Let Covid dampen your Christmas spirit? Oh no, The Anvil in Basingstoke won’t!

Running until January 2, its fantastic twist of the classic fairytale Beauty and the Beast is the perfect pantomime to get the whole family feeling festive.

Strictly Come Dancing champion and soap actor Joe McFadden plays the part of the Beast/Prince expertly, maybe a bit too expertly as the scary beast for small children.

The clever adaptations of characters from the original Lumiere and Cogsworth are fabulous. Hilarious double act Louis la Plonk (Basil Brush’s Mr Stephen) and Polly la Plonk (EastEnders’ Nick Wilton) brought laughter from adults with their witty innuendo and children with their silliness.

Maria Coyne’s singing as Belle was faultless and the show was a fantastic effort from the whole cast.

Stephanie Roone