PANTO star Berwick Kaler has been hailed for rushing to comfort a man who suffered a seizure following a show at York Theatre Royal.

Karen Greenheld said Berwick, along with fellow panto performer Suzy Cooper and theatre welcome manager Simone Dunn, gave help, care and assistance to her son Ben as he lay where he had fallen on the theatre stairs.

“Please can I say a massive shout out of thanks to everyone,” she said. “Ben’s hero Berwick was absolutely wonderful. He sat with him and made sure he was comfortable, as too did Suzy. It meant so much.

“I think Berwick was genuinely concerned for Ben after personally witnessing his seizures, which can be quite frightening to see.”

She also thanked Berwick for inviting Ben back to the theatre to meet him in happier circumstances before another show.

“It was a lovely gesture," she said. “Due to his learning disabilities Ben struggles to go out and so rarely does, and this was a massive achievement for him. We thank everyone concerned for making this happen.”

Karen, of Prospect Court, Tadcaster, said Ben, 30, suffered from learning difficulties and autism as well as epilepsy, and struggled to get out, but always went to see Berwick in the panto.

She said he had gone to the theatre with the social club at Brunswick Organic Nursery in Bishopthorpe, where he works, and enjoyed the show as always.

He was going down to the foyer when the anxiety caused by descending the stairs caused him to collapse with ‘tonic clonic’ seizures and Berwick, who was in the foyer doing a photocall, saw what was happening and rushed over to help.

On meeting Ben again, Berwick joked: “He is my fan, he is not Martin Barrass’s fan, Suzy Cooper’s fan, or David Leonard’s fan. Who’s fan are you Ben?” When Ben replied: “Yours!” Berwick said: “Thank you! Happy New Year!”