For the second year running two neighbouring villages have chosen to bring to life the same panto – without knowing anything of the other’s plans.

Downderry and Seaton Village Hall Drama Group and the Polbathic Players have both gone for shows about Robin Hood.

Last year they doubled up with competing versions of Cinderella.

‘What are the odds against that happening?’ says Kate Entwistle, director and author of Downderry’s Something Robin Hoody.

‘After I had written my script I rang just to check out what they were doing and they said Robin Hood. I burst out laughing.

‘It was a complete shock, that we had both made the same choice. Again.’

Both villages are now firmly into their fourth decades of panto productions - 39 and counting for Polbathic and 32 for Downderry - and there has always been keen, but very friendly, rivalry between the two groups.

For Kim Biles, director, writer and actor, Downderry is where the bad people are exiled to in her sell-out production of Robin Hood in Sconner Wood.

For Kate Entwistle the taxes are being doubled in Polbathic - again - for their failure to pay their dues to the evil Sheriff of Deviock.

Both groups have chosen to go for locally-written scripts rather than performing the works of professional pantomime authors.

For the Polbathic Players that is a well-established tradition, but it’s the first time for years that Downderry has gone the same route.

For Kate it is a big departure. She has acted in Downderry for several years - last year as a starring Buttons in Cinderella - but now she is making her debut as both director and writer.

‘I wanted to try something new,’ she says.

Last summer Kate did a short course at Theatre Royal Plymouth for budding young directors, and by then she had also decided to double up by writing the script as well.

‘I’m a huge fan of pantomime and of comedy and I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to write something shaped around our stage and our actors.’

Downderry and Seaton Village Hall Drama Group is presenting Something Robin Hoody by Kate Entwistle, from February 14-17. Tickets are available daily from 10am-1pm from the Village Hall or at the Blue Plate restaurant opposite the hall. Or you can book tickets by phone at 07770 472375.

Polbathic Players performed Robin Hood in Sconner Wood at the end of January and the start of February.