The Christmas double issue: Judi Dench and the Stage scholarship winners

• By Scott Matthewman on December 16, 2010

This week’s double issue of The Stage – on sale from today – reveals that Dame Judi Dench has won our Greatest Stage Actor poll. In this week’s paper, we reveal how you, our readers, ranked the ten nominees. And Geoffrey Colman, head of acting at Central School of Speech and Drama, reflects on the series and considers what makes the ten artists special, why performers of the past missed out on a place and the importance of versatility.

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Pantomime remains hugely popular, says director Steve Marmion (Dick Whittington and His Cat, Lyric Hammersmith) – yet there are those who deride its value. The reality is that the rest of the theatre industry has a lot to learn from its ability to connect with audiences

Meanwhile, writer Mike Kenny tells Kevin Berry why theatre for kids shouldn’t begin and end with pantomime, and John Byrne reflects on some of theatre’s other Christmas traditions

Baywatch and Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff tells Catherine Usher about making his panto debut in Wimbledon, trading insults with Piers Morgan and his plans for a Serge Gainsbourg-inspried duet with his Baywatch co-star Pamela Anderson

We wanna get in touch with her again – my German label said we could have a smash record if I were to do a duet with Pamela Anderson, so I’m trying to convince her to do a song with me. She says she can’t sing, but I said, ‘We can help you with that’. If she could do the rap in the song, that would be pretty cool.

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Also in The Stage this week:

With one show running on Broadway and another at London’s Southbank Centre, Kneehigh’s award-winning joint artistic director and chief executive Emma Rice tells Lucy Brown about the challenge of presenting work to a US audience and her latest project adapting the Umbrellas of Cherbourg for its debut at Leicester’s Curve

• The Christmas TV and radio schedules are previewed by Scott Matthewman and Nick Smurthwaite
• We showcase some of theatre photographer Tristram Kenton’s shots of the year
• We celebrate the 15 young people who won Stage scholarships totalling over £110,000 worth of training, thanks to the generosity of our arts partners
• Natalie Woolman and Matthew Hemley summarise the key stories in the arts and broadcasting world over 2010
• Our look back at 2010 continues with an appraisal of the West End by Mark Shenton, Fringe theatre by Paul Vale, regional theatre by Anthony Field, Opera by George Hall, Light entertainment by Liz Arratoon, dance by Kevin Berry, television by Harry Venning and radio by Nick Smurthwaite
• Actress Maria Hodson listens to the British Library’s Voices of the UK CD and visits its Evolving English: One Language, Many Voices exhibition
• In our second supplement of the year looking at the burgeoning cruise ship sector, we look at the new ships being commissioned and the sort of acts companies are looking to book for them
• Nick Smurthwaite looks back at 100 years of the London Palladium, as the BFI Southbank prepares for a season of archive film & Tv showing celebrating London’s iconic theatre and entertainment venue

And as it is Christmas, we’ve got some seasonal fun for you. From a backstage quiz (can you tell your bastard prompts from your Baddeley Cakes?) to some fiendishly difficult picture quizzes and a crossword.

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The Stage Christmas issue costs £2 and is available from the usual stockists. There will be no issue next week; the next edition will be on sale on December 29.