By Grace Hatchell
I knew Christmas couldn’t be far away when a Dame popped out of my satchel before I’d even had chance to finish my tea.
Watford Palace Theatre has announced that audience favourite Terence Frisch will return for his fourteenth pantomime season this Christmas, stepping back into heels as Dame Christmas in A Christmas Carol: The Pantomime.
Fourteen years! That’s longer than some Yorkshire puddings survive on a Sunday dinner table.
A familiar festive face to Watford audiences, Terence has become a cornerstone of the theatre’s Christmas celebrations since first appearing there in 2012. Over the years he’s brought plenty of sparkle to productions including Cinderella, Mother Goose, Robin Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Dick Whittington and his Cat, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and, most recently, Jack and the Beanstalk.
Away from the pantomime stage, eagle-eyed television viewers may also recognise him from productions including Call the Midwife, The Walk In and Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, as well as the films Hugo and Last Night in Soho.
Joining him this year will be acclaimed actor and theatre-maker Michael Lambourne, who takes on the role of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge. His credits include the long-running immersive hit The Great Gatsby, alongside work with Punchdrunk, Secret Cinema, York Theatre Royal and Hull Truck Theatre.
Now, here’s where things get delightfully bonkers.
This version of Dickens’ classic doesn’t just feature a Dame. The Dame becomes all of the Ghosts of Christmas. That’s right. One Dame. Multiple ghosts. Poor Scrooge won’t know whether he’s being haunted or being thoroughly told off.
The story follows Watford’s grumpiest resident as he’s whisked through Christmas Past, Present and Future in a whirlwind of pop songs, big vocals, festive chaos and larger-than-life characters. Along the way he’ll encounter Bob Scratchit, Jakebob Marley and a whole community determined to bring a little sparkle into his life.
The production is written by Watford Palace Theatre CEO and Director of Programming Steve Marmion and directed by Associate Director James Williams, continuing the venue’s long-standing tradition of creating family pantomimes packed with fun, community spirit and festive mischief.
Speaking about his return, Frisch said he was delighted to be back in Watford and described A Christmas Carol as one of his favourite novels, adding that with “added panto” it becomes the perfect recipe for a great night out.
Dickens probably never imagined Ebenezer Scrooge being chased around by a Dame performing every ghost in the story, but frankly, I think he’d have approved. If you’re going to learn the true meaning of Christmas, you may as well do it while somebody in a wig is singing pop songs at you.
A Christmas Carol: The Pantomime runs at Watford Palace Theatre from 29 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with press night on 3 December.
www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk
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