The producer of The Olympia Theatre panto has said he would love to have Al Porter return to the annual show.

Comedian and presenter Porter (24) stepped aside from his role in last year's panto, Polly and the Beanstalk, following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Porter had been a regular on the Olympia stage for the Christmas panto and worked closely with friend and producer Stuart O'Connor of Spotlight Productions.

"Al was part of the Olympia family for a long time and hopefully at some stage will be back," Stuart told Independent.ie

Following Porter's departure, former Mrs Brown's Boys star Rory Cowan stepped into the role, with just three weeks to go before opening night.

"In one sense you go, ‘things happen and you need to just rise over it and get on with it and do it’. I suppose that’s where the job of being a producer really comes in," said Stuart.

However, he added that the experience was "horrendously upsetting for everybody".

Stuart, who also produces the performance element of The Late Late Toy Show, said he had to "step up to the plate as a producer and ride through the storm".

"The fact we had such a good team around us, they all stepped up, and they were all very fond of Al so they wanted to make sure [the panto] worked and continued into the future."

Speaking about a possible return to the theatre for Porter, he added, "With a bit of luck and if things pan out the way we all hope they will we would love to have him back. His first love is the Olympia panto. There’s no doubt about it. It really is.

"He grew up there and so his first love is the Olympia Panto and he’s very much part of the family even though he’s not around, he’s not there. He’s very much in our thoughts all the time."

Rory Cowan will return for this year's panto, Polly and the Magic Lamp, which also features Jake Carter, Erin McGregor, James Patrice and Ryan Andrews among the cast. The show runs from Friday December 21 to January 6.

Online Editors