YOU know the face, you know the cheeky grin.. and finally after a year-long intermission, he’s back.

After coronavirus put paid to last year’s pantomime at the Towngate Theatre, Simon Fielding and his cast are determined to make this year’s Christmas offering more magical than ever.

By all accounts - and if soaring ticket sales are anything to go by- it is. Although Beauty and the Beast has only just begun its seven-week run at the St Martin’s Square venue, audience feedback is that it’s certainly bringing some much-needed levity and joy to town.

“What can I say, except it is just so amazing to be back. We are all genuinely thrilled,” said Simon, who plays ‘Villy’ in the production (that’s short for village idiot).

“Some nights I go out on stage, I see the front row, and I recognise the audience sitting there from so many pantos past. I just feel so happy that after everything that everyone has been through we are finally back. We just want to give people a couple of hours of pure entertainment and laughs because we all certainly need it.”

Last Christmas was a strange one for Simon, who turns 48 today. For the first time in almost three decades the amiable actor was not bounding about on stage at the Towngate. On the plus side he got to spend time with his husband and  two young daughters, but it just wasn’t the same.

“We were like everyone else,” he said. “We made grand plans to go abroad, then that went pear-shaped because of all the restrictions. Then we decided to rent a lovely house in the Cotswolds for everyone to get together and of course then that wasn’t allowed either.”

Since he took over the helm of the Basildon panto 14 years ago and transformed the fortunes of the theatre, Simon’s own Christmasses have been sacrificed for the love of a very appreciative audience. He lives, eats and breathes it each year.

Simon gets the train home to London each night after every high-octane show, and admits he feels the aches and pains a bit more than say a decade ago, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I often wonder if I’ll be doing this and still performing at the Towngate when I’m in my seventies. I hope I will. I can’t think of a time that I will ever want to give it up.”

Beauty and the Beast has been two years in the making, and because they’ve had longer to prepare- albeit under challenging circumstances- Simon believes this year’s production really does bring some extra enchantment.

He said: “There’s something about the story of Beauty and the Beast that is just timeless. It’s not a traditional panto, so at first I was a bit unsure about it, now I know it’s the best choice we ever made. We have a fantastic cast and some really memorable scenes, including ‘the ballroom scene’ which is breathtaking. There are parts of the show that are a little bit scary too, such as the haunted bedroom scene, but I think children want to be a bit scared.”

Simon is proud that the panto again features local dance school students, as it does each year. With strict Covid measures in place to protect them and the rest of the cast, he says the children help to make the panto great. 

The show isn’t a reproduction of the Disney classic (although you can expect to see gorgeous yellow Belle dress), but more of a throwback to the classic fairytale.

It has everything you’d expect from a Fielding festive, including dance routines, a panto dame, jokes and quips galore, and this year an unforgettable tongue twister skit.

Simon, who writes, produces, directs and starts in the show, has faced extra hurdles in getting the production off the ground this year.

“Put it this way I was one hour away from the deadline of getting a lighting technician at one point,” he said.

“The virus and lockdowns have decimated the theatre industry and it has been more difficult to find technical staff as many have been forced out into new careers. I was on holiday abroad in the summer, and  I was on the phone so much with people back home trying to recruit staff for the show that I was known by everyone in the hotel as ‘The bloke who’s always on his phone by the pool!”

Among the cast is Essex-based actress Sophie Ladds, who has been part of the panto for several years . Always at her best when she plays a baddie, Sophie is taking on the role of the wicked governess, Villeneuve.

Simon said: “She’s so talented and we are great friends. 

“Anyone who comes to the panto every year will know Sophie does a different accent each time. You’ll have to wait and see what she’s got in store this year!”

Beauty and the Beast is on at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon until January 3.

Tickets start from £12.50.