A classically trained actor, Adam Price says there’s an art to playing the Dame that is only just being fully recognised both inside and outside the acting profession.

“I think Dame had lost her way a bit, but since Ian McKellen played Widow Twankey at the Old Vic just over ten years ago it has rightly become a recognised craft in its own right,” explains Adam, who has been playing Dame for more than 30 years.

“There are some brilliant Dames and they do Dame year after year after year and I take my hat off to them, but I still like to think of myself as an actor that can do Dame.

"Her job is to be the confidante of the audience. You’re the bridge between the audience and the rest of the characters. You’re the knowing wink, you share the secret; you’re the one to be trusted. I like a Dame that’s earthy and real. I’ve seen a few pantomimes where they cast the Dame a little young and it becomes a drag act type of thing so the edges become quite blurry and you don’t quite know if it’s a man or a woman.

“I always like to think that my Dame comes straight from the script. That’s what you have to do as a storyteller and be totally believable in what’s going on in the plot and then anything you can dress on top of that helps. That’s where the character comes from and that’s where that relationship with the audience comes from.”

A vastly experienced pantomime Dame, Adam learned even more about life in a dress through his long association with the musical Hairspray – he was in the original West End cast in 2007 and has just finished a two-year touring run.

“For two years I was Michael Ball’s alternate as Edna Turnblad and used to go on for him every Monday. Playing Edna is a completely different ball game because you are an actor playing a woman, literally playing it for real as a woman.

"It was the most fantastic opportunity and it lends itself towards the Dame because you learn to know when to allow the harshness comes through, but also to allow the lovability to come through. With Edna the audience has got to forget that it’s a man, but as Dame every so often they have to be reminded.”

Obviously, Dame’s make up is a vital part of the character – the accentuated eyes, rosy lips and full cheeks. The connection with clown make up is clear.

“It’s extraordinary because I used to be really scared of clowns when I was a kid,” says Adam, “they used to scare the life out of me. Basically my make up for Dame is based on clown make up, but because it’s blended with everything else in the show it’s not scary for the children. It’s got to be very welcoming and they’ve got to be your best friends. You don’t want to terrify them!”