The UK Pantomime Association announces the winners of
The Pantomime Awards 2025
with Outstanding Achievement awarded to actress Elaine C Smith
On Sunday 13 April, the winners of The Pantomime Awards 2025,staged in partnership with Trafalgar Entertainment and ATG Entertainment, were announced by the UK Pantomime Association at a ceremony full of song and laughter at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking.
Elaine C Smith picked up the illustrious award for Outstanding Achievement in Pantomime for her exceptional contribution to the Pantomime Industry for many decades as one of Scotland’s best-loved pantomime legends. Elaine was also one of the Awards show’s trio of presenters, sharing the stage for the evening with fellow top performers, Dave Benson Phillips and La Voix.
The Special Recognition Awards, which celebrate productions and individuals representing the values that the Association seeks to promote, were given to:
- He’s Behind You! who received the award for Achievement in Inclusive Practice for celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and demonstrating that the genre has endless potential in their progressive queer pantomimes.
- Oxford Playhouse who received the award for Achievement in Innovation for their fresh and exciting re-appraisals of familiar fairytale narratives and innovative use of plot and character to create fresh and vibrant pantomimes fit for the 21st Century.
- Brick Lane Music Hall who received the Nigel Ellacott Special Recognition Award for Pantomime History, Tradition and Heritage, an accolade which was introduced this year in remembrance of the much-loved pantomime artist and historian who sadly passed away in 2024. This award was given to Brick Lane Music Hall for their commitment to the traditions and conventions of Music Hall and Victorian Pantomime and celebrating pantomime’s rich heritage throughout their venue with numerous poster displays and costumes from significant pantomime performers, including Danny La Rue.
In full, here is the list of The Pantomime Awards 2025 winners:
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
Ebony Clarke: Cinderella, Royal & Derngate, Northampton (Evolution Productions)
BEST LIGHTING (sponsored by Production Light and Sound)
Andy Webb: Sleeping Beauty, Festival Theatre, Malvern (UK Productions)
CARMEN SILVERA AWARD FOR BEST MAGICAL BEING:
Danielle Jam: Jack and the Beanstalk, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (Crossroads Pantomimes)
BARBARA WINDSOR AWARD FOR BEST PRINCIPAL LEAD
Mia Overfield: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Fairfield Halls, Croydon (UK Productions)
BEST SCRIPT:
Anthony Spargo: Dick Whittington and his Cat, Greenwich Theatre, London (In-House)
BEST SECONDARY LEAD:
Mia Welsh: Dick Whittington, Theatre Royal Windsor (In-House)
BEST VILLAIN (sponsored by Breckman and Company):
Zoe West: Rapunzel, Everyman Theatre, Liverpool (In-House)
BEST COMIC:
Steve Royle: Cinderella, Blackpool Grand Theatre (UK Productions)
BEST COSTUME DESIGN:
Katie Lias: Sleeping Beauty, Salisbury Playhouse (Wiltshire Creative)
CHRISTOPHER BIGGINS AWARD FOR BEST DAME
Antony Stuart-Hicks: The New Adventures of Peter Pan, Mercury Theatre, Colchester (In-House)
BEST DIRECTION
Chris Jordan: Snow White, Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne (Eastbourne Theatres in association with Jordan Productions)
BEST ENSEMBLE
Nikki Schofield, Alanna Panditaratne, James Everest, Ariel Nyandoro, Jacob Stebbings: Peter Pan, Victoria Theatre, Halifax (Imagine Theatre)
BEST CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC
Tayo Akinbode: Mother Goose, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto, Theatr Clwyd, Mold (In-House)
BEST SET DESIGN (sponsored by Blue-i)
Becky Minto: Mother Goose, Perth Theatre (In-House)
BEST SISTERS
Harry Howle and Steven Roberts: Cinderella, Cambridge Arts Theatre (In-House)
BEST SOUND (sponsored by Orbital Sound)
Kate Harvey: Jack and the Beanstalk, Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford (Imagine Theatre)
BEST SUPPORTING ARTIST
Marc Pickering: Snow White, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (Evolution Productions)
BEST NEWCOMER TO PANTOMIME
Owain Wyn Evans: Cinderella, New Theatre, Cardiff (Crossroads Pantomimes)
BEST NEWCOMER TO INDUSTRY
Emma Robertson: Snow White, Loughborough Town Hall (Little Wolf Entertainment)
BEST PANTOMIME (UNDER 500 SEATS) (sponsored by Showtime, a Howden Company)
Dick Whittington and his Cat, Greenwich Theatre (In-House)
BEST PANTOMIME (500 – 900 SEATS)
Snow White, Loughborough Town Hall (Little Wolf Entertainment)
BEST PANTOMIME (OVER 900 SEATS)
Snow White, Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield (Evolution Productions)
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN PANTOMIME
Elaine C Smith
ACHIEVEMENT IN INCLUSIVE PRACTICE
He’s Behind You!
ACHIEVEMENT IN INNOVATION
Oxford Playhouse
NIGEL ELLACOTT SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD FOR PANTOMIME HISTORY, TRADITION AND HERITAGE
Brick Lane Music Hall
The Awards ceremony featured special guest performances from entertainment legend Anita Harris, family favourite Basil Brush with award-winning comedian and cabaret performer Kevin Cruise (aka Martin Cabble-Reid) and ITV Britain’s Got Talent rising star ventriloquist Jamie Leahey.
The evening’s In Memoriam honoured and celebrated many of the special and talented friends that the pantomime industry has sadly lost this year from both on and off stage.
Simon Sladen, Chair of the UK Pantomime Association, said: “Huge congratulations to all of the nominees and winners at The Pantomime Awards 2025! What a wonderful evening to celebrate excellence across the pantomime industry and salute the talent, skill, passion, craftsmanship and expertise that goes into each and every season.”
This year’s Awards marked a significant new sponsorship partnership with Trafalgar Entertainment and ATG Entertainment (ATGE).
Chris McGuigan, Group Commercial Director for Trafalgar Entertainment, said: “Congratulations to all the winners and nominees at this year’s Panto Awards. Trafalgar is proud to co-sponsor this gloriously glittery evening as part of our ongoing commitment to pantomime as a genre. The ‘joyful chaos’ of panto season is a vital component of the regional theatre sector – and so it’s wonderful to celebrate it alongside many of the talented artists, acts, entertainers, writers, creatives, tech teams and producers who make it all happen. We’re already looking forward to hosting the event in 2026!”
Claire Dixon, Business Director for ATG Entertainment, said: “ATG Entertainment is honoured to co-sponsor the Pantomime Awards 2025 and extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Pantomime is a cherished tradition that brings joy to audiences of all ages, and we are proud to support and celebrate the extraordinary creativity, talent and dedication that make this artform so beloved.”
This year’s Pantomime Award nominations exemplified the breadth of on and off-stage talent, skill and enthusiasm across the country. For the full list of nominations, visit: pantomimeassociation.co.uk/the-uk-pantomime-association-announces-the-nominations-for-the-pantomime-awards-2025-celebrating-a-wealth-of-talent-across-the-uks-theatre-industry
Founded in 2021, the UK Pantomime Association (UKPA) is a charity that explores, shares and celebrates pantomime by investigating the genre’s rich past, engaging with contemporary practice and inspiring the future. During the 2024-25 pantomime season, the fourth year in which the Awards have taken place, The Pantomime Awards’ 52 judges collectively visited 216 venues to see over 496 performances, far and wide across the United Kingdom.