The Mayflower theatre, Southampton until January 20

SPARE a thought for Kate Ritchie this Christmas. The Home and Away star, who plays Alice in Dick Whittington at The Mayflower, will be far away from home this Yuletide for the third year in a row, thanks to her popularity in panto season.

"Christmas is very different here and I'm only just getting used to it," says the Antipodean soap star.

"For the first few years, it didn't feel like Christmas at all.

"I'm used to getting up in the morning and it being really hot outside and probably having eaten our Christmas dinner the night before because it's too hot to cook during the day.

"The funny thing is, even in Australia in the heat, all our Christmas cards have pictures of snow and things like that on them."

But Ritchie does not regret foregoing the pleasures of spending Christmas on the beach in favour of Southampton in the sleet.

"It is a long way from home but I do love to come over and I love doing pantomime, so I guess it is worth giving up eight weeks of summer back home."

Unfortunately for Ritchie, if she wants to take part in panto, she has to travel halfway round the world.

"In Australia we do have pantomime, but not on the scale it is here - it's really an amateur thing.

"It's a pity, because it's a great way to get kids into the theatre and an alternative form of entertainment to sitting in front of a TV or a computer.

We just don't have a panto tradition in Australia - the audiences probably wouldn't know when to boo and hiss.

"It seems as though here it's something that's bred into you."

British sense of tradition and heritage is something that Ritchie enjoys about visiting this country.

"I can't get over how old everything is over here.

"There's so much history and tradition here, it makes you notice how relatively young and new Australia is.

"It's funny, because you look at buildings and think, 'that was built before Australia was even discovered!'"

For tickets and more information, call 023 8071 1811.

SALLY CHURCHWARD