only has Nathan worked extensively in theatre he has appeared on television in shows on CBeebies and Nickelodeon and he also teaches and directs. 

Simon Sladen and Steve Boden join Martin to talk about the history of Mother Goose. Although it is not that frequently performed these days it historically enjoyed great success with Dan Leno and Joseph Grimaldi both appearing in early versions of the show and more recently we have seen Ian McKellen playing the role to great success.

They discuss the themes of the show and how many of them have relevance today and how the panto has influenced other productions as well as how its popularity differs between the regions.

A great podcast for anyone interested in the history of the pantomime genre.

Musical Director Paul Burnett’s daughter Caroline joins Martin this week to talk about her father’s career and life growing up with theatrical parents.

Paul was a prolific musical director in the 1950s to the 1980s in the true heart of variety. He conducted multiple royal variety performances, was the MD of choice for people like Morcambe and Wise and many many others. He was also musically involved in countless pantomimes across the UK and spent many years working for Bernard Delfont.

Have you ever wanted to know more about the music in the pantomime? This week Martin is joined by Miles Russell who has spent a number of panto seasons as an MD and Arranger with Imagine Theatre.

From starting out age seven learning to play the trumpet Miles is now a multi-instrumentalist. He has worked as an actor-musician, Musical Director and Arranger amongst other roles.

He talks to Martin about how panto differs from other productions, how the songs are selected, how the music is created – including parts, backing tracks and backing vocals. He also reveals which panto title is his favourite! 

Join Martin as he goes back stage at this year's UK Pantomime Awards. Taking place on Tuesday 18th June at G Live in Guildford, the 2024 pantomime awards were another star studded, glittering evening celebrating all things panto! 

Martin talks to presenters Ore Oduba, Angelica Bell alongside lots of the award winners and members of the UK Pantomime Association board!

This week Martin is joined by former contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee and current Deputy Head of Wardrobe at Imagine Theatre, Adam Brooks.

Adam talks about those early influences that led to his love of theatre and costume. He also discusses his varied career from drama school, to being a Cruise Director, to becoming Deputy Head of Wardrobe for Imagine Theatre and how his on stage theatrical experience influences his approach to his current role.

This week Martin talks to two key members of the Imagine team about how they got into the industry and their experiences of training in stage management. 

Ruth Porter, Deputy Head of Stage Management and Props and Jazmyne Evans, Operations and Production Administrator talk to Martin about how their early experiences of theatre led them to work in the industry and what their current roles at Imagine entail. Plus Ruth talks about the skill behind making some good old fashioned panto slosh!

This week’s episode focuses on the roles of two key elements of any theatrical production – the lighting and the sound. 

Lighting Designer and Programmer Matt Ladkin and Sound Designer and Head of Project Engineering and Head of Education at Orbital Sound Mike Thacker, join Martin to talk about these invaluable roles.

They talk through exactly what each role involves, how the process develops throughout the year from initial production meetings to being in venue for Tech and also discuss how the ever-changing technology has influenced their work.  

This week Eric Potts and Palace panto regular James McAnerney join Martin on the podcast to talk about Snow White.

Snow White originated from the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800s and it grew and developed from there to become the version of the story we know today.  

Eric and James discuss the history of the pantomime, the variations in the story, some of the iconic elements such as the magic mirror and the various approaches to casting.

A must listen episode for all fans of the panto genre!

We are already a third of the way through the year and this week on the podcast Sarah and Steve talk to Martin about where Imagine are in the panto process at the moment. 

New set and costume designs are underway for the three brand news shows being created this year. This includes planning for the team to produce panto in a circus tent for the first time this year with a brand new show and the steps involved in bringing that to life.

They discuss how Imagine is integrating with parent company Trafalgar Entertainment as well as producing the first panto in the brand new Fareham Live Theatre. They also touch on the forthcoming Junior Ensemble auditions, their pre-school Santa shows and the exciting opportunities available for careers in stage management and wardrobe.

Episode 75 – The Role of the Director 

This week the podcast focuses on the role of the director. Robert Marsden and Mairi Cowieson join Martin on the podcast to discuss what being a director actually involves. 

They discuss how the role of director has developed from ancient times to present day, their routes into directing and their personal approaches to directing pantomime. 

Joint CEO of Trafalgar Entertainment Dame Rosemary Squire and CEO and COO of Trafalgar Theatres Helen Enright are Martin’s guests on the podcast this week.

