ENTERTAINMENT aplenty will be on offer over the festive season for anyone seeking a few hours' respite from the excesses of turkey and tinsel.

Theatres throughout the Midlands and Cotswolds will stage a variety of shows, ranging from the traditional thigh-slapping farce of panto to some classical tales.

There should be something to suit most tastes, with a host of well-known names treading the boards in some productions.

Sure to be among the top drawer attractions will be the return of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to the RSC in Stratford. The musical version of C S Lewis's literary classic was first performed in 1998, bringing to life the magical world of Narnia. It runs from November 21 until February 9.

The Theatre, Chipping Norton relies on a good old-fashioned pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk starts on November 28 and continues until January 11.

A star-studded cast takes to the stage for another production in the "He's behind you, oh no he isn't, oh yes he is" school of knockabout fun in Aladdin - this Christmas's panto at Birmingham Hippodrome.

Comedian and mimic Bobby Davro plays Wishee Washee while the glamour is provided by Melinda Messenger as the Princess. John Challis - Boycie from Only Fools and Horses - will be braced to be booed and hissed at as the scheming Abanazar and Birmingham's own Don Maclean dons dame drag as Widow Twankey. Aladdin begins on December 21 and goes on until February 9.

Malvern Theatres also has its own panto - Dick Whittington - which boasts some well-known faces from the TV screen.

Dick Whittington is also Cheltenham Everyman Theatre's choice to keep both young and old alike entertained, beginning on November 29 and running until January 11.

One of the most popular seasonal stories is Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol and Birmingham's Alexandra Theatre presents a musical interpretation of the timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge's eventual redemption, from November 26-30.

The Alex follows that with the sumptuous Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I, starring Marti Webb, which runs throughout the festive period, from December 4 until January 18. Worcester Swan Theatre Company stages Pinocchio, the tale of the naughty wooden puppet who gets into mischief. It begins on November 26 and continues until January 4. And with a rub of their magic lamp The Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury will transport you to the exotic east where Widow Twankey and her silly son Wishee Washee are up to their necks in super sudsy soap in Aladdin.