CUSTOMS House boss Ray Spencer has pulled off a real pantomime coup by persuading top North-East TV boss Graeme Thompson to both write and direct Jack And The Beanstalk at the South Shields venue this Christmas. And ITV Tyne Tees managing director Graeme admits that colleagues are slightly bemused by his announcement that he's taking a holiday in November to work just as hard on running a panto. Not only that, but Graeme has persuaded regional TV star John Grundy to make his professional stage debut as The King.

Graeme and Ray Spencer have been friends since amateur theatre days in South Shields. "I didn't play in pantomime, I did plays but Ray launched himself into pantomimes and I used to go along, first as a spectator then as front of house and other jobs. That's really where I became hooked on pantomimes. Then Ray and I went our separate ways and I went into journalism and he continued treading the boards (best-known as Tommy the Trumpeter)."

Graeme went into newspapers in London and the Midlands and in the mid-1980s moved to a village near Thirsk. "When they found out I was a journalist they asked if I'd be interested in writing the village pantomime so I kind of rediscovered panto while taking my children to see Ray in panto at South Shields. I wrote my first one in about 1985 and found I really enjoyed it. My bookshelves are heaving with books about the history of pantomime and biographies of performers like Arthur Askey and Roy Hudd. So that was how it started."

He and Ray continued to collaborate on scripts and the artistic director came up with a Christmas cracker of an idea when he was battling to run a theatre and panto last year.

"We've been on the same wavelength about pantomime for quite a few years now. Last year, Ray had a really difficult year. He was the director of the Customs House, about to embark on a major refurbishment programme, he had a lot of work to do with new writing and he was writing, directing and starring in the pantomime over a five-week run. I just think he was completely run ragged. We were having a glass of wine one night when he said 'could you write and direct next year's pantomime?'"

Graeme admits that the fact he's the busy boss of the region's biggest commercial TV station didn't sink in until after he'd said yes. "I said 'yes' straight away. There is something about the Customs House pantomime which is very special and part of it is the relationship that Ray Spencer and his co-star Bob Stott have had over the past 32 years, but it's partly to do with the venue and also partly to do with audience. The audience is like the 12th man in the football team, they are amazing."

He feels the traditional family pantomimes presented are the secret, with slapstick farce for children and something for adults as well. "It's a terrific formula and I've got no intention of meddling with that."

Colleagues at Tyne Tees were already aware that Graeme was interested in theatre and the arts because he has produced TV dramas in the North-East and currently chairs Newcastle's Live Theatre. "But I'm also going to have to take some time off work to do this and I think they view it as a fairly weird way to spend a holiday."

His knowledge of current affairs will obviously come in useful and Graeme says: "I'd be very surprised if the Foreign Secretary (David Miliband, the MP for South Shields) and South Shields Town Hall don't feature in the script and jokes may change from night to night." Rehearsals start on November 26 and work has started on music and songs plus a top secret way of bringing the giant to life on stage. One song will be based around star name David Ducasse's Eurovision entry of Flying The Flag with Scooch.

Graeme adds: "I've twisted the arm of John Grundy to make his pantomime debut. He'll be playing King Grundy and he's a bit of an actor himself as you'll know from some of the early series he did for ITV. He dressed up as the person from history he was presenting and acted on TV for some time. He's never done a professional show before but I think he's going to be a revelation.