Paul Giddings is both director and dame as he returns to Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre for this year’s big Christmas show Robin Hood: The Pantomime (December 5-January 5).
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00:00Good morning, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Now, the
00:06Worthing Panto this year is Robin Hood. Lovely to speak, not just to the director, but to
00:11the dame of the show as well, Paul Giddings. Paul, you have history with Worthing, it's
00:18a place you love working, but to combine those two roles, that's going to be hard, isn't
00:23it?
00:24Well, do you know what? It is great fun. And I think I've been to Worthing for the past
00:30couple of years to direct the Panto down here. And then this year, the opportunity came up
00:34to play the role of the dame. And I think for me, having been in Worthing for the past
00:40two years, working with this team, working at the theatre, bringing together the stories
00:45to life. When the opportunity came up, I thought, you know what, I would love to do that. I've
00:50always wanted to play dame. And for me, it felt really nice that I could come and do
00:54it in the space here and work with this team. And we have got this year, we've got two directors,
01:01so myself and a co-director, Danielle Drayton, who's our choreographer as well. So we're
01:06splitting duties. So when I've got a wig on, I don't have to be sitting there making notes.
01:10So your first dame, really important to do it in a venue that you love and where you
01:15feel at home. But what kind of a dame are you going to be? You're a pretty poor cook
01:20as a dame, though, you don't know it, do you?
01:22No, no, Dame Delia, she's, well, she was named after all the great cooks.
01:27List them, list them.
01:29The list, Dame Delia, Mary Berry, Nadia Proulx, Nigella Microwiaby, Scarlet is her name. She's
01:36the original Scarlet woman, but she was always destined to be a camp cook. But she is terrible.
01:43And I, you know, I'm surprised those merry men ever get fed anything because everything
01:47she makes is disgusting. But she thinks she's amazing. So she's keeping them well fed. She's
01:54also on the lookout for a boyfriend this year. So I think it's only fair that the people
01:58of Worthing are prepared for Dame Delia and her quest for love in the forest of Sherwood.
02:04So the way to her heart would be to accept her terrible food, would it, do you think?
02:08Oh, if, honestly, if she found a boyfriend that ate her food, it's all they need to do.
02:14Sounds like a very high price to pay, though.
02:17They might feel ill for days after, but it'd be worth it, I'm sure.
02:21Fantastic. Well, Paul, really lovely to speak to you. Have a fantastic time
02:24in Worthing Panto in your dual roles. Thank you.
02:27Thank you so much. Cheers. Bye-bye.
02:29Bye-bye.