Katherine MacAlister finds out why Nigel Betts is looking forward to his long stint as Widow Twanky at Oxford Playhouse

“I’m a man in a dress,” Nigel Betts tells me, when discussing his new role as Widow Twanky in this year’s Oxford Playhouse panto Aladdin.

“Minimal make-up, Doc Martin boots and lots of fun. My dame is just a fat man’s Hamlet really,” he laughs.

Nabbed in January by director Steve Marmion for his first ever panto, Nigel has been biding his time and is now ready to reign supreme in Aladdin over the Christmas period.

Having never played a dame before, the pressure is on, but Nigel remains undaunted. “It’s been on my bucket list for a long time and it’s about time I ticked that box so when Steve asked me I realised my time had come,” the 52 year-old says chuckling.

With 12 shows a week to perform until January 10, Nigel’s preparing for a long slog and has even ordered his Christmas venison and duck for the festive season in Oxford.

“I’ve been down to the Covered Market and ordered my Christmas dinner,” he tells me. “I’ll be in digs but my partner is coming up so we will still have a good knees up, watch some old movies and go for a long walk.

“I’m from York which is very like Oxford – old and pretty – so I’m looking forward to it.”

So what can we expect from the panto? “Steve loves traditional pantomimes and the whole story -telling element. But there is also a flying carpet which is astonishing because I have seen it. And I have eight costume changes to look forward to, three in one scene alone.”

So what is Nigel’s Widow Twankey like? “Old school, more Les Dawson than Danny Le Rue but aiming for maximum impact and lots of sauciness. It’s a family show so something for everyone.”

Throw in lots of singing and dancing routines and Nigel says Aladdin never stops. “It has so much energy.

“There is a lot of choreography. In fact we must be the fittest panto cast on earth with the amount of dancing we have been doing, although two of my outfits stop me from dancing at all,” he laughs. It’s going to be cracking this year.”

As for Nigel, he grew up going to pantos: “They are so important because it’s often the only thing some people see in a theatre, plus it’s a family show so it gets people together.”

Does he feel a sense of responsibility then? “I am mum and dad in one. It’s my job to show the audience how to have a good time, and get them to sing, eat sweets, follow the story and shout until they have no voice left at all – all the things they aren’t usually allowed to do at home.”

Hailing from West Yorks, Nigel was going to be a solicitor until a schoolmaster said there was no point because he would still be dressing up in costumes and making speeches, so Nigel followed his heart and went into acting.

To prove his point, this year alone Nigel has starred in the recently recommissioned BBC3 series Boy Meets Girl about a transgender family on the go, and a stint at The National in Patrick Marber’s Three Days In The Country, proving he’s the right man for the job. “It keeps me busy,” he says. Not as busy as Widow Twanky!

SEE IT
Aladdin at Oxford Playhouse runs from tomorrow until Sunday, January 10.
For ticket prices and times see oxfordplayhouse.com or call 01865 305305.