Dwarfs don't have to come in sevens

Peter Rhodes writes: The doyen of this column-writing craft, Richard Littlejohn, laments the absence of genuine dwarfs at this year's pantomime at the Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton with the headline: "Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's on the dole we go."

The implication is that if dwarfs can't work as the Seven Dwarfs they are fit only for the JobCentre.

Not exactly. Warwick Davis has just finished his peak-time comedy series, Life's Too Short (BBC2).

At the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the tiny Lisa Hammond played Herald in this year's outrageously filthy Marat/Sade.

In the RSC Christmas show, The Heart of Robin Hood, another dwarf, Michael Walter who has played in hundreds of performances of Snow White, is in excellent form as Little John.

Far from the dole being the only dwarfish alternative to pantomime, it seems dwarfs are in demand to play proper characters in proper dramas.

Which is how it should be. Who wants to be in any profession where you only get hired in batches of seven and no-one in the audience even knows your name?

Dwarfs deserve better than Snow White.

Oh, yes they do!