Howard & Wyndham – Fathers of Modern Panto

John B Howard and Frederick W P Wyndham were the inventors of panto as we know it. In 1888 Howard & Wyndham Ltd took over ownership, production and management of the Theatre Royal, adding to the three other Scottish theatres they already successfully managed.

For almost 70 years, Howard & Wyndham Ltd ensured the Theatre Royal put on a variety of entertainment for the public, including their famous in-house pantomime productions and Half–Past Eight variety shows.

As the entertainment industry developed, Howard & Wyndham Ltd began to explore business interests in television. It is perhaps, therefore, unsurprising that in 1957 they sold the Theatre Royal to STV, which went on to broadcast live from the theatre for the next 17 years.