Pussy in Boots is a cult 1994 VHS

VHS

The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 adult pantomime

Pantomime

Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...

 starring the late stand-up comedian

Stand-up comedy

Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...

 and EastEnders

EastEnders

EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

actor Mike Reid

Mike Reid

Michael or Mike Reid may refer to:*Mike Reid , English comedian and actor, best known for his role as Frank Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders*Mike Reid , American golfer...

, with co-stars Barbara Windsor

Barbara Windsor

Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....

 and John Altman, as well as Coronation Street

Coronation Street

Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...

actress Lynne Perrie

Lynne Perrie

Lynne Perrie was an English actress. She was born Jean Dudley in Rotherham, Yorkshire, and was the sister of comedian Duggie Brown. She was best known for her roles as Mrs. Casper in Ken Loach's 1969 film Kes, and as Ivy Tilsley in Coronation Street from 1971-1994.-Career:After Rotherham Grammar...

. It was filmed in front of a live theatre audience in East London and is based on the classic pantomime tale of "Puss in Boots

Puss in Boots

'Puss' is a character in the fairy tale "The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots" by Charles Perrault. The tale was published in 1697 in his Histoires ou Contes du temps passé...

". It is cited as one of the first adult pantomimes, which later became popular with the comedian Jim Davidson

Jim Davidson

Jim Davidson may refer to:* Jim Davidson , American actor* Jim Davidson , American football player, played for Ohio State Buckeyes and drafted by the Buffalo Bills* Jim Davidson , Australia author, see Meanjin...

.

Background

Mike Reid

Mike Reid

Michael or Mike Reid may refer to:*Mike Reid , English comedian and actor, best known for his role as Frank Butcher in the BBC soap opera EastEnders*Mike Reid , American golfer...

 was already starring as Frank Butcher

Frank Butcher

Francis Aloysius "Frank" Butcher is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by the late Mike Reid. Frank made his first appearance on-screen as a guest character in 1987 but, due to a positive viewer reception, he was reintroduced in 1988 as a regular. Reid took a long...

 in the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 television soap opera EastEnders

EastEnders

EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

when he starred in the pantomime, although he left the soap later in the year. Reid was also known as a stand-up comedian and had released VHS videos of his material. The show was directed by Reid's friend Brian Klein and was co-written by him.

Barbara Windsor had yet to join EastEnders

EastEnders

EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...

, while John Altman was already starring as Nasty Nick Cotton

Nick Cotton

Nick Cotton is a fictional character from the British soap opera EastEnders played by John Altman on a recurring basis from the soap's debut episode in February 1985, through to his last appearance to date in 2009. Nick is the son of characters Charlie and Dot Cotton, and the father of Ashley and...

 in the soap.

Plot

Based on the tale of "Puss in Boots", Pussy in Boots follows 'Pussy' as she searches for her pantomime Prince. The role of Pussy is played by the adult actress Cindy Milo. Pussy is helped to find her Prince by Big Dick Whittington (played by Reid) and a fairy godmother

Fairy godmother

In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many societies...

 known as 'Wonder Woman' played by Windsor.

Milo is often seen scantily clad, and appears nude in one scene. The pantomime story is stopped on a number of occasions for Reid to tell blue jokes

Off-color humor

The term off-color humor is an Americanism used to describe jokes, prose, poems, black comedy, blue comedy, insult comedy, cringe comedy and skits that deal with topics that are considered to be in poor taste or overly vulgar by the prevailing morality of a culture...

to the audience.

In one scene in which Reid attempts to comfort 'Pussy', he says the most famous line from the pantomime: "Oh Pussy Pussy Pussy."