THERE is nothing like a good panto to set the mood for Christmas, and with Jack and the Beanstalk tonight, I am half expecting to hear reindeer land on the roof later.

Family favourite Stu Francis and the gang at The Albert Halls delivered a fantastic, slick and hilarious take on the famous children’s tale.

Stu plays Stuie, Jack’s brother, and the pair live in poverty with their mum, Dame Tilly Durden (Pete Lindup), and are forced to sell their only possession, Daisy, the family’s prized cow, in order to get by and for Jack to marry his princess.

As always, Stu leads the way with hilarious twists, turns and asides, and when he ventures off-script, he had the audience – and other cast members – in stitches.

He helps provide the perfect comedy backdrop as Jack (Ben Ryan-Davies) falls in love with Princess Marigold (Natalie Pilkington), and must save his beloved – as well as the world – from an evil and hungry giant.

The set was fantastic and as we travelled towards the beanstalk scene, I was curious to see whether they would manage to pull it off, but it was creative, convincing and brilliant.

I was also unsure how the part of the giant would be portrayed, but stage and big screen star and stuntman Paul Flanagan filled the enormous shoes convincingly and entertainingly.

Musically, this also stood out from other productions, with fantastic foot-tappers from yesteryear, including Happy Days and Walking on Sunshine, and an hilarious Thriller/Gangnam Style interlude which got everyone going, and Natalie Pilkington was a revelation with a fantastic voice.

Young members of Dawn Dawson’s Academy of Dance and Stage delivered polished performances as dancers and the chorus.

Quite simply, this was the best panto I have seen, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next year.

“I could crush a grape”.

Jack and the Beanstalk is at The Albert Halls until January 5.