MEMBERS of a South Oxfordshire dramatic society will be pulling out all the stops to make their 30th anniversary pantomime one to remember.

The amateur actors Didcot Phoenix Drama Group are rehearsing hard to perfect their own version of Babes in the Wood — and promise it will be full of terrible jokes, flying custard pies and music.

And with the show being a combination of the traditional Babes tale with the legend of Robin Hood, there promises to be lots of plotting afoot — and the need for a hero to foil the baddies.

Three members of the group involved in this year’s show played a part in its first panto Puss in Boots in 1984 — Vaughn Lawfull and Jane Card, who will be playing Friar Tuck and Alana Dale, along with this year’s director Karen Carey. Vaughn’s daughter Corin also plays the principal girl Maid Marion at 17 — the same age at which her father appeared in his first show.

Written by Damian Trasler, David Lovesy and Steve Clark, all is not well in Nottingham with the wicked Sheriff (Doug Amos) growing rich on the many taxes he demands from the townsfolk.

And he is plotting to make himself even richer. The Babes Pip and Penny (Emily Redhead and George Brookes), recently orphaned and heir to vast fortunes, have been entrusted to his care, and he is hatching a horrible scheme to make sure he’s the one that inherits the cash and marries Maid Marion into the bargain.

With the Babes in peril, who can step forward to save the day — Robin Hood (Rebecca Norton), Nurse Molly Coddle (Martin Redhead), brainless wannabe outlaw “Dangerous” Dave (Mark Padbury) or the Woodland Fairy (Liz Hollis)?

Completing the cast are: Baldrick (Matt Duckett); Block (Kate Norman); Tackle (Jim Norman); Will Scarlett (Daisy Norton); Little John (Greg Greetham) and Dancing Mushroom (Christine Brett).

The show, which is stage managed by Soozy Smith, features music from John Farrington on guitar and Dan Reece on keyboards and the Step In Time dancers. The chorus is made up of Katherine Miller, Steve Dosset, Otto Baxter, Mabel Norton, Genevieve Carey, Annaliese Carey, Emilia Greetham, Rebecca Sadler, Izzy Driscol and Davina Tyrell.

Bob Philbrook, who has been producing stage sets for the group since 1986, has come up with the goods once again, assisted by his daughter Rebecca and Steve Graham.

If you want to see if the Sheriff is foiled in his evil plot, you will have to go along to Didcot Civic Hall on Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18, at 7.30pm, or to one of the two earlier Saturday shows at 10.30am and 2.30pm. Tickets at £8 and £5 are available from Didcot Civic Hall, online at www.didcotphoenixdrama.co.uk, by email from didcotphoenixdrama @hotmail.co.uk or on 07813 831040. Under-threes are free and there is a ten per cent discount on groups of ten or more when booked in advance.