Elaine C Smith Honoured at The Pantomime Awards 2025 as Winners Announced Across the UK

UK Pantomime Association Celebrates National Talent at Star-Studded Ceremony in Woking

The UK Pantomime Association has revealed the winners of The Pantomime Awards 2025, in a glittering ceremony held on Sunday 13 April at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking. The event, hosted in partnership with Trafalgar Entertainment and ATG Entertainment, gathered performers, creatives and producers from across the UK to honour excellence in pantomime during the 2024–25 season.

The evening’s highest honour, the Outstanding Achievement in Pantomime award, was presented to Scottish stage legend Elaine C Smith in recognition of her decades-long contribution to the genre.

Celebrating Innovation, Inclusion and Tradition

In addition to competitive categories, the ceremony recognised organisations and individuals who embody the values of the UK Pantomime Association:

• He’s Behind You! received the Achievement in Inclusive Practice award for its progressive queer pantomimes.

• Oxford Playhouse was awarded for Achievement in Innovation for its creative reimaginings of classic tales.

• Brick Lane Music Hall was honoured with the Nigel Ellacott Special Recognition Award for commitment to pantomime heritage and tradition, including displays of memorabilia from iconic performers like Danny La Rue.

These awards reflect the Association’s ongoing mission to celebrate not only performance, but also the cultural and historical richness of pantomime.

Performance Highlights and Tributes

The evening featured performances by Anita Harris, Basil Brush, comedian Kevin Cruise, and Britain’s Got Talent finalist Jamie Leahey, while a moving In Memoriam segment paid tribute to members of the pantomime community lost over the past year.

Winners at a Glance

Highlights from the competitive categories include:

• Best Pantomime (Over 900 Seats): Snow White, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (Evolution Productions)

• Best Pantomime (500–900 Seats): Snow White, Loughborough Town Hall (Little Wolf Entertainment)

• Best Pantomime (Under 500 Seats): Dick Whittington and His Cat, Greenwich Theatre

• Best Direction: Chris Jordan – Snow White, Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne

• Best Comic: Steve Royle – Cinderella, Blackpool Grand Theatre

• Best Dame: Antony Stuart-Hicks – The New Adventures of Peter Pan, Mercury Theatre, Colchester

• Best Principal Lead: Mia Overfield – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fairfield Halls, Croydon

• Best Villain: Zoe West – Rapunzel, Everyman Theatre, Liverpool

• Best Script: Anthony Spargo – Dick Whittington and His Cat, Greenwich Theatre

• Best Newcomer to Pantomime: Owain Wyn Evans – Cinderella, New Theatre, Cardiff

• Best Costume Design: Katie Lias – Sleeping Beauty, Salisbury Playhouse