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Is this the tallest panto dame of them all?

George Carden/BBC Alex Forman towering over fellow actor Tom Isted. Alex wears a pink wig with two big buns, a turquoise shiny dress, a blue fluffy cardigan and gold leggins. Tom comes up to his shoulder and looks scared. He is wearing a black polo shirt and light grey jeans. They are on stage, standing in front of a set of pink bricks and blue steps that appear like the inside of a castle. George Carden/BBC
Alex Forman is said to be the tallest pantomime dame in the UK

Mirror, mirror on the wall – who is the tallest panto dame of them all?

At 6ft 6in (2m), Alex Forman, also known as The Great Dame, believes it's him (cue cries of "Oh no he isn't!").

Wearing his trademark Doc Martens, Alex is 6ft7in (2m) and adding on a panto wig, he towers at 7ft (2.1m).

The actor, who is a powerlifter in his spare time, is performing as Dame Do'nut in Beauty and the Beast at Shoreham's Ropetackle Art Centre in West Sussex this year.

George Carden/BBC Alex wearing an outfit which looks like a cupcake up on stage, including a blue, white and red chequered blouse, pink wig and a huge pink skirt with a hoop. He is standing on stage in front of scenery that depicts a cartoon village. There are a few audience members looking on in the foreground.George Carden/BBC
Alex performing on stage at the Ropetackle Art Centre in Shoreham

Whether or not he's the tallest dame in the country, Alex certainly makes for a towering presence on the stage.

"When I'm in my outfit, it gets a really good reaction from the crowd," says the 33-year-old.

Alex is currently playing Beauty's mother, a baker who supplies donuts to the Beast.

"It's more a giggle than a scream when the children see me come out on stage. When you get that reaction from the crowd, you know you're doing something right," he says.

The actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist is originally from Essex and now lives in County Durham.

"My belly is as real as they get," he says.

"I have a 56 inch (142cm) chest and enjoy my food. It serves me well in this industry because there are other tall men but a lot of them are quite chiselled - I'm not."

Beauty and the Beast is running from 20 December to 5 January.

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