Tickets for Berwick Kaler's 40th panto  go on sale this Thursday

The Theatre Royal’s world-famous pantomime has a loyal and dedicated audience stretching back through several generations of local families. Every year diehard fans from near and far begin queueing the day before tickets go on sale to ensure they get their favourite seats.

Once again this year, the theatre will be accommodating these booking early birds overnight in the De Grey Rooms, which will open from 6pm on Wednesday (28 February). People will be given a number denoting their place in the queue. Next morning at 8am, the queue will be relocated to outside the building.

Then the Box Office opens at 9am for the first in-person ticket sales.

Don’t be surprised if some of the York panto family, including Dame Berwick himself and Martin Barrass, put in an appearance to entertain the queue of loyal panto followers.

Online bookings can be made from 3pm on 1 March and phone sales from 9am on 2 March.

The Box Office opens as normal at 10am on 2 March for in-person sales.

The Grand Old Dame of York opens on 13 December and continues through to 2 February 2019 with Kaler as star, writer and co-director plus his panto ‘family’ joining him again for the fabulous fun and frolics.

Co-director Damian Cruden said: “This year’s pantomime will be just that, a complete and utter pantomime. Dame Kaler assures me it will be a funny, frolicsome jaunt through fairytales of yore. Well, all I can say is I’ve heard it all before. He’ll be up at midnight the day before we open trying to work out what happens after he says that immortal line Me B…s Me B…s. Oh well, business as usual. Can’t wait!”

The plot of the show is, as usual, a closely guarded secret but you can bet on a sensational mix of comedy, slapstick, song and dance with stunning costumes and jaw-dropping sets. We know you’ll have a grand old time.

Box office 01904 623568

yorktheatreroyal.co.uk