NEARLY 40 years after Jack Wild shot to fame as the Artful Dodger in the hit Oscar winning 60s musical Oliver!, his fans are in for a double treat.

At Christmas, not only is Jack starring as Baron Hardup in Worcester Swan Theatre's pantomime Cinderella, but HR Pufnstuf, the cult 70s children's show he starred in, is also set to be released on DVD just in time to make it into Christmas stockings.

Jack, now aged 52, who is currently recovering from an operation for throat cancer, was in the Faithful City on Monday along with his fellow cast members to get in the festive spirit and try out his costume for size.

Unable to speak after his vocal cords and tongue were removed in the operation, Jack let his fiancee Claire Harding, who is starring alongside him in Cinderella as the thigh-slapping Prince Charming, reveal some gems about his life.

"It was Phil Collins' mum that suggested he should go into showbusiness after she watched him and Phil playing football together in a London park - and the rest is history," she said.

"As soon as he found out he could make more money from being an actor than doing a milk round he was hooked."

Just 18 months later 15-year-old Jack was starring as the Artful Dodger alongside Ron Moody's Fagin and Oliver Reed's Bill Sykes.

"All the boys were terrified of Oliver Reed and he wanted them to be frightened of him, but they had a lot of respect for Ron," Claire said.

"He had real fun on the set and stays in touch with several of the original cast.

"This year he was lucky enough to be involved in a reunion with many of them which was filmed and will be on our screens in the near future."

Jack, who will have a silent part in Cinderella, met Claire when they starred together in Jack and the Beanstalk nine years ago.

"We have worked together on a few things but I'm really looking forward to being able to spend Christmas with Jack this year," she told the Evening News.

"We love working together and it definitely saves on the phone bill."

Audiences who saw last year's Christmas offering at the Swan will recognise one or two of the faces who enjoyed the experience of Dick Whittington so much they are back for a second year running.

Paul Tate, who played Sarah the Cook last year, has not only taken on the task of writing and directing this year's production, but he will also be starring as Trinny, one half of the ugly sister duo alongside first-time panto dame Chris Vincent as - yes, you guessed it - Susannah.

Paul promises Cinderella, which will be his 14th pantomime, will be an all-singing, all-dancing spectacular family event.

"I am a great believer in traditional pantomime and my year wouldn't be complete if I didn't take part in one," he said.

"It has a special place in my heart.

A visit to a pantomime might be a child's first experience of live theatre and I want to make it a magical experience for them."

He added the production will combine lavish sets and costumes, all the usual fun and jokes, with a mixture of high-energy song and dance routines sourced from musicals and modern pop songs.

Tickets for the show, which runs from Friday, December 10 to Saturday, January 1, 2005 are available from the box office on 01905 611427.

Why I was ticked off by council questions

A few months ago, I had a questionnaire through my door in Diglis from my local councillors.

There was a sizeable list of city issues, and I was asked to list what what mattered to me in order of importance.

I guess it was largely to show them where the "vote-winning" areas are so they can concentrate their political publicity on showing what they are doing in those areas.

Grabbing my pen with a great sense of purpose, I looked for the Arts box to place it Number 1. I agree I'm biased, but if we don't think that what we do in our job is important, no one else will for sure.

To my amazement and disappointment, there was not even an Arts or, if my memory is correct, a Leisure box to tick. There were about 14 boxes, so presumably, there are 14 areas of local government more important than the Arts.

Therefore, it can only mean that the politicians do not think there is any mileage in getting votes in this area, so the Arts will never be a priority.

And yet I would have to say that this is only a Worcester view, not a national one. Many local authorities give huge priority to the Arts, and believe them essential to the well-being of their area.

The support given by authorities to the Arts is often considered a vote-winner, because so many people are involved, either directly or indirectly.

Don't believe me? Look out for the next column, and I'll try to prove my point or at least argue it strongly.

Chris Jaeger is Director of Huntingdon Arts

Take a peek behind the Roses

THE Roses Theatre in Tewkesbury is set to raise the curtain on what goes on backstage on Saturday, October 23.

Visitors will be able to take a backstage tour, take a look at the role of the projectionist and participate in a series of taster sessions including drumming, face painting and singing.

There will even be an opportunity to experience two minutes of fame on stage, cut a CD, meet the star of this year's panto Priscilla Goose, and discover the magic of theatre with Roses' director Bob Hamlin.

And a surprise guest is all set to make an entry at some point during the course of the day.

The open day takes place between 11am and 5.30pm and entrance is free.