Christmas is a time for panto but this year's panto season has been threatened by the ongoing pandemic which have closed theatres but Blue Peter legend and panto fan Peter Duncan is coming to the nation’s rescue.

Ipswich Star: The colour and comic mayhem of the traditional panto transfers from the theatre stage to online as Peter Duncan screens his version of Jack and the Beanstalk this ChristmasThe colour and comic mayhem of the traditional panto transfers from the theatre stage to online as Peter Duncan screens his version of Jack and the Beanstalk this Christmas (Image: Peter Duncan)

The catchphrase: “Here’s one I made earlier” has never been so apt as Peter Duncan has rounded up some actor mates to stage and film a pantomime in his own back garden and is now able to share it with audiences.
The Ipswich Regent is selling tickets to the streamed screenings of Peter Duncan’s mad-cap homemade adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk which will be available from Tuesday December 15 2020 to Saturday 2 January 2021 (excluding Christmas Day).
The film of this socially distanced pantomime so impressed UK cinema chains that it received a VIP red carpet premiere earlier this month at the Everyman Cinema in Crystal Palace.
Peter Duncan, who is an experienced panto dame, explains how the filming and the show evolved over the weeks of planning and preparation: “When I had the initial idea for Panto Online, I naively though we might shoot a traditional panto guerilla-style on mobile phones, but that evolved and was upscaled as I recruited the cast and production team – who were all friends and colleagues I’d worked with before on other projects. I’m thrilled that it gave work to 35 unemployed actors and freelance creatives.”
He says that now panto can live on in the digital realm and be downloaded and enjoyed by families at home over Christmas.

Ipswich Star: Peter Duncan's Dame Trott has a messy wash day in his madcap pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. Tickets to allow viewing at home are available from Ipswich RegentPeter Duncan's Dame Trott has a messy wash day in his madcap pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk. Tickets to allow viewing at home are available from Ipswich Regent (Image: Peter Duncan)

The cast features Peter Duncan as Dame Trott, Ian Talbot, OBE as Squire Shortshanks, Sam Ebenezer is the hero Jack Trott and Sarah Moss is Jill Shortshanks with Nicola Blackman as The Garden Fairy.
Cllr Sarah Barber, Portfolio Holder for the Town Centre said: “We’re delighted to have partnered with Panto Online this year to offer our customers a chance to enjoy a Christmas tradition from the comfort and warmth of their homes. In true Blue Peter fashion, I’m looking forward to seeing one Peter Duncan has made earlier”
Tickets can be booked at the Ipswich Regent website and access to watch Jack and the Beanstalk is available daily until Saturday January 2 2021 (excluding Christmas Day).