Note for confused Americans: the basic panto formula is to use one of a small number of stories, with a predetermined set of characters, as a framework within which topical jokes and slapstick are fitted fit in. And characters from other genres which are topical can make an appearance. I imagine Harry Potter and Gandalf will turn up in a few pantos this Christmas.

Cinderella; Mother Goose/Jack in the Beanstalk; Dick Whittington; Robin Hood (Babes in the Wood); Robinson Crusoe (rare); Aladdin; Beauty and the Beast; Sleeping Beauty; Puss in Boots. There are probably a few more.

This thread hasn't ever settled on which panto we are doing, which has rather piled on the confusion.