The phrase “the show must go on” could have been invented for Billy Pearce.

Over the years, panto stunts have left the comic in hospital several times, not least when he cracked a rib in Dick Whittington at the Alhambra a few years ago.

“I was attached to a flying harness and my rib went. I spent the rest of the show in agony,” recalls Billy.

Other Alhambra pantos have seen him flying, sword-fighting, flinging himself over vaults and falling into the orchestra pit, leaving him with a broken toe, finger, collarbone and sprained ankle.

During last year’s panto run, Billy ended up in casualty after slipping on ice.

“I was putting the bins out when I slipped and headbutted the patio. I went to casualty and had stitches in my eyebrow,” he says.

“I had a swollen black eye and felt like my head was in a bell. When I told the nurse stitching it up that I was doing two shows next day, she thought I’d lost my mind.

“It can be torture when you have to go on stage if you’re not well, if you’ve got a cold or you’re losing your voice, but the show comes first. For me, it’s about the children and their families who have spent their hard-earned money on panto tickets. These are Yorkshire people – they want their money’s worth.”

This year Billy stars in Aladdin, his 15th Alhambra panto. He’s had a hand in writing the script and shaping his role.

“You have to find out where the laughs are, and work on that,” he says. “I’ve been up to 3am re-writing bits. When rehearsals start it’s all very intense, it’s like the Big Brother house. Now we’re up and running, everyone knows each other and we work as a team. It’s important to keep each other’s energy levels up.”

For panto-goers, it wouldn’t be Christmas without Billy at the Alhambra, where he has broken box office records over recent years.

Originally from Leeds, he grew up in a theatrical environment thanks to his mother, Jean Pearce, who ran a renowned Yorkshire stage school and choreographed TV’s Junior Showtime. He took his first ballet exam aged nine – “they practically had to hold me down to get me into tights,” he says – and later went into engineering, until a serious motorbike accident led him to take stock.

He started performing and reached the final of New Faces in 1986, leading to regular stage and TV work. He later fronted his own TV series, You Gotta Be Joking, and performed at several Royal Variety shows.

He’s a regular on stage, performing in summer seasons, musicals and his stand-up show as well as panto. As an actor, he has appeared in TV dramas Heartbeat and The Street.

In recent year,s the Alhambra pantos have become a family affair for Billy. His younger son, Jack, has performed with the Sunbeams and his wife, Kerry, is a dancer in this year’s show.

“Jack has ‘retired’ now, but my oldest son was one of the Merry Men in Robin Hood last year. All I need now is to get my mother-in-law a job as an usherette!,” smiles Billy.

“Being at the Alhambra is like coming home. I know all the staff, it’s lovely. If it all stopped tomorrow, I’d be happy.

“This year’s show is fabulous. We’re having a blast. It’s like a variety show, all wrapped up with different entertainers, special effects and old panto gags like the ‘it’s behind you’ ghost. A few years ago I did the old ‘don’t touch the box’ routine, which is very traditional, and kids loved it. They don’t remember what the special effects were that year, but they remember me and that box!”

Aladdin runs at the Alhambra until January 26. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.