Pantomime time is looming and already theatres are letting it be known just what they will be offering, the comedian Paul Merton, who made his debut as a Dame playing Widow Twankey in Aladdin at Wimbledon in 2018 is returning to pantomime as Sarah the Cook in Dick Whittington at Richmond Theatre alongside his wife Suki Webster, also a comedian.

At the press launch he said it was thrilling to be part of the long line of comedians who have played pantomime dames. “Sarah the cook is an incredibly beautiful woman – quite, quite stunning but also she doesn’t know it which makes it very sweet. She is gorgeous. I mean, you only have to look at the photographs.” He said he would have a certain amount of license to ad lib a little bit, but one could not muck around with the story. “I am playing with my wife Suki Webster, we are both used to improvise, so there may be a few odd lines here or there that fly around but for the rest of the actors we will give them their cues - although they might have to wait half an hour before they hear them.”

Over the course of 60 performances there would be changes but in the comedy scenes rather than the dramatic ones which had to be played straight.

Here are some of the others starting with very different version of the tale of Dick and his cat starting with -

Liverpool Royal Court has The Scouse Dick Whittington in which Dick decides London is too far away and he will go to Liverpool instead to become Lord Mayor. It runs from 10 November to 20 January.

Theatre Clwyd has the Big Top Rock n’ Roll Sleeping Beauty – the theatre is being restored so it does take place in a tent from 30 November to 6 January.

Nottingham Playhouse has Cinderella with John Elkington in his 25th year as the Dame. It runs from 1 December to 19 January.

Jermyn Street Theatre has the latest Charles Court Opera Company’s pantomime - Odyssey. Billed as “a heroic pantomime” it has been written by John Savournin and David Exton and is the latest of a long line of “different”pantomimes they have created.

Richmond Theatre has Paul Merton as the Dame in Dick Whittington. It runs from 9 December to 7 January.