Berwick Kaler (born 31 October 1946) is a British actor most famous for playing the

dame ''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...

York Theatre Royal York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to offe ...

's annual

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...

, which he also wrote and directed. He has been awarded the freedom of the city, and in 2002 received an honorary degree from the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for post-nominals) is a collegiate research university, located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, co ...

. 11 March 2009. Having grown up in "the slums of

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

", Kaler left school at 15 to seek success on the London stage. He got taken on at Dreamland in

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

to learn his trade.Archived
11 March 2009. He has had TV roles in such shows as ''

The New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'', ''

Crocodile Shoes ''Crocodile Shoes'' is a British 13-part television drama set across two series and was made by the BBC. It was screened on BBC1 in 1994 (Series 1) and in 1996 (Series 2). The first series, comprising seven episodes, was written by and starred ...

'', ''

Auf Wiedersehen, Pet ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' () is a British comedy-drama television programme about seven British construction workers who leave the United Kingdom to search for employment overseas. In the first series, the men live and work on a building site in ...

'' and '' Spender'' as well as steady theatre work. However, it is his role in the York pantomime that has won him the most acclaim. Many pantomimes in recent years have relied heavily on celebrity guest stars and risque humour. Kaler's pantos reject this and hark back to a more traditional form of pantomime. Kaler comments: "I want everyone to laugh at the same joke". Kaler's central role in writing, producing and directing has led Dominic Cavendish of ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' to call him the "panto's biggest asset and its biggest liability." Kaler has assembled a cast of actors who regularly return to the panto. Towards the end of each

at the Theatre Royal in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Berwick Kaler throws Wagon Wheels, as one might a

Frisbee A frisbee (pronounced ), also called a flying disc or simply a disc, is a gliding toy or sporting item that is generally made of injection molded, injection-molded plastic and roughly in diameter with a pronounced lip. It is used recreational ...

, to the audience, as well as handing out a bottle of

Newcastle Brown Ale Newcastle Brown Ale is a brown ale, originally brewed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Launched in 1927 by Colonel Jim Porter after three years of development, the 1960 merger of Newcastle Breweries with Scottish Brewers afforded the beer na ...

to a father seated in the stalls. In November 2010 Kaler followed in the footsteps of actress

Jean Alexander Jean Margaret Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ''Co ...

and TV presenter Harry Gration in switching on the Christmas lights in the village of

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur ma ...

. In recognition of the village's Victorian market he dressed as

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

, something he often does in each pantomime. During the event, he was appointed Honorary Dame of Burn. In 2012, he was featured on the documentary '' Michael Grade's History of the Pantomime Dame'', which also featured clips from the 2011 pantomime ''The York Family Robinson'', a parody of the novel

The Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwr ...

by Johann David Wyss. The programme aired in December 2012 on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

. He officially retired from the York pantomime in February 2019. His 'glitterball' costume from the final performance, was donated to

York Castle Museum York Castle Museum is a museum located in York, North Yorkshire, England, on the site of York Castle, which was originally built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The museum itself was founded by John L. Kirk in 1938, and is housed in prison b ...

and went on public display on 1 May 2019. Despite retiring, Kaler was still heavily involved in the 2019 panto 'Sleeping Beauty', as he wrote the script, co-directed (with Matt Aston) and appeared via films that were screened on stage. The panto was poorly received and led to the Theatre Royal seeking a new change of direction for their future pantomimes, citing poor ticket sales as the main reason (something Kaler disputed). This led to an acrimonious split with the Theatre Royal which became known as 'Panto Wars'. Berwick left retirement in 2021 to reunite with his cast members for 'Dick Turpin Rides Again' at a new venue, The Grand Opera House, York, after changes to the

creative team. However, he was forced to pull out of the production after testing positive for Covid-19 and wrote a letter, read out during the final performance, by stand-in dame Alan McHugh.

Selected appearances

*''Michael Grade's History of the Pantomime Dame'' (2012) as himself. *''

A Knight's Tale ''A Knight's Tale'' is a 2001 American medieval adventure comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film stars Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, a peasant squire who poses as a knight and competes in tournaments, win ...

'' (2001) as Man in Stocks *''

The Worst Witch ''The Worst Witch'' is a series of children's books written and illustrated by Jill Murphy. The series are primarily about a girl who attends a witch school and fantasy stories, with eight books published. The first, ''The Worst Witch'', was ...

'' (1998–1999) as Frank Blossom. Left after Series 2. *'' Jude'' (1996) *'' Spender ''(1991-1993)'' ''as Detective Sergeant Dan Boyd'' *''

A Very British Coup ''A Very British Coup'' is a 1982 novel by British politician Chris Mullin. The novel has twice been adapted for television; as '' A Very British Coup'' in 1988 and as '' Secret State'' in 2012. Plot Harry Perkins is the left-wing Leader of th ...

'' as Smith *''The Man With Two Heads'' (1972) *''The Rats Are Coming, The Werewolves Are Here'' (1971) *''Nightbirds'' (1970) *''Bloodthirsty Butchers'' (1970) *''The Body Beneath'' (1970) *'' Annie Get Your Gun'' (1986) as Foster Wilson and

Chief Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( lkt, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against United States government policies. He was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock ...

References

External links

Review
in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'' of ''The Lad Aladdin''
2004 interview
with Kaler in the ''Independent''.

with Kaler in ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

''. *
York Theatre Royal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaler, Berwick 1946 births Living people Pantomime dames British mimes Actors from County Durham Male actors from Tyne and Wear People from Sunderland