Potted Panto returns to the West End this Christmas, with Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner once again fitting seven pantomimes into 70 minutes, twenty years after their first Potted show opened in London. Here is everything you need to know before you book.
It is the first West End season for Potted Panto since 2022, when it last ran at the Apollo Theatre, and it returns to the same Shaftesbury Avenue house after three Christmases at Wilton's Music Hall. The show first reached the West End at the Vaudeville Theatre in 2010 and has since become the West End's longest-running pantomime. The formula has not changed: a small company, seven stories and no interval.
Who is starring in Potted Panto?
Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner, the double act billed as Dan and Jeff, wrote the show with its director, Richard Hurst, and star in it once more. The pair have worked together since 2005.
Joseph Maudsley joins the company as alternate performer and makes his West End debut with the production. Georgia Corrigan returns for a second year as Fairy Bow Bells, and Sammy Johnson is back for a third year as Mr Nut. Both Corrigan and Johnson also work as assistant stage managers on the show.
Spotlight on Daniel Clarkson
On stage, Daniel Clarkson is known above all for the Potted shows he created with Turner: Potted Potter, Potted Pirates, Potted Sherlock and this one. Between them they have played the West End and New York and toured internationally, and Potted Potter spent six years in Las Vegas before a French-language run in Paris. He holds two Olivier Award nominations. This summer he co-wrote and performed in INDY! And the Raiders of the Last Ark of the Lost Temple Crusade of Doom, an Indiana Jones parody that premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe, and his directing credits include Maudsley's solo show Biff to the Future. Television audiences know the pair as former CBBC presenters, and Clarkson later co-wrote Monster Court for the channel, playing Judge Smudge. What this show asks of him is speed: seven plots, a long run of costume changes and 70 minutes without a pause. It is a part written by the performer for the performer, and the Apollo is where to see him play it: book Potted Panto.
What is Potted Panto about?
The premise is in the title. Rather than stage one pantomime, the show compresses seven of the best known into a single sitting, moving from Aladdin's lamp to Dick Whittington's gold-paved London and on to the business of getting Cinderella to the ball. The comedy comes from the attempt itself: a double act doing the work of a full pantomime company, with costume, character and story changing every few minutes.
The show was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment after its first West End season, and the critics have enjoyed its silliness since. The Times observed that "the hordes of children fall around with delight at the mixture of sarcasm and slapstick", while The Stage called the pair "masters of the art of comedic brevity".
Who is behind the production?
Richard Hurst directs and co-wrote the script with Clarkson and Turner. Set design is by Simon Scullion, costumes are by Nicky Bunch, lighting is by Tim Mascall and sound is by Tom Lishman, with music by Phil Innes. The production is presented by James Seabright.
When and where can I see it?
Potted Panto runs at the Apollo Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue from Sunday 6 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with the press performance on Monday 7 December 2026 at 7pm. It lasts about 70 minutes with no interval and is recommended for ages six and over.
Tickets currently start at £30. Potted Panto is booking now.
What else should I book if I like it?
Jack and the Beanstalk at the Hackney Empire, for a full-length traditional pantomime, with Clive Rowe directing and playing Dame Trot. From Saturday 21 November to Thursday 31 December 2026.
Christmas Carol Goes Wrong at Wyndham's Theatre, for more comedy that thrives on things falling apart: Mischief's Cornley Amateur Drama Society take on Dickens. From Friday 18 December 2026 to Saturday 23 January 2027.
Room on the Broom at the Lyric Theatre, for younger children: Tall Stories' hour-long staging of the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book, for ages three and up. From Friday 27 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027. Read our guide.
Peppa Pig's Big Family Show! at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, for the very youngest. From Friday 4 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.
For the rest of the season, see our guide to Christmas shows in London 2026.
