Shropshire theatre bosses were forced to take the unprecedented step of scrapping a panto performance due to poor ticket sales – as The X Factor frenzy gripped Britain.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs were given the night off last night at Oakengates Theatre @ The Place as the nation stayed at home and watched The X Factor showdown.

A total of 19.1million people tuned in to see Joe McElderry crowned the winner.

But Debbie King, Oakengates Theatre manager, said: “Ticket sales for the pantomime are up on last year and several shows just before and after Christmas day are virtually sold out with very limited tickets available.

“We are receiving very positive comments about this year’s show.

“Unfortunately, with The X Factor final, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the schools not having broken up yet, we took the decision to cancel last night’s performance as ticket sales were low.”

She said as many ticket holders as possible were contacted in advance and offered reduced rate tickets for future shows.

Meanwhile, a Shropshire telephone exchange centre was at the heart of one of television’s biggest voting frenzies this weekend as it dealt with millions of calls from the viewing public.

Staff at Whittington House at Park Hall, near Oswestry, handled millions of calls from viewers casting votes for their favourites on The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.

BT spokeswoman Emma Tennant said: “It was the first time these two large voting events had coincided, so this raised potential challenges for us, but everything ran extremely smoothly.

She added: “We are now gearing up for the final of Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday.”

The Shropshire-based father of Strictly Come Dancing star Ricky Whittle said he was “absolutely over the moon” after his son cruised through to next week’s final.

Hollyoaks star Ricky received a standing ovation for his Argentine tango and topped the judges scoreboard with a combined score of 96 out of 100 for his two dances.

By Simon Hardy