TRIBUTES have been paid to a man who became known as Mr Panto in his home town.

John Coates, who masterminded Malton’s annual pantomimes for more than 30 years, has died at the age of 73. He leaves a widow and a son.

He came to Malton in 1966 from Scarborough as a TV technician and joined his wife Jackie in the former Malton and Norton Amateur Operatic Society – now Malton and Norton Musical Theatre – in 1971.

He directed 24 pantos for the group between the 1970s and 2003 before giving up his active association in 2003 because of Parkinson’s Disease.

Despite his illness he continued to visit and lend his experience and support to many local groups, including the musical theatre, Ryedale Youth Theatre and Malton District Male Voice Choir, of which he was a founding member.

He was also a guiding light for many of the musical theatre’s long-running stars.

He was a close friend of and helped promote celebrated Malton panto “dame” Fred Bower, who died in 2003, and he nurtured many young local stage performers, some of whom went on to perform professionally.

In 2009, to mark the musical theatre’s 60th anniversary, John was presented with the town’s prestigious Fred Bower Pantomime Trophy.