By Brian Beacom

PANTO stars such as Elaine C. Smith and the Krankies could be coming back to Glasgow this year.

And it’s thanks to a major change in the the producers who run the King’s panto.

Ambassador Theatre Group have now dissolved their 12 year-old panto production outfit.

ATG have announced a new partnership with the UK’s leading pantomime producer Qdos Entertainment.

However, Qdos already produce the successful Clyde Auditorium panto, which has starred the likes of John Barrowman, The Krankies and this year, Marti Pellow in Aladdin.

But Qdos producer Michael Harrison, with 36 pantos under his aegis, maintains however there is no real conflict of interest.

“The style of show at the SECC has been very different than that of the King’s,” he said.

“That’s what we will keep in mind. And there is always a huge variety in Qdos pantos themselves, with the content geared to suit the venue.

“The idea is to get the right shows at each of the Glasgow venues which don’t really compete, but complement each other.”

Michael Harrison’s Qdos currently produces pantos at His Majesty’s in Aberdeen, starring Elaine C. Smith and Qdos currently feature the Krankies at the Birmingham Hippodrome. There is a real chance we will see these acts playing musical chairs and coming to Glasgow.

“It’s happened all so quickly,” says the producer of the Qdos panto take over.

“But what I can say is the acts are all out of contract, which means they are up for grabs, except for the (King’s Theatre) Edinburgh boys Andy Gray and Allan Stewart) who are tied up for a couple of years.

“It’s a case of sitting down carefully, deciding what’s best for the venues, talking to the venues and then of course listening to the artists, who will have a say in where they prefer to perform.”

The producer, who is behind West End hits such as The Bodyguard and the upcoming Young Frankenstein, adds; “The Krankies are having a fantastic time at the Birmingham Hippodrome, but I know for sure they will want to come back and play their home town at some time.”