You may be forgiven for thinking that stars don't look forward to the panto season all those months spent pursuing Chekhov and Ibsen roles, only to don a silly costume and entirely surrender your dignity at Christmas.

But some veterans of pantomime, Frazer Hines included, actively look forward to it.

"I love doing it," says the actor, who's playing Simple Simon in the Watersmeet Theatre's Jack and the Beanstalk. "And it's going very well. Everyone's laughing in the right places and booing in the right places. No one's been ill and nothing's fallen down!"

The actor, who cut his teeth with the high-profile role of Scots sidekick Jamie McCrimmon in Doctor Who in 1966 and then became an even better-known face as Joe Sugden in Emmerdale for 25 years, has always harboured a secret desire.

"Panto lets me be a comedian and I love making people laugh," says Frazer, who expressed a wish to be a comic in one of his first ever interviews for the Radio Times in the sixties.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to achieve that while playing Joe. "He had a sense of humour, but he did have his problems!" remembers Frazer, who left the long-lasting role five years ago.

"This is my 25th pantomime. When I was in Emmerdale I made sure it was in my contract that I had every Christmas off to do it," he grins.

For an actor who's spent his career doing serious drama, it's a very welcome change. "I love seeing all the kids' little faces," he smiles. "They come up on stage with me at the end and tell me their innermost secrets. It's great."

Frazer believes, too, that in spite of the ever more sophisticated competition of films and video games, pantomime will continue to go from strength to strength. "It's good, traditional theatre. It's updated every year with some up-to-date faces this year there are some of the Big Brother people doing it, for example but it continues to be good, family fun."

After Christmas Frazer is going to be busy with projects old and new. He's still in great demand at Doctor Who conventions, of which there's one in Los Angeles in February, and while he's there the actor will be again trying to find an outlet for the comedian inside.

"The nearest I've come to a role in a sitcom was playing myself in an episode of Duty Free!" he laments. "I'd love to do it, so I'll be following in the footsteps of Billy Connolly and Eric Idle and trying to get into comedy in the States."

Meanwhile, he's just enjoying the panto. "But it's not as easy as it looks. People have said to me, you must have a great time going on stage and messing around for two hours, but it's not like that," he says.

"You have to be on your best behaviour if a piece of scenery collapses, you can't swear because of all the children!"

Jack and the Beanstalk is at the Watersmeet Theatre, High Street, Rickmansworth until Sunday January 6.

Call 01923 771542 for performance times and tickets, which are £7.50-£12.

By.Vienna Leigh