Babbies In The Wood, York Theatre Royal, December 11 to February 1

BERWICK Kaler is still to come to terms with his new status. On July 12, the York Theatre Royal pantomime phenomenon - the front cover star for next week's The Big Issue - added a doctorate to his damehood.

He was among eight people to be given honorary degrees from the University of York this summer. He was in good company: actress Penelope Wilton; the inventor of the personal organiser, David Potter; sculptor Dick Reid; the director of the Council for Disabled Children, Philippa Russell; His Royal Highness Prince Hassan of Jordan; a former head of Unilever's Colworth Laboratory; and a former Professor of Geography at University College, London.

Surprising as it may seem for a 56-year-old performer so accustomed to the stage spotlight, he admits he felt nervous at the ceremony, even with his guest, pop singer Suzi Quatro, by his side.

"I took Suzi with me and I thought we'd just stick together, but they put me at one end and Suzi at the other, and I was thinking 'What am I doing here?'," Berwick recalls over a lunch in a quiet corner of the Red Lion on Monday, his day off for re-working his script for his 24th Theatre Royal pantomime, Babbies In The Wood.

"Anyway, there's the Vice-Chancellor introducing all the doctorates, when he does a plug for this year's panto, and suddenly all these people start shouting Babbies! Then they all came round me to say they'd all been to the panto!

"I'm totally amazed at how this show crosses all age barriers and all class barriers - but if you have a sense of humour, you will enjoy it.

"I have no clue how it happens, though I know it's the writing, but it's like if you point someone's good points out when they're acting, they'll never do it again."

While Berwick may not wish to analyse the root of the enduring success of the Theatre Royal pantomime, it is the attention to detail that marks out his work.

To prove it, he is taking his doctorate into his dame character this year. He will be Dr Ariadne Oddbod. "There's always been a dame in Babes In The Wood but not your traditional dame. She's normally just the nanny to the babes, and though I do get employed as a nanny, I lose them rather quickly!" he says.

That way, he can crack on with the funny stuff with villainous David Leonard, bouncing sidekick Martin Barrass (son Noddy Oddbod this year) and golden girl Suzy Cooper (daughter 'Maid' Marian, who really is a maid). "They're not the babes! I couldn't afford to lose them," he says.

Berwick describes Babes In The Wood as one of the earthy rather than magical pantomimes, where he has to work hardest at serving lines to the company regulars. "When I took the morning off to write this thing, I got to scene five and suddenly realised I hadn't brought the babes on - but if there is a plot, they are the plot!"

So, expect the "same old rubbish" but different. "You can only do something like the Telebabbies once; you have to change it the next time, because panto is all about how many ways you can make throwing a bucket of water funny," says Berwick.

Audience figures of close on 50,000 each year would suggest that Dr Kaler and artistic director Damian Cruden have got the panto prescription right.

"But I don't like people putting the Theatre Royal panto on a pedestal, because with everything in this country, they build you up to knock you down. We've had some wonderful comments about the show nationally, but that just goes right over my head. To me it's still a pile of rubbish that we put on for the locals with jobbing actors - and that's what makes it unique," Berwick says.

"No one is on a fortune doing this show, so you have to make it special to bring them back each year, but the primary reason David, Martin and Suzy return is not me but the audience.

"We've all had a taste of what it's like if you close your eyes when people applaud and it could be Las Vegas! We can all retire saying that when we walked on stage people applauded us, and the healthy thing is that it's because the show is special to York, not because of TV work."

Next Christmas will be Berwick's 25th Theatre Royal panto, a special silver jubilee occasion: "If the management and I get on, I can promise York the most amazing pantomime next year: it would be criminal not to do it! I will kill myself if I don't give York the most fantastic pantomime it's ever seen."

Any clues, Berwick, as to what plans you have in mind?

"I'll say absolutely nothing in response to that! We're in the lovely position where we could put on the telephone directory and they would still come but I believe in using the fairytale titles. Next year's show will be brand new, a sort of celebration of 25 years and I also want to give David, Martin and Suzy a chance to play something a little different from what you'd normally expect."

First, pantomime number 24 has his full attention, and the good doctor Kaler is ready with his medicine for mayhem.

Babbies In The Wood, York Theatre Royal, December 11 to February 1. Tickets: £7 to £18.50. Box office: 01904 623568.

Updated: 10:21 Friday, December 06, 2002