While in England I also met for the first time Jim Sperinck - the publisher and lead pantomime writer for Jasper Publications http://www.amdram.co.uk/jasper/index.html. which I represent in Australia and New Zealand. Jim's biggest hit is Panto at the Ok Coral.
Last year Jim was shocked to see that his company made the front page, page 3 ( with a comment from a scantily clad woman ) and the editorial and feature pages of the famous Murdoch rag the London Sun. The front page banner headline was " Bunch of Dopeys" . The big news was that someone complained that one of the pantomimes he publishes was.....politically correct.
Jim tried to explain that his writer Doreen Moger did not censor the word dwarf to avoid offending short people. Rather the reason she called them gnomes to make it easier for amateur theatres to cast the pantomime with their members.... tall people. But on an on the Sun thundered - even coming up with new politically correct names for the Dwarfs for instance - Dopey : Vertically challenged person with special teaching requirements. Jim just shrugged his shoulders and lapped up the publicity.