COVER STORY
“WE HAD so much fun putting on the panto in Stoke-ontrent,” says CBBC favourite Mister Maker. The crafting expert – who can whip up all sorts of fun items in under a minute – was one of the familiar children’s entertainment stars who took part in the Cbeebies Christmas Show, Thumbelina, when it was filmed at the Regent Theatre in Hanley last month. The show is a unique adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen classic featuring a colourful spectacle of 60s-influenced music, dance and action-packed comedy – which went down a storm in front of a Potteries audience. Thumbelina boasts a starstudded cast packed with Cbeebies favourites. Mister Maker – real name Phil Gallagher – said: “It was brilliant to be in Stokeon-trent. “The Cbeebies Christmas Show is such a joy to be part of, but I have missed it the last few years. “I was so proud and excited to be in Stoke-on-trent. I took my Mister Maker live show to the city and it was lovely to be back. We received such a warm welcome from everyone and to perform at a wonderful theatre like the Regent was fantastic. It is such an exciting show this year. There’s always something special about it and the music gets better and better. We have a live band playing on stage. “It was also lovely to be reunited with Justin (Fletcher – the star of Justin’s House, also known as his alter-ego, Mr Tumble). We have been friends for years and became best buddies, but we have not been able to see a lot of each other lately. In the Christmas show, we were up on stage together as a comedy double act and we had a song. We had a lot of fun learning and performing it – I think the audience enjoyed it. It was wonderful. The Regent was full to capacity and it was so exciting for us. The audience is a huge part of the show and that really came through at Stoke-on-trent.” Alongside Phil, who plays Barney Toad, and Justin, who stars as Mrs Toad, Barney’s mother, the show stars Katrina Bryan – star of Nina and The (Swashbuckle),
Neurons, and Molly and Mack – as Thumbelina. They are joined by Andy Day (Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures), Ben Faulks (Mr Bloom), Aimee Campbellnottage (Magic Hand), Maddie Moate (Do You Know), Gemma Hunt
and Cbeebies presenters Ben Cajee and Evie Pickerill. Phil has now been starring as Mister Maker for 12 years, and in that time has kept children busy by showing them how to make thousands of different toys, models, pictures and games with his live shows and ongoing TV series.
But his own love of making goes back far further – his favourite was one his grandfather showed him when he was a child. Phil said: “Mister Maker is a special thing to be part of. I feel proud to work with a small, but talented team. I’m part of the team as well, I write the scripts for the shows and for the live shows I produce and direct. A lot of us have worked together for the full 12 years. “We are so passionate about coming up with new ideas. “My favourite ‘minute make’ was a pom-pom bug, a spider with googly eyes inspired by something I did with my grandad. I still have the bug I made with my grandad 30-something years ago. I do enjoy the ‘messy makes’. This year the most fun was a tennis ball we filled with gloop and threw at a wall. “I’m always working, I carry an ideas book with me and a pencil, I’m quite old school, I write everything down. “I love being Mister Maker, we are all so passionate about what we do.” n Thumbelina plays in cinemas across the nation on December 21, and will also be shown on Cbeebies that day.