The team behind the children’s show ‘Crackerjack’ lead a host of BBC personalities in a comedic retelling of the classic pantomime.
This Christmas Eve special presents the story of Aladdin in a revue format, performed by a large cast of contemporary television stars. The familiar tale of a boy, a lamp, a princess, and a villainous magician is used as a framework for a series of comedy sketches and musical numbers. The ensemble includes regular presenters from the children’s show Crackerjack, pop singer Dana, comedy trio The Goodies, and the BBC’s resident dance troupe, Pan’s People, all performing roles within the narrative.
Titled in production as The Crackerjack Pantomime, this special was a prime example of the BBC’s strategy of building festive television events around its established stable of light entertainment talent. Rather than a straight adaptation, the programme transplanted the anarchic, sketch-based energy of its parent show into a pantomime structure. The production served as a crossover vehicle, bringing together the stars of children’s television like Michael Aspel, Peter Glaze, and Don Maclean with the more subversive comedy of The Goodies. The result was less a piece of theatre and more a classic 1970s variety hour, unified by a single, well-known story.
Broadcast: BBC One, 1 Episode, 24 December 1974
Written by: Bob Hedley, Tony Hare
Producer: Robin Nash
Director: Robin Nash
Choreography by: Flick Colby
Designer: Richard Morris
Music: Bert Hayes and His Orchestra
Main Cast: Michael Aspel, Jacqueline Clarke, Dana, Peter Glaze, The Goodies, Barrie Gosney, Derek Griffiths, Deryck Guyler, Jan Hunt, Don Maclean, Pan’s People, Ed Stewart, Richard Wattis
