With their double entendres, cross dressing characters and more than a few nudge nudge wink winks, pantomimes are part of the long British tradition of stage ribaldry.

But this year, in the wake of mounting anger over sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, one production has decided to cut a visual gag which was deemed inappropriate for a family audience.

Qdos Pantomimes, which stages dozens of shows around the country, has dropped a routine based on a popular old TV comedy sketch - in which a male character looks up a female performer's skirt - from its production of Dick Whittington at the London Palladium, starring Julian Clary.

Although the visual gag regularly used to get a hearty applause from audiences, the show’s producer said it was now past its sell-by date.

Michael Harrison, managing director of Qdos Pantomimes, said: “I have cut that. Last Christmas it was in nearly every panto in the land, including the Palladium, but this year it just feels wrong.”

“What I have not done and what I won’t do is change any jokes, as I don’t believe there is a link between sexual harassment and pantomime. Nobody touches anybody in pantomime. And as far as somewhere like the Palladium goes, of course the show is full of innuendo because we are working with Julian Clarey.”