You don’t have to go to one of the big theatres to enjoy a good panto this winter.

Blackeyed Theatre’s Beauty and the Beast, adapted from Perrault’s original by Tom Neill, is playing in the cosy intimacy of Didcot’s Cornerstone Arts Centre and Henley’s Kenton Theatre in the fortnight leading up to Christmas.

So, if you like your panto up close and personal, this is the one for you.

“They are lovely little theatres, and perfect for a Christmas show,” enthuses Ben Watson, who plays pompous manservant Marcel Dumbell. “They remind me of when I was a kid and used to come along to see this kind of show, so it’s fantastic to be involved in it.”

Closely following the traditional 17th-century tale, with plenty of slapstick, audience participation and original music, this adaptation introduces you to the lovely Belle (played by Theresa Broadway) and a Beast so hideous he is shocked by his own reflection (Henry Douthwaite).

Add to that the Queen of Hearts (Heather Wilson), the aristocratic Jacques Ame (Murray Smith) and, of course, Dumbell, and an exciting, fun-filled evening is guaranteed.

“It’s so well written — the characters are detailed and there’s a good plot, so it’s got a real flavour to it,” Ben tells me. “As rehearsals have gone on, the odd topical piece has gone in, but we’re not journeying out of the world too far.

“It’s not like some pantos where every five minutes we’re talking about The X-Factor or Cheryl Cole. This show’s embedded in a world. There are some moments where we refer to modern culture, but everything’s very much based in that world.”

For Ben, who trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and has a string of comedy roles to his credit, Marcel Dumbell is a dream part.

“He’s a lot of fun to play. He’s very arrogant and loves himself completely. He thinks everyone loves him, but in fact he’s a bit of a buffoon, a bit of an idiot, and nobody really loves him.

“He’s very self-deluded. He’s in love with Belle, but he’s in love with himself more, and can’t understand why Belle doesn’t love him.

“He’s about as over the top as you can get. So I’m running around being the comedy fall guy. He’s involved in a lot of slapstick routines and gets pushed around a lot. I don’t think he’s a bad guy — he’s too much of an idiot to be bad — but he’s easily led.”

Ben has recently toured in The Jungle Book and The Blues Brothers, and earned himself a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the longest-running comedy show with his sketch show, Newsrevue.

“It’s what I love doing,” he says. “I love trying to make pulling faces into an art form, and make a living out of just mucking around!”

If you want to see Ben pulling faces and mucking around, head for Didcot or Henley this December to catch him and the rest of the Beauty cast in action. But be quick, because tickets for both venues are selling fast.

Beauty and the Beast is at the Cornerstone, Didcot, from December 15 to 19 (Box office: 01235 515144) and the Kenton Theatre, Henley, on December, 22, 23, 24, and 26 (Box office: 01491 575698).