But at Plumley Village Hall, the Camelot legend has been brought to life as a brand new panto for the millennium.

After three successful seasons of pantomimes in Plumley, including Snow White and Cinderella, the new show is a break from tradition.

For David Skaife, who is to play the lead role of King Arthur, the new panto is a chance to really play it for laughs.

"We picked King Arthur because it is a very funny script and a bit different," he said. "Guinevere is our panto dame."

And with a collection of magical characters, such as Merlin the magician and Morgana the evil witch coupled with the madcap farce of Sally Simple, this is certainly panto with a twist.

"This is Camelot as you know it, not as we show it," runs the promotion for the production which hints at the flight of fantasy.

The panto has been crafted entirely by members of Plumley Productions after raising £1,000 in funds, with set designs, lighting and costumes all carefully created by members of the community.

"People have developed artistic abilities they never even knew they had," said Gerry Chatburn, a former chairman of the village hall.

Even the actors have helped out with the production with Merlin the magician (aka Dave Evans) tweaking the electrics in the hall, a fitting role for the sorcer he plays on stage.

But for producer Plyn Aston, who started the annual Plumley panto, all credit must go to the children who act in the production, and have helped make the four performances a near sell-out - two weeks before the opening night. The only problem the company now face is fitting the 50 cast members on to the extended, but still tiny, stage at the village hall.

"We send the chorus of children on in two sections, so that Mums and Dads can pick out their child on the stage," said Ms Aston.

King Arthur - a pantomine adventure in Camelot opens at Plumley Village Hall on Thursday 18 January until Saturday 20 January.

PHOTO CAPTION :

THE KING AND I : David Skaife (King Arthur), Emily Gidman (Mordred), Lorna Wilson (Sally Simple) and David Evans (Merlin) prepare their lines, while Peter Frier and Gerry Chatburn get the stage in order for Plumley's panto