Pantosplaining

Can Summer be really over already? Well, no - patently not - but your hosts Ben Baker and John Matthews are at the final part of Pantosplaining 's fond look back at the stars of "The Russ Abbot All Laughter Show" which packed in Great Yarmouth audiences back in 1982. So what happens when Russ needs to put up his hooves for five minutes and the collective acts of Sommers, Lane and Den...

Its back to the ABC Great Yarmouth for more promised All Laughter - but what happens when Russ Abbot is off stage? Well, its brightened up by his support acts - Patti Sommers , Des Lane and the mighty, magnificent Les Dennis - all of whom we look at in this daft, nostalgic look back at light entertainment in the 70s and 80s. But which of the three... ...went to the same school that John Lennon wen...

Its summertime! What do you mean you didn't notice? Look out of your windows and see that the world is full of sunshine, smiles and your hosts Ben Baker and John Matthews in their finest rolled up hankie hats slurping down a 99 on the back of a donkey. As a break from the more seasonal posters we usually look at on Pantosplaining, we thought it was long overdue us taking a trip to the seaside...

Are you ready for the challenge of another Pantosplaining episode? Anneka Rice is and she leads this second performance of the 1984 "Aladdin" show we started last week - with a camera crew following closely and probably getting lots of shots of her bottom along the way, which it might surprise you does come up in this episode. There's also puppet - slash - candle fun with Bob Carolge...

We've got a panto so big and bulging with fantastic celebrity guest stars this time we're splitting it into two parts, missis! In part one, Ben Baker and John Matthews are at the Palace Theatre gazing up at the visages of some of the eighties' biggest names....and Edmund Hockridge. Who is Mr Panto? What have the Chuckle Brothers been up to? How did a Jack Russell and a well placed fing...

Did you hate that duck? Or are you 'Orville Friendly'? You'll be able to decide during this episode of "Pantosplaining", the Panto Poster Podcast in which Ben Baker and John Matthews run a nostalgic nit comb through another portion of pop culture history. We've jumped ahead to Billingham in the late 90s for all the pre-millennium fever of Keith Harris and pals who are joi...

Hello campers! It's your favourite pop culture pick me ups Ben Baker and John Matthews on your internet tellies again with another pantomime poster from Britain's proud past. This month we've finally made it to Wales for a performance bridging the 80s and 90s. And who do we have in this era of Madchester, warehouse parties and proto grunge? A sitcom star in career limbo, Jersey's t...

Hello to Whale watchers, jellyheads, tash ticklers, puppet pals and Casson connoisseurs everywhere! Its time for another needlessly over-enthusiastic stare at a pantomime poster from history and whilst pantos themselves might be wrapping up for the season, Ben Baker and John Matthews will not be stopped as they march into Halifax this time. We were planning to head further afield in both era and l...

Finally, PantoSplaining finds its way to God's own county...oh, never mind its Bradford. Just a bit of humour due to Ben Baker 's proximity to that city throughout his life as he shows John Matthews around the place as they head towards the mighty Alhambra which has been home to all the stars - like Bill Maynard who headlines this "meowgic" production of "Dick Whittington an...

"delightfully daft wit..." - Clair Woodward, The Sunday Times Hello Panto pals! Time for another loving deep dive into Ben Baker and John Matthews ' obsession with posters for pantomimes and the history of each event. Truly, this is the theatre where dreams are made and 'splained....a bit. We're heading back to the mid-seventies in this episode for a show headed by...well, is...

Its time for another deep peep at a panto poster from the past as Ben Baker and John Matthews take an affectionate ogle at "Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood" performed at the Darlington Civic by children's presenter, a former World's Strongest Man, the "naughty Nolan", a couple of chaotic siblings and their canine counterparts. Listen or watch out for a generation o...

Ben Baker and John Matthews are pretty obsessional men. First came the sitcom ALF and now another of our big shared loves - panto posters. Listen or watch along to the pilot of "Pantosplaining" where we pluck a poster from panto history and look at what we can find out about it for a real deep dive with many diversions into silliness. Why is Chris Quinten the new Robocop? Which position...