X-Factor panto fever hits Scarborough (Oh no, it doesn’t!)

TOURISM chiefs have written to X Factor judge Gary Barlow inviting him to see North Yorkshire’s biggest seaside resort for himself after he compared one of the doomed acts on the show with “the opening of a bad pantomime in Scarborough”.

By The Newsroom

Published 8th Nov 2011, 09:27 BST

The Take That star made the comments to contestant Johnny Robinson on Sunday night’s ITV1 show.

Tony Peers, who is behind this year’s production of Aladdin at The Spa in Scarborough, said: “It is a bit of a cheek coming from the judge of the biggest panto on telly and, as we speak, I am making a banner to put outside Scarborough Spa saying ‘as criticised by Gary Barlow so you know it must be good’.”

Now Welcome to Yorkshire – the official destination management organisation for the region – has written to producers of the TV show to invite Barlow to sample the UK’s oldest seaside resort for himself.

Chief executive Gary Verity said: “We would love to host Gary and show him Scarborough first-hand – and to prove that there’s not a single bad panto in sight.”