Bristol Sleeping Beauty pantomime rewritten over consent concerns
A Sleeping Beauty pantomime in Bristol has been rewritten so the prince and princess fall in love before she sleeps, after concerns that she cannot consent to a kiss while unconscious.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A Sleeping Beauty pantomime in Bristol has been rewritten after concerns about consent. The change was revealed by Craig Revel Horwood, the Strictly Come Dancing judge, who said the Christmas production had been altered because the princess is asleep when the prince kisses her.
Horwood said the classic fairy tale poses a problem for modern audiences because Sleeping Beauty cannot consent to being kissed while unconscious. To address that, the directors added a scene showing the couple falling in love before she falls under the spell and is asleep.
The rewrite was discussed in a television segment with actress Debbie Arnold, who has worked in pantomime. She called the decision ridiculous and asked how the prince is supposed to wake Sleeping Beauty if the kiss remains non-consensual even after an earlier romance. She argued that applying real-life rules to pantomime takes away its magic.
Arnold also said children have watched these stories for years and questioned why they are being changed. She gave other examples of fairy tales and pantomimes that could face modern rules, including Aladdin needing seatbelts and an MOT, Jack and the Beanstalk facing health and safety limits, Cinderella's ugly sisters being renamed, and Red Riding Hood's parents facing child neglect charges.
She said pantomime remains an important part of British culture and a source of work for performers and backstage staff. She suggested audiences who disagree with the changes can vote with their feet by not buying tickets.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A Bristol Christmas pantomime of Sleeping Beauty was rewritten over consent concerns, including a new scene showing the couple falling in love before the princess falls asleep. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
GB News framed the Bristol rewrite as the latest example of a fairy tale being given a politically correct makeover. The segment was sceptical of the consent change and gave most of its time to actress Debbie Arnold, who attacked the decision and broader modern rules. It did not include a response from the Bristol production or supporters of the rewrite.
- “Sleeping Beauty has become the latest fairy tale to get the modern makeover over concerns about consent”
- “He says the classic fairy tale poses a problem for modern audiences because Sleeping Beauty cannot consent to being kissed while unconscious”
- “Well, it's ridiculous. Isn't it? How is he supposed to wake her up throw?”
Broadcast Timeline
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