Production of the pantomime Cinderella at the Manchester Opera House. Panto surely has to be among the oldest forms of entertainment – bawdy jokes, camp men in drag and cries of ‘it’s behind you’ must’ve been running in a more or less identical form for centuries, and it’s testament only to the commitment and energy of the performers that it still feels fresh. I used to hate panto – now I revel in the inherent daftness and irony of them.

For two whole days I was allowed backstage with a camera in each hand – then, with a show to run, they got tired of me and asked me to leave. My aim was to try and see everything you couldn’t see from the stalls – the music pit, the action in the wings, the makeup, and how the performers behave when they’re not on stage.

Mather Foundry in Ardwick. These pictures are part of a portfolio gathered over around half a dozen visits, each time coming back slightly singed and smelling of metal dust. It’s good to know that not everyone out there works in an office. When I wasn’t recording the drama of molten metal or clouds of sparks, there were the smaller details in ancient looking consoles and machinery, and little clues of human interactions among the almost Martian landscape.