THE Hippodrome will pull in plenty of punters this year, with King of the Jungle, Joe Pasquale, versus the Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk - and for good reason.

He's a genuinely funny man, who plays it the way it should be - for the kids.

EastEnders' princess, Letitia Dean, is somewhat in his shadow, but she makes a suitably sparkly big name addition, if not an all singing, all dancing one.

Former EastEnders' star Jason Pethers makes a terrifically good bad guy (Fleshcreep), who's turned by cracking good fairy Veronica Hart.

Birmingham's own Don Maclean plays his 11th dame, an experienced extravaganza we can all enjoy, and Charlie Cairoli's King Crumble is more than a welcome dessert.

The set stuns and the costumes dazzle and all-in-all it's a smart package.

It should be, with the amount that Haven holidays must have paid for the sponsorship which gave them more than a dollop of advertising - and a prize draw in the moments before the grand finale.

The Hippodrome has been producing its own pantos for nearly 50 years, and some of Britain's greatest comedians have appeared in them (Les Dawson, Ken Dodd, Morecombe and Wise among them), so it's no surprise that they put on a good show.

But in this age of glitz and glamour, it's reassuring to know you'll get your money's worth.

Jack and the Beanstalk runs at Birmingham Hippodrome until January 30.

Julie Harries