Sleeping Beauty, The Anvil, Basingstoke

There is no risk of falling asleep watching Sleeping Beauty at The Anvil, this year's pantomime offering from the Basingstoke venue.

It has all of the ingredients that make these seasonal shows a success; glittering costumes, catchy dance tracks and plenty of modern day references littered through a classic tale to ensure there's something for everyone.

Only Fools and Horses star Sue Holderness played the role of Carabosse, the bad fairy, with the right balance of evil to entertain rather than scare, and Katrina Bryan, best known to the younger members of the audience as Nina from CBeebies series Nina and the Neurons, charmed the audience as the beautiful Princess Briar Rose.

The Good Fairy (Sarah-Jane Buckley) and Prince Philip (Ben Harlow) gave flawless performances alongside King (Phil Cole). But it was the performances from Mark James as Silly Billy and Charles Burden as Nanny Glucose that had my five-year-old companion in fits of giggles throughout the two and a half hour show.

With plenty of adult references and slapstick comedy to keep the mums and dads (and grandparents) amused, a sprinkling of Honey G and Pokemon for the younger members, this is another fantastic offering to get everyone in the mood for Christmas.

Just be careful if you're sat in the front row!

Julie Jones