To wonder what is the world coming to...

[TartinaTiara]

...when no-one seems to know the proper call-and-response to Pantomime-related conversations is either "Oh yes, it is" or "Oh no, it isn't", or variations thereon?

Have told three separate people in three separate conversations that I'm going to the Panto (in response to questions about what I'm doing at the weekend, I'm excited about going to the Panto, but not so excited that I engage all my friends and loved ones in conversation about it), and the universal response has been a variation on the "oh lovely" theme. Not one person said "Oh no you're not".

One of them was my own child. I've clearly neglected this part of his upbringing and am a terrible mother (wrings hands and hopes for the appropriate response to this).

i fully understand panto and love it, but i don't think i would respond the way you want sorry, every "it's behind you" gets the correct response:
you know the conversation "where are my keys?" "on the table behind you" "oh no the're not" "oh yes they are".
But not the way you wanted sorry.

You're going to a Panto in February?

I'd never say "Oh no you're not" in response to someone telling me they were off to the panto! I might say it if during the course of a conversation someone asserted an opinion with "Oh yes it is"...that's when you say it...not when someone's mentioned a panto!

DH and I say this to each other all the time!

A few years ago I was in a training course at work with a roughly 50/50 mix of British and other nationalities. The instructor was looking around for a marker pen so one of the class pointed and said 'it's behind you', which was immediately followed by a chorus of 'oh no it isn't!' from all the British attendees. The other nationalities all looked at us as though we were bonkers.

Fair enough, I'll moderate my expectations and in future only expect a "Oh no it's not" if I say "oh yes it is". Though I'll be expecting lots of "it's behind you".

georgie, it's an alternative panto - I think they have the "normal" panto over the December/early January period, then the alternative one struts in and takes over at the end of January and early Feb. Am looking forward to it though, love a good panto (oh yes I do!)