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Just Imagine – a podcast series from Imagine Theatre, one of the world’s leading producers of professional pantomime. With over 250 productions to their name, Imagine are true experts in this uniquely British theatrical tradition.
Join host Martin Ballard as we go behind the scenes to meet the people who bring the magic to life – discovering their stories, their roles, and answering that all-important question: what do they do for the rest of the year?
Along the way, we’ll explore the pantomime genre itself – its quirks, its history, and why it continues to delight audiences across the UK. Whether you’re a panto fan, theatre lover, or just curious about what it takes to stage hundreds of shows at once, Just Imagine offers a fun and fascinating listen.
121 Episodes
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Ever wondered what a normal day in February is like at Imagine Theatre Head Office? In the next group of episodes of Just Imagine, we're going to delve into the workings of Imagine as a company. For Episode 23, Martin takes a walk around Imagine HQ on a normal day in February, chatting to the team and finding out what we do when the curtain is down and we're preparing for our next pantomime season. It certainly isn't a quiet on the day he pops in!
Martin Ballard talks to members of the Imagine Theatre team about the highs, the lows, and the unique challenges of the 2021 panto season. With all the uncertainties surrounding the ongoing pandemic 2021 was a season unlike any other and the team discuss the various issues that they encountered and the way the company and the productions had to adapt to ever changing circumstances in a heartfelt and honest look back at the season.
Laura Taylor is the guest on this festive edition of the podcast. She talks to Martin about her extensive career in the panto world, including some of the fascinating people she has worked with, and they even find the time to pull a few Christmas crackers!
The owner of some of the highest heels in showbusiness JP McCue plays dame in Leamington each Christmas and has a huge following for his alter-ego Mary Mac. Join him as he talks to Martin about his career as well as his love for pantomime.
This week it is Robert Marsden’s turn in the hot seat as he talks to Martin about how his love for theatre stems from his theatrical experiences as a child, why he thinks pantomime is so special and his love of teaching.
A highly recognisable face due to her roles on television shows such as Still Game, Jane McCarry joins Martin to talk about her career on both stage and screen as well as sharing some hilarious anecdotes from her time in the industry.
There are not many people who know more about pantomime than Simon Sladen and this week Martin chats to the V&A’s Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Performance and creator of Panto Day about the history of the genre and just what it is about panto that he loves so much!
Despite being told “people like us don’t do that” when she said she wanted a career in theatre, Janice Dunn has gone on to be a hugely successful director and writer and she joins Martin to talk about how a working-class girl from Liverpool fell in love with theatre and just what the industry means to her.
This week Martin is joined by lighting designer Jamie Corbidge. With his first word ever being ‘lights’ it is not surprising he has gone on to have a hugely successful career which has covered everything from pantomime to working at Knebworth and the Millennium Dome.
Iain Lauchlan, co-creator of The Tweenies, panto dame extraordinaire and key figure in the history of Imagine Theatre joins us to talk about his television career, his love of panto and how the pandemic has led to him undertaking some exciting new projects.
Something different for the ‘Just Imagine’ podcast series, Martin sits down with Imagine’s Managing Director Steve Boden, and our Artistic Director and renowned pantomime writer Eric Potts to talk about the pantomime Cinderella. This is the first of several ‘special’ podcast episodes, spread over the next 2 years, where we work through the popular pantomime titles in turn, examining them in more depth by talking through the title’s roots, the background story, the unique elements ...
This week Martin interviews the incredible Nigel Ellacott, pantomime dame extraordinaire and the brains behind the encyclopaedic pantomime website www.itsbehindyou.com. Join them both in this fascinating walk-through pantomime over the years. Listening to Nigel talk, you’ll soon understand why the UK Pantomime Association chose him as the recipient of their 2022 award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of pantomime.
Martin talks to renowned set and costume designer Mark Walters about his unusual route into theatre design, those that have inspired him, how the creative process works and some of his favourite and most challenging designs.
On the podcast this week is West End star and choreographer Jane McMurtrie. She talks about how she knew from an early age she wanted to be a performer, how she came to star in the West End, what it’s like being married to a fellow performer and a strange mermaid mishap!
This week Martin talks to actor, writer and director Eric Potts about his long career in showbusiness including how he started out in the industry and the fellow performers that inspire him.
Find out more about Just Imagine, the new podcast from Imagine Theatre, one of the world's biggest pantomime producers. Join us as we go behind the scenes and 'Just Imagine' what it would be like to work in the world of theatre and pantomime...
This week on the podcast, Martin is joined by the fabulous Suzanne Shaw, currently appearing as Fairy Bowbells in Dick Whittington at De Montfort Hall, Leicester. Suzanne is a true all-rounder with an exceptionally varied and fascinating career. She began training in dance and theatre from the age of three, made her television debut at just 12, and shot to fame in 2001 as a member of the chart-topping band Hear’Say. Since then, she has gone on to star in leading roles in major musicals, spent...
This week, Martin is joined by the brilliant Elaine C. Smith, a true icon of Scottish showbusiness with a career spanning more than 40 years. Elaine is best known for her standout roles in City Lights, Rab C. Nesbitt, and the hit sitcom Two Doors Down, for which she earned a Scottish BAFTA. She’s also a beloved panto legend, captivating audiences year after year. In recent years, Elaine has been honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award from the UK Pantomime Association and granted the ...
Simon Sladen and David Ashley join Martin on the podcast this week for another deep dive into a classic pantomime title — this time, Aladdin. First staged at Covent Garden in 1788, Aladdin has become one of the most frequently reinvented pantomimes in the canon. Simon and David explore how the show has evolved over the centuries, from shifting settings and new characters to bold reinterpretations in modern productions. They unpack what makes Aladdin such a versatile story and why it continues...
Singer, comedian, impressionist, actress, musical theatre performer and pantomime veteran Hilary O’Neil joins Martin on this week’s podcast. Although she loved to dance as a child, Hilary never initially planned a career in show business. But after training at Laine Theatre Arts, her talent and drive quickly took her into the spotlight — beginning as a dancer with the legendary Ken Dodd. From there her career went from strength to strength including being a founder member of the Stutz ...
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