Krankies star in beanstalk fall

The diminutive star of The Krankies double act was taken to hospital with head injuries yesterday after plunging 3m from the top of a pantomime beanstalk.

Entertainer Janette Tough, who plays cheeky schoolboy Wee Jimmy Krankie with his catchphrase 'Fandabidozi', was appearing in Jack And The Beanstalk at Glasgow's Pavilion Theatre when the prop collapsed during a matinèe.

The 57-year-old's co-star Gary Hollywood, from Scottish soap High Road, was also hurt when the £8,000 telescopic plant bent in half.

Tough's husband Ian, who was playing pantomime dame Mrs Trot, ran on stage to free the injured pair.

Theatre manager Iain Gordon said: 'It was terrible. They fell on their heads.'

Applause and music drowned out the commotion but children and parents were puzzled when the curtain did not rise after the interval. They were eventually told the performance had been cancelled.

Coincidentally, Ian Tough needed stitches during rehearsals for a show last year when he fell 5m from a ladder as Jeanette watched.

The couple, now semi-retired, made their name on cult TV hit Crackerjack in the 1980s and later hosted their own show, The Krankies Club, on ITV until 1991.