CBeebies Panto: 'How we brought Cinderella to Bradford in its City of Culture year'

As a boy, inside the theatre, he had watched with awe his first stage show – a production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Years later, at 25, the shoe was on the other foot for the CBeebies presenter, who joined a cast of familiar faces from the children’s television channel for the recording of the annual panto back in October. Undoubtedly, some of the dozens of boys and girls who made up the audience, alongside their family members, would have been seeing live theatre for the very first time.

“They look up to us and being a role model for them is really lovely,” says Webster, who caught the eye of CBeebies producers several years ago after appearing in a BBC Bitesize video dispelling myths about Down’s Syndrome, a condition he lives with. “I love being a role model for kids with all abilities. They can look up to their dreams. Seeing people like me on CBeebies is inspiring for them.”

This year’s panto is a retelling of the classic tale of Cinderella and stars Justin Fletcher, Rhys Stephenson and Joel Mawhinney among the cast. It began a limited cinema release on November 21 and today comes to the CBeebies channel and BBC iPlayer, before a BBC One transmission over the festive period. Bradford was chosen as the place to host the production, as part of the 2025 City of Culture celebrations.

It’s a city close to the heart of Webster, who is from Rawdon, Leeds and attended Shipley College in the Bradford district. "I love being involved in CBeebies pantos because they’re always so magical and full of adventure,” he says. “And they always have a message for the kids and their grown ups to take away too. It’s so much fun and seeing the children’s reactions is magical...This year, it was so special to perform in Bradford, to be on stage in Yorkshire, as a Yorkshireman, especially in the City of Culture year.”

The show, which has been adapted by writer Chris Hannon, was nearly two years in the making. It takes inspiration from its host city, representing aspects of Bradford culture in the performance, as well as in the set and music.

The stage design, for example, was inspired by the city’s distinctive Yorkshire sandstone and architecture, whilst one of the musicians is a local Bradford dhol drum player. The show itself is based around Bradford’s Mirror Pool, the country’s largest urban water feature and a place that hosts many of the city’s cultural events, bringing people together.

Anna Perowne, executive producer of the panto, says the team doesn’t want to “compete” with commercial pantos. “If we did exactly the same, it would potentially take audiences away,” she says. “We always want to create something that’s unique.”

Perowne, who is Executive Producer for BBC Studios Kids and Family, says creators drew on input from local people to adapt the story. “We started our process of thinking about the story and how we could root it in Bradford in a way that would celebrate Bradford but that would resonate with children and families across the UK,” she explains.

“Every minute and every word has got to count and it was lovely to hear people’s thoughts and pride in Bradford and the identity of Bradford. The thing that came out was how so many different cultures and people and experiences exist together in that city.

"We knew that needed to absolutely be at the heart of our story. It’s a challenge to take a well-known fairytale and bring it up to date without losing the heart of the story. From our conversations came the theme of everybody has got their thing - it might be different but it’s to be celebrated, enjoyed and shared with each other.”

CBeebies presenter Evie Pickerill, who plays Cinderella in the show, hopes viewers will take away that message. “The story is not typically what we all know as Cinderella, which I think CBeebies do so well (with their adaptations of popular tales) every year,” she says. “There’s always a lovely twist to them…

"I think the message within this show is all about being proud of who you are and being confident in what you do. I hope that children, and parents, come away feeling inspired - it’s all about believing in yourself and reminding yourself that no one else can do what you do. I think we all need to be reminded of that no matter how old we are.”

Panto season is now in full swing and Pickerill is also taking to the stage in Aladdin at the Sheffield Lyceum this December, continuing her tradition of live family theatre. With the CBeebies productions being recorded however, she says the pantos are often enjoyed year-round by families.

“They are the highlight of the year I think for all of us CBeebies presenters,” she reflects. “They're so much fun and they give us the chance to connect with an audience on an even bigger level. You get to have audience participation and reaction with the live shows but then it continues in cinemas and also with iPlayer and Cbeebies.

"The great thing about these shows is, although they are created for Christmas, families watch them all through the year. You’ll hear families say we’ve got Robin Hood on all the time - they’re just staples in households which is a wonderful thing. They bring so much joy to everyone, including us.”

As Perowne begins to think about the 2027 CBeebies panto offering, she hopes that continues. "The shows are created with love and everybody knows that there’s an audience we love creating for,” she says.

“The pantos are such a tangible reminder of the amazing diverse audience that we can reach. Everybody who works on the productions, whether on stage or building the set, writing the songs, making the logistics work, everybody does it because they’re passionate about it.”

- The 2025 CBeebies pantomime Cinderella will be available to watch on iPlayer from today.