Is this the final curtain for panto dame wigs?

David Robbins makes 60 to 80 wigs a year and repairs about 120

In a rainbow of colours with intricate ringlets piled high in gravity-defying shapes, David Robbins' wigs have been described as works of art.

David, a panto dame himself, makes about 60 to 80 wigs every year for use in pantomimes.

He believes he is the only person who still makes these types of wigs - which are made from special hard fibre.

However, David fears he might not be able to make them for much longer, due to a shortage of the materials.

"It's a synthetic fibre, like your joke shop wigs, but it's more like a fishing tackle, it's much thicker," said David, from Nottingham.

"And at the moment nowhere seems to want to manufacture it. So it could be that this is the last year of these hard fibre wigs that we're making."

David makes wigs in a myriad of colours and designs

Some of David's creations have towered at several feet high.

"I think the one I've been most proud of recently has been a bush wig, which was a topiary bush, like the three balls on top of each other," he said.

"It was about four and a half foot tall, so we had to work out how to keep it light.

"The centre of gravity had to be exactly right, because if you tipped your head slightly the whole thing would pull. It was a feat of engineering really."

David appeared in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Nottingham Theatre Royal last Christmas

David was previously a wig dresser working in the West End and on national tours, meaning he looked after and maintained wigs for shows.

He did that for about 12 years and was the head of department on productions including Hairspray and Sister Act.

He started wearing hard fibre wigs himself because of his acting work.

"Ever since I started playing dames, everyone always wants a hard fibre wig," he said.

"There's something about the look of them, how they feel. They're a bit cartoony."

'An absolute joy'

He used to get all of his wigs made by the same couple, but the couple then decided to retire.

"One day they said to me 'We'd like to retire and you're the only person we can think of who can take over the business'," he said.

"So that's exactly what I did, and from then on it's just been an absolute joy."

As well as making wigs, David repairs about 120 every year

Most of the wigs he makes are for dames, but he sometimes makes the odd one or two for other roles.

"I make them for panto dames all up and down the country, so at some point or other if you've been to see a pantomime you may have seen at least one," he said.

"Some dames have 10 and will wear them throughout the whole production."

'Hoping for help'

He may try adapting to using different materials, but does not know if this will work.

"At the moment the work seems as though it's going to tail off because the fibre isn't there," he said.

"I'm hoping there's somebody out there that might just be able to help."