Q&A with Panto Star James Mackenzie

What was the first pantomime you saw – and what was your reaction?
The first panto I saw was at the age of 4, it was Babes in the Wood in Inverness. My Dad is an actor and he was playing the Baddie, the Sheriff of Nottingham. I loved it, it was a bit strange that my dad was on stage and people were booing him, but I forgot all that as soon as I got asked to come up on the stage to meet the comic. “So what does your Daddy do?” asked the comic. “He works,” I replied. It got a huge laugh. That was it, I was hooked!

In Jack and the Beanstalk you play the villain Luke Backinanger. How can anyone take seriously a baddie with a name like that? How bad is he on a scale of 1 to 10?
Surely that’s the point, right? No one ever really takes a panto baddie too seriously, as they always have to be redeemed by the end, and find their inner goodness. For this reason I think Luke is a 7.5 on the baddie scale.

Goodie or baddie – which is best to play?
Baddie. I’ve always loved playing the baddie, getting the audience to boo you, and getting the kids screaming with a mixture of fear and excitement is priceless. It’s a whole lot of fun.

Was mysterious leather-clad, immortal warlord Raven – your character in the BAFTA award-winning CBBC show of the same name – a good guy or bad guy?
Oh he was definitely a good guy. He was there to guide the young warriors, to teach them the path of the good and true, to be a reassuring presence when facing the forces of evil, but he was a stern teacher.

Why did you once describe yourself as a ‘feathery Obi Wan-Kenobi’?
Who wouldn’t want to call themselves that?!! When Raven was recommissioned in 2017 after a seven year break, my character was brought back as a guide to the new young Raven. He was there as a sage and a confidante to help the new immortal warrior defeat the forces of evil.

The 15 series of Raven were screened all over the world. Do you still get recognised from the series or do today’s youngsters know you better for your current role in the CBeebies series Molly and Mack?
Yes I still do get recognised for Raven, it’s garnered cult status amongst the late 20 somethings. Of course now I get recognised just as much by little ones for Molly & Mack. The thing that makes me feel really old is when someone says, “Oh I used to watch you in Raven, I loved it. And now my kids love watching you in Molly & Mack.” That’s when my grey hair feels particularly apparent.

Your father Michael Mackenzie was an actor so was it inevitable you went into the ‘family business’?
I think it probably was. It felt familiar, and to be honest it was the only thing I was really ever good at. I was always adequately academic, however acting and performing was my happy place, the only thing I seemed to excel at. Well when I say excel, I mean, I was better than adequate.

Is it true he once auditioned to play James Bond – and do fancy being the next 007?
Yes, he auditioned for the eventual George Lazenby Bond. How cool would it have been to say ‘my dad is James Bond?!’ I’d love to play him, absolute career goal, however I think that ship has definitely sailed, and a middle-aged bearded Scotsman is probably not what the Bond producers have in mind for their eponymous hero.

Interview by Steve Pratt.

Jack and the Beanstalk, York Theatre Royal | 08 Dec 2023 – 07 Jan 2024