If you want to see a pantomime this year that is funny, spectacular, and colourful, then the Victoria Theatre in Halifax is the place to go over the next few weeks. Whilst this particular panto may not have some of the big star names of others in the region, what it lacks in star quality is compensated for with a cast who are energetic, enthusiastic and entertaining.

If there's a theatrical tonic for the winter blues, it's Pass the Spoon at the Howard Assembly Room, Leeds. This isn't merely a show – it's a gloriously unhinged prescription for seasonal levity that demands immediate attention. Miss it at your peril.

We were drawn into the joy of this year’s Grand Opera House panto, Cinderella, by a fizzing Fairy Godmother (played with great enthusiasm by Lisa George) setting the scene with her prologue in rhyme and clearly having a good time connecting with the audience. Hot on her heels was cheery chappie Buttons.

Ooh, it’s that time of year again – oh yes it is!

Dubious gags, inferred naughtiness and jokes for mum, dad and grandma, the 19th Carriageworks Theatre panto in Leeds is back in all its rumbustious, chaotic glory. But where oh where was Sleeping Beauty’s kiss to wake her from 100 years of slumber after being placed under the spell of wicked witch, Carabosse?

Bonkers and dazzlingly brilliant does not shine a light on describing the impact of Aladdin at Newcastle Theatre Royal. I can’t remember when I laughed so much for so long that my ribs ached. Turning convention on its head, there is just a cursory nod to the rags-to-riches traditional theme in this extravaganza brimming with creative, comedic genius.

With a career that spans music, theatre, film and television, Sinitta is now casting her magic wand to appear as the Spirit of Pantomime at the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford alongside Billy Pearce and Myra DuBois in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – oh yes, she is!