Some fans attending the London Palladium to watch the festive season production of Sleeping Beauty were left unimpressed by Catherine Tate and Julian Clary’s panto
19:31, 21 Dec 2025Updated 21:19, 21 Dec 2025
A 2025 panto starring Catherine Tate has been review bombed by unimpressed audience members(Image: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for BAF)
The London Palladium annual panto is being reviewed poorly by angry audience members who are complaining about everything from the all-star cast and the price of tickets to the ‘tired’ script. The infamous annual Christmas theatre show is currently tackling the story of Sleeping Beauty.
Huge stars from the worlds of comedy and TV are taking part – with Catherine Tate, Julian Clary and Nigel Havers among the cast. But with tickets ranging in price from £37 to £220, some theatre goers have been left feeling short-changed over the performances and lack of laughs.
However, a tidal wave of support for the cast and the show has been summoned after bad reviews went viral – with many praising the show. And while some sensitive theatre attendees have complained about some of the raunchy content in the show, others have pointed out that innuendo is a standard component of any panto, and flagged that a parental advice warning is already listed on the ticket website.
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Julian Clary has also been targeted by negative reviews(Image: Richard Maude)
Fans praising the show have flooded Instagram and X to support those on stage – with one writing: “It’s brilliant, great cast with wonderful costumes,” and another commenting: “Saw it today. Loved every minute of it.”
And rounding on criticism, one fan wrote: “The headline act is Julian Clary. People expecting child friendly were stupid. It was exactly what we expected when we saw it. Also, Catherine Tate was the least smutty of all the main acts.”
The supportive comments come after travel site TripAdvisor was bombarded with negative reviews about the comedy show. One wrote: “Julian Clary usually has us in fits of laughter, but even he seemed a shadow of his zany panto self. I sensed that many of the cast realised this years material was falling short.
The current production is due to run until 11 January 2026(Image: The London Palladium)
Catherine has been defended by many fans(Image: Getty Images)
“Reliably hilarious skits felt tired, a lot of gags lacked the genius wit of old, and the customary, easy flow was just missing. With the exception of Catherine Tate’s well received ‘Nan’ sketch, the audience was notably more subdued than I’ve ever witnessed.”
But another quipped: “Catherine Tate was very dull. I’m not sure I’ll bother next year which is a shame because it’s been a tradition for us for the past 9 years.” While another typed: “Couldn’t bring myself to clap. An adult show without children in mind. A grim, lazy tirade of innuendos.”
Others complained about the cost of tickets, with one writing the felt “very disappointed” after splashing out large sums for seats. And another swiped: “The audience reaction this week was clearly muted, and no standing ovation at the end.”
Amid the negative reviews are some hopeful comments, with one writing: “Went to watch sleeping beauty panto, absolutely brilliant. Lovely theatre and staff were great.” And another praised the show as well as the venue and the staff.
Sleeping Beauty is set to run until Sunday 11 January. The Mirror has contacted representatives of the Palladium Theatre and members of the cast for comment.
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