Lynch mobs in Preston? Residents wouldn’t p*** on Danan if he was on fire

As panto season draws ever closer, so the stories stories begin to roll in. Guest stars in pantomine are nothing new, but the side effects of having reality TV stars in the mix is becoming clearer. Paul ‘Dangerous’ Danan, ex-of Chester soap Hollyoaks but more recently in Celebrity Love Island and the ill-fated Calum, Fran And ‘Dangerous’ Danan, was in reality TV mode when he made his appearance at the switching on ceremony for Preston’s Christmas lights. Sadly no bleeper track was available, so the assembled families were able to hear the encouraging exclamation, ‘Come on, you motherf******’, loud and clear.

That this happened is no surprise. What is refreshing is the no-nonsense manner in which Preston dealt with the foul-mouthed ruffian, even after his sacking. Council leader Ken Hudson branded Danan ‘a disgrace’ and remarked that his words were ‘an insult to the people of Preston.’ Indeed, the incident had been the talk of the town, with mothers threatening to boycott the production. Mayor Christine Abram piled in with the observation that ‘he is not the sort of person we want here’ and intimated that Danan might not be the only one to go, suggesting that Chris Haylett, who hired him, was going to be in for a stiff talking to. Haylett has since weighed in with his own damning opnion.

At ground level, the comment boards at the Preston and Leyland Citizen website were alight with activity, with one reader making the undoubtedly correct observation that ‘you wouldn’t get this from Mike Yarwood or the Krankies’, while there was also consternation that Danan had resorted to an American swear. According to one witness, Danan had compounded the offence by refusing to dress up in his panto outfit, as he ‘didn’t want to look a tw*t like this lot’. His antics drove one local to comment that they ‘wouldn’t p*** on him if he was on fire’.

You wouldn’t catch Les Dennis doing this – his recent light switching engagement went without a hitch. Or the Krankies, for that matter, although the the duo haven’t done panto since that unfortunate incident with the beanstalk (perhaps the settlement removed the need). Luckily for Preston, ‘ex-EastEnders heartthrob’ Jack Ryder has stepped into the breach.