CHRISTOPHER Lillicrap is the man behind The Proper Pantomime Company, and is currently directing a performance of Dick Whittington and his Cat at The Anvil.

When The Gazette catches up with him it's one week to first night, and rehearsals are in full swing.

The second thing you notice about him is that he's in there in the thick of it. The first is his amazing face. He should really be on the stage.

When asked whether he has ever been tempted to tread the boards himself, he ponders: "I once had to step in as understudy for a friend, who was playing Widow Twanky in Alladin. I had about an hour to rehearse, having been phoned that afternoon. I really didn't know if I knew the lines, but once on stage I was fine. In fact, I loved it.

"After that I made the decision to steer clear. I enjoy what I do for a living and it would be too easy to get side-tracked. I have huge diversity in my work as it stands, and acting wouldn't give me that."

He wrote the script for Dick Whittington, along with his wife, and has just produced the same panto for Worthing, which opens tonight.

"It's all about the cast," he says.

"This is a great cast. There's a really good feeling already. You can tell pretty quickly whether it's going to work."

Christopher has a hand in who plays lead, in conjunction with the theatre staging the production. "Famous faces on posters sell tickets, but if the panto doesn't work, then the children won't enjoy it. You can't fool kids, they know when something's funny.

"If the kids don't laugh, then the parents won't enjoy it and you're dead. Panto without laughter is not panto."

In the nine years that the PPC has been going, Christopher has produced around 50 pantos.

A talented team works with him to create something which is truly magical for children, preserving the essence of traditional pantomime.

"Monday lunchtime this week, when half the set went missing, was a pretty low moment.

The company who delivered it didn't have a clue, and I suddenly thought 'where the hell are we going to get a set from in five days?'

It turned up in Grimsby - after what was actually half-an-hour - but which felt like an age. We sorted it though, which is the key thing."

A successful pantomime is a well-oiled machine. Every scene is run through dozens of times in rehearsal.

A tinkle of keys on the piano can make all the difference to a scene with mice, and Christopher knows it.

This production will be put together in two weeks, which is amazing when you consider that most national theatre companies rehearse, on average, for eight weeks.

"As with all things, you fill the time you have," Christopher says.

"The performance I'm directing would be very different if we had eight weeks to rehearse. But you achieve a polished product after two if you work hard."

This panto has eight principals, an adult chorus of six, two troops of children and a seven-piece band.

All the singing is live and when the entire cast belt out one of the numbers the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

Real panto is an exhausting business that doesn't quite get the respect it deserves.

The laughs rely on intricately worked slapstick and the script has to work on two levels.

Christopher's called away from the rehearsal to wardrobe, where there's a mini-crisis evolving.

The Dame's "walkdown" costume for the finale has arrived, and apparantly looks "tired". A dress based on a wedding cake design is sitting in the middle of the room.

Christopher listens to what everyone has to say. "It's the kind of thing which probably looked great 20 years ago when Barbie still had all her legs," he decides. The bottom tier of the skirt has a row of can-canning Barbies attached.

The Dame has numerous fabulous costumes in this production, and with a bit of a re-jig the problem is sorted.

The cake/dress is lost in favour of a Liz Hurley number and everyone's happy.

"Often you just need to be an ear," Christopher says while rushing back to the rehearsal.

"They know what to do themselves, but just running it by me makes them feel happier about their decision."

Christopher has been involved in the arts for 30 years.

Originally trained as a teacher, he soon realised that he enjoyed entertaining the kids more than he enjoyed teaching them, and began work for a travelling theatre company.

Moving from there to work for a "theatre in education" company, he began presenting children's TV at the age of 26.

The next 10 years were filled with scriptwork for the BBC and more presenting until his face fell out of fashion.

This prompted his move into writing, which in turn led to the inception of The PPC.

Christopher has worked on three pantomimes this year and has a strong relationship with The Anvil, which he feels is a very special venue.

Other projects he is currently working on are the successful Number Time television programme, and El Nombre which will be appearing on TV in the new year.

"I've spent a long time pushing treacle uphill," he says, "and finally everything is coming together."

With writing books to accompany his children's series and his involvement in the community opera project taking place at The Anvil in the New Year, it's a wonder this man gets any chance to relax.

"I do go on holiday. I relax for about a week, and then I usually have an idea about something. I start writing and my wife says 'here we go again'. It'll be the same when I retire - I'll always be writing something."