It's behind you!

YOU LOVE pantomime! Oh, yes you do! Every year you flock to the theatre to see mother get goosed, a girl kiss Cinderella and the villain booed off stage.

The art form that had its origins in the Middle Ages started to be written off in the early nineteenth century. But this orgy of slapstick, cross-dressing, cringeworthy jokes, will probably have children screaming and parents chortling for ever.

Born of the medieval morality plays that used to be performed on the village green, and made slightly more sophisticated by the traditions of the Italian Commedia dell'Arte, pantomime is today performed in nearly every British theatre during the months of December and January. It gives resting actors the chance to camp it up outrageously as Mother Goose and budding starlets the opportunity to flash firm thighs as the Principal Boy.

Tradition has it that the villain is always the first to enter stage left (come on, let's hear that hissing). This is because in the morality plays the entrances to heaven and hell were stage right and left respectively.

The 'slapstick' actually existed as a cross between a sword and a wand with a wooden flap that Harlequin would carry around slapping against his thigh to send the instruction for a scene change.

The female Principal Boy is a Victorian tradition. The nineteenth century audience, hungry for titillation, were only allowed to see a pair of women's legs, if she was playing a man.

The Pantomime Dame tradition of casting a middle-aged male actor came about through the unwillingness of female actors to play such an unglamorous role. They all wanted to be Buttons or Dick to show off their legs.

Today, pantomime luxuriates in its lack of political correctness. Is this its enduring appeal A good mix of gender stereotyping and ambiguous sexuality is its very essence. No matter what changes occur in the world, if we can still laugh at the silliest, most obvious jokes at someone else's expense, and it's ok, then life can't be all bad.

Panto even has creative kudos. Whereas it used to be the winter refuge of the out of favour actor, nowadays they are queuing up to be Snow White or Dick or Dame Trott.

Come on, name your favourite. If it's Cinderella then the rest of the population is with you. It is by far the most often performed, with Aladdin, Dick Whittington (firm thighs, firm favourite), Snow White, Babes in the Wood and Jack and the Beanstalk following behind.

A trip to the panto is often a child's first introduction to the theatre. Can you remember yours What lasting impressions did it leave Were you with the hero or the villain Did you feel Cinderella's injustices Did you think Aladdin was a silly boy who should have listened to his mother

Or is panto a moribund art form that should have been consigned to amateur rep and the school assembly hall a long time ago Share your panto views and experiences by clicking here.