YORK Barbican is to stage a Christmas pantomime for the first time since 2012 when Those Magic Beans presents Robin Hood And The Babes In The Woods from December 21 to 31.

Producer, director and writer Jamie Wilson, who describes himself as a panto geek, already puts on pantomimes at The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks and The Woodville in Gravesend and is now adding the Barbican to his Kent company's portfolio.

"We heard the York Barbican was looking for a short-run pantomime for this Christmas, so we came up, made our pitch and just fell in love with the Barbican," said Mr Wilson. "It's a really exciting performance space and because of the size of the venue and the size of the stage we can put on a very different show from other pantos.

"My take on it is that the Barbican does well for comedy and for music and 90 per cent of a pantomime is comedy and music, so panto should do well here too with the addition of a story on top, and the story will always be king in our shows. If you tell the Robin Hood story properly, it's very much about the Babes in the wood as well, and that's the story we'll tell."

Mr Wilson hopes to announce the star names in his cast as early as next week and among his innovations will be pantomime workshops with the producer and creative team and maybe cast members too, while he will seek to forge links with schools in the city, having made arrangements already to go to Clifton Green Primary School today (FRI). "We want to work with as many primary and secondary schools in York as we can, as we have a responsibility to nurture children's relationship with theatre through pantomime," he said.

York Barbican's 2013 pantomime, Dick Whittington, was cancelled at a fortnight's notice by producers Blue Genie after "very disappointing ticket sales". In 2014, the Barbican focused on one-night stands in December; in 2015, the big freeze set in for Peter Pan On Ice from December 23 to January 3; in 2016, the venue was dark over the Christmas week.

Full details of the Barbican return to pantomime will follow soon as York gears up for three professional pantos this winter, Robin Hood joining Jack And The Beanstalk at York Theatre Royal and Three Bears Productions' Beauty And The Beast at the Grand Opera House.