Creative Team

  • Matthew has appeared in seven Above The Stag pantomimes; in two seasons of family panto at the Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple; and in the nude in 46 Beacon at the Hope Theatre, Islington. At Trafalgar Studios he performed The Act, a play for one actor which he wrote with Thomas Hescott. It was recently made into a short film starring Samuel Barnett. He and Tom also wrote Outings, which enjoyed a successful run at Edinburgh featuring Simon Callow, Mark Thomas, Jim Davidson and many others. It also toured and was performed at the Lyric Theatre in the West End. Screen work includes Riviera (Sky Atlantic), the Michael Winterbottom movie Greed (BBC), short film The Dark Room opposite David Mitchell and Miles Jupp; EastEnders (BBC) and The Crown (Netflix). Matthew wrote “I Miss The War”, a new episode of Mark Gatiss’ Queers series for the BBC and the Old Vic, and is developing TV drama Max’s House for Balloon Productions.

Pantomime Dame

  • Andrew Beckett was Associate and then Artistic Director at Above The Stag Theatre, helming a string of hits including nine pantomimes, an award-winning production of Grindr: The Opera (Best New Musical, Off West End Awards) and a revival of Jonathan Harvey’s Boom Bang-A-Bang. At Theatre Royal Windsor he directed Handbagged, Dial M for Murder, Relatively Speaking and Joking Apart, and he has directed classic plays of all genres for Paul Taylor Mills’ rep seasons in Sidmouth.

Director

  • Jon’s award-winning play Animal, developed with disability activist Josh Hepple, was produced in 2023 by the Park Theatre, London and Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre. With Martin Hooper, Jon wrote Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick (He’s Behind You! at Charing Cross Theatre); 12 pantomimes for Above The Stag Theatre including Mother Goose Cracks One Out and Dick Whittington: A New Dick in Town, and since 2014 has written original songs for the shows. Also with Martin: Ghosted: Another Fucking Christmas Carol (The Other Palace); He Shoots! He Scores! and Get Em Off! (Above The Stag); and A Hard Rain (Above The Stag and, separately, Theater for the New City, New York). For television Jon wrote Missing Alice, an episode of Mark Gatiss’ Queers anthology series for BBC4, starring Rebecca Front as Alice, also performed live at the Old Vic Theatre; and the TV movie Romantic Friction. The scripts for Animal, A Hard Rain and Queers are available from Nick Hern Books. He’s Behind You! 11 Eleven Gay Pantomimes is available from Amazon and to order from Gays The Word and other bookshops.

Writer and Composer

Writer

  • Marin Hooper’s pantomimes include Sleeping Beauty Takes A Prick (He’s Behind You! at Charing Cross Theatre) and for Above The Stag: Dick Whittington: A New Dick In Town; Pinocchio: No Strings Attached; Mother Goose Cracks One Out; Sleeping Beauty: Rotten to the Core; Beauty on the Piste; Tinderella: Cinders Slips it In; Treasure Island: The Curse of the Pearl Necklace; Jack Off The Beanstalk; Get Aladdin; Sleeping Beauty: One Little Prick; Robin Hood: Queen of Thieves; and Dick Whittington: Another Dick in City Hall. They also co-wrote the musicals He Shoots! He Scores! and Get Em Off (Above The Stag) and the play A Hard Rain (Above The Stag and, separately, Theater for the New City, New York). 11 of the pantomime scripts are available in the book He’s Behind You! 11 Gay Pantomimes.

Producer

  • He’s Behind You was founded to bring alternative, adult pantomime into the West End. It is a collaboration between the creative team behind London’s best-loved adult pantomime series and producer Oli Sones. Oli has produced A Chorus Line at the London Palladium; Wasted at the Southwark Playhouse; 46 Beacon at The Hope Theatre and Trafalgar Studios; Another America and Dark Tourism at the Park Theatre. He was associate producer on Taken at Midnight at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. He has produced major musicals in Singapore, Malaysia, Monaco, Tel Aviv and Slovenia and the international tour of Joan Collins Unscripted. He has produced cabaret shows in London and New York.