The York village panto in a venue ‘like a phonebox’

For the past 43 years, sold-out crowds have turned out to see the annual show in the village 12 miles from York. The population of Tholthorpe is only 200, but the Follies have managed to make the panto a major local event since 1982.

“Pantomime is important, whether it’s in the big towns or tiny villages,” says Graeme Thompson, the director of the company behind the show.

With only a pub and a village hall to choose from, the players opted for the hall, which is a former school, and in the early years performed on tables because they didn’t have a stage.

The production has grown in reputation and ambition since its humble beginnings, and each year new ideas are tried.