PANTO! tells the story of how a small community theatre fights to keep afloat in austere times. With arts subsidies slashed, the cast must rely on ticket sales to keep afloat. This hilarious backstage glimpse follows their attempts to rehearse, provide costumes and scenery on a minuscule budget. Malfunctioning pyrotechnics and a donkey costume that exposes more than expected are just some of the challenges they face.

With a cast of amateurs, some of the challenges are human rather than technical. The film follows their attempts to master the singing, dancing and acting required for a pantomime – a greater challenge than Shakespeare, according to one of the participants.

The film movingly uncovers what it means to the cast, reflecting the vital and life-changing role the theatre plays in people’s lives.

Screened to great acclaim on BBC Four during a packed Christmas TV schedule, the film was awarded Pick Of The Day in just about every newspaper and listings magazine.

At times this was quite a challenging observational documentary edit, with many cameras and characters to keep track of at certain points during the panto production. But by combining numerous points of view - from the front of house to the auditorium to the stage to the backstage and to the dressing rooms - the film was really able to capture the full impact of events both big and small. Not least when Puss in Boots loses his sword.