Performing on stage with a cartoon sidekick is okay when you’re in a solo show, but it’s a whole different matter when there’s an ensemble pantomime cast to contend with.

Nevertheless, Howard Read, co-star of CBBC’s Little Howard’s Big Question, is taking to the stage as Wishee Washee, alongside an animated pencil drawing of his six-year-old self and a host of other, colourful characters in Harpenden Public Hall’s pantomime, Aladdin.

“It’s been interesting getting Little Howard to appear in different places on the stage,“ says Howard. “Usually it’s just me and him interacting with the audience and the whole stage is dominated by a screen. For Aladdin the entire cast has had to learn how to perform with a cartoon. We’ve had to negotiate the sets, explosions and things being thrown about, which with a computer on stage can be pretty tricky.“

Howard, who lives in north Hertfordshire with his wife and two young children Sammy, five, and Mabel, three, says the appeal of the Harpenden show is both proximity to home and also working with Act One Pantomimes. “They’re a really good team, who are interested in doing something completely different and, as far as we know, there’s no evidence of a live animated character performing in a pantomime show before.“

Judging by the TV series, it’s obvious Little Howard has a mischievous streak and a mind of his own, so audiences can expect him to play to the crowd.

“He never fully accepts we’re in a pantomime despite the fact he is dressed in all these magic outfits, which I’ve drawn for him. One of reasons for doing the show is getting to do someone else’s project for a change and exploring different aspects of family entertainment. Usually I operate the computer throughout the show as well, so it’s a luxury having someone to do that for me.“

Little Howard started life as filler in Howard Read’s first full-length stand-up show at Edinburgh in 2002. The next year he returned as part of a full double-act in The Big Howard Little Howard Show, which was that year’s only British nominee for the Perrier Award.

In 2007, the duo appeared on The Royal Variety Performance in front of Her Majesty The Queen and began touring with a live show Little Howard and the Magic Pencil of Life and Death. Little Howard’s Big Question first aired in 2009 with the Howards addressing the kind of topics that are vital to inquisitive youngsters such as Why Do I Need to Go to Sleep?, Why Can’t I Fly?, How Did I Get Here? and Could Dinosaurs Ever Come Back?.

This year, Little Howard’s Big Show! premiered in Edinburgh and on tour. I ask Howard how the live format has changed.

“It’s more of a variety sketch show with us interacting with the audience. For a while I’ve been trying to work on performing the show live instead of using pre-recorded animations. I’ve now compiled a massive database of material, so in the future we can do a live Q&A with Little Howard using lip synch software.

“Computers are much more reliable than they were ten years ago. When I first started I had a rubbish, cheap laptop that would crash all the time and not restart for five minutes so I did stand up. If you don’t seem to mind if it’s gone wrong the audience go with you. Thankfully in this pantomime, the rest of the cast are all very funny people, so if something does go wrong, they’ll follow my lead.“

Aladdin comes to Harpenden Public Halls, Southdown Road, Harpenden from December 15-18. Details: 01582 767525.