'Resting' actors work for Santa

By Dan Bell
BBC News London

What do Santa and his elves do when all the presents have been delivered and the sleigh is back in storage?

Niki Cashin sends her army boyfriend photos of her as an elf

If they are anything like the little helpers toiling in Grottos across London, they are probably auditioning for parts in EastEnders and The Bill.

Aside from panto, Christmas is a lean stretch for actors, and many don Santa suits and elf ears to make ends meet.

Decent pay and the chance to have fun has made Grotto work a popular choice for London's 'resting' actors.

Micci Gorrod, 25, has recently moved to London to begin her acting career after graduating from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).

Ms Gorrod has been working as an elf at a shopping centre in Walthamstow, east London, where children are invited to "come as yourself and leave as an elf."

"As an unemployed actor it's something I'd much rather do than temp work or bar work," she says.

It is also much better paid. The rate for making balloon animals while dressed in a pixie hat, or handing out presents from a sack while wearing a fake beard, can be as much as twenty pounds an hour.

There's only so far you can go in the career as an elf, the Santa job's already taken Micci Gorrod

Actors find the work via the numerous promotions agencies and events organisers that at other times of the year host corporate parties or in-store product demonstrations.

But, says Ms Gorrod, "I think there's only so far you can go in the career as an elf, the Santa job's already taken."

There is also the fraught question of the ears and pointy boots.

"You hope your ex-boyfriend doesn't come along and see you in your elf costume and he's telling you he's about to become a lawyer," she says.

But ignominy has always come with the territory for actors, and Ms Gorrod is prepared to persevere until she gets parts in "the really gritty drama" that she has a passion for.

Constant insecurity

Adrian Beaumont, 46, is at the other end of his acting career. He first began playing Santa Claus last year after a Christmas production he was working on folded prematurely and he had to quickly find work.

This year he will be Father Christmas for 200 children who won tickets to meet the players at Chelsea football ground.

He is a father himself, and enjoys chatting and playing with the children, but there have also been some challenging moments, such as when one child tore off his beard and another urinated on his lap.

He does not mind the work but he said he would never wish the life of an actor on his three children.

"For every actor that's working there's nine that aren't," he says. "You can't be a full time actor, and that's it - unless you're David Jason!"

It's like being in Santa Claus The Movie everyday Niki Cashin

"It's so insecure, I don't want any of my children becoming actors, I hope one of them becomes a plumber and another becomes a builder or a doctor," he said.

But Niki Cashin, 32, who works as an elf in Hamleys, and whose bright blue eyes and petite stature make her seem made for the part, sees the job itself as acting.

"It's not just a normal job, you're still doing acting. Those kids really believe you're an elf, and they really believe you're doing magic," she says.

"You're capturing your children's spirit again," she adds, "It's like being in Santa Claus The Movie everyday."

Ms Cashin has another important reason to keep her spirits up, her boyfriend James is in the army and is abroad in preparation for being sent to Afghanistan.

"Before this I was dressed up as a goldfish, I used to send him pictures and it keeps him going," she said.