Despite an early love of theatre, neither Rosemary or Helen set out to have a career in the industry and both came to their current roles through very different paths.

Join us as they discuss their career development, the importance of both regional theatre and pantomime to the industry and the continuing growth of Trafalgar Entertainment.

This week Swansea legend Kev Johns joins Martin on the podcast.

Kev has been a panto dame for 30 years, with 25 of those at the Swansea Grand. He also presented numerous radio shows, including more than 20 years on the Breakfast Show, as well as being a match day announcer for his local football team, The Swans. Kev is also heavily involved in charity work, receiving an MBE in 2010 for his services to charity. 

He discusses his long and varied career with Martin, including how he went from being a church minister to being in the entertainment business and why pantomime is so important to him.

The pantomime version of Beauty and the Beast is one of the most popular titles of all, along with being one of the most loved Disney classics.

This week Eric Potts and Liam Dolan join Martin on the podcast to discuss one of their favourite titles.

This week Steve Boden and Laura Taylor join Martin to talk about the role of the producer.

Producers are crucial to each production as they have overall responsibility for the show, but it is one of the roles that many people know little about.

Steve and Laura explain how they came to be panto producers and what it entails – from relationships with theatres, title choices, how the scriptwriters, creative team and cast for each production are chosen and much more. 

Martin catches up with Sarah and Steve to discuss how the 2023 panto season went and what is in store for 2024.

Imagine have had their biggest ever panto season with 19 pantomimes and 3 Santa shows. They have employed more people than ever before with around 500 people hired by Imagine to work on the productions, plus around 400 children who were part of Junior Ensembles.

January sees the start of debrief season when the team have internal debriefs as well as debriefs with the venues and as sets, costumes and props return the maintenance programme begins. Planning for 2024 is already underway with many pantos now on sale, budgets being finalised and sets and costumes allocated against productions.

So in good old panto tradition - ‘we’ll have to do it again then won’t we – woo!’

This week Martin goes backstage at DMH where he spent 10 years performing in panto himself to chat to the cast of this year’s Jack and the Beanstalk.

He finds out how Scott Mills has settled in to his first ever pantomime, learns Jarred Christmas’s process for choosing his final jokes for the show, discovers how son Jack Ballard is getting on playing his first ever Dame role as well as finding out about Mark Read’s theatrical background, catching up with DMH panto regular and X-Factor winner Sam Bailey and meeting Mark Beauchamp and Christina Harris who are appearing in their first DMH panto.

This is a fascinating podcast full of backstage banter and behind the scenes info.

Don’t miss it!

For the Christmas edition of the podcast Martin heads to Swindon to talk to the cast of Snow White at The Wyvern - David Ashley, Divina De Campo, Nathan Connor, Paul Burling and Samantha Dorrance.

This episode also features special Christmas messages from some of the Imagine team.

This week Martin is joined by radio presenter Scott Mills who is making his pantomime debut this year in Jack and the Beanstalk at De Montfort Hall.

Scott talks to Martin about how his decision to do a panto came about, the advice he has been getting from his showbiz pals and his past performing experience on Strictly Come Dancing. 

Don’t miss Scott in panto at De Montfort Hall 15 Dec 2023 – 7 Jan 2024.

This week Imagine’s Joint CEO and Business and Marketing Director Sarah Boden joins Martin to talk through everything that is currently happening at Imagine Theatre HQ as well as on the pantomimes themselves.

Everything is in full swing with two shows now open, some shows in rehearsal and others due to start rehearsing shortly. The final touches to set, costumes and props are done and they are being loaded out of the building. Some of the team are already out on the road with others due to begin their travels around the country next week.

Sarah talks to Martin about all of the logistics involved for each panto, schedules for the season, how we try and encourage the next generation to work in the panto industry, new titles for the year and much more!

This week Martin is joined by Imagine Theatre’s Steve Boden and performer and director Steven Wren to talk about Peter Pan.

Peter Pan has been around for 120 years in numerous forms – firstly as a book and then a play, a musical, many different movie adaptations, and now as an increasingly popular panto. 

They discuss the way that it has been adapted over the years, the way the story is evolving and some of the unique elements of the show, in particular the challenges of having to make numerous cast members and children fly!

They also discuss the way that the show is still important in supporting the wonderful work of Great Ormond Street Hospital today as J M Barrie wished it to.