VACCUUM your magic carpets, dust off your old lamps and watch out for flans being flung - it’s now the ‘panto’ season.

There’s plenty on offer all around the Midlands – up in Birmingham and more locally in Worcester and Malvern where the Festival Theatre’s offering this festive season is Aladdin.

Always one of the most magical of panto’s it will feature Hi-5’s Chris Edgerley in the title role.

Also appearing when Aladdin opens on Thursday, December 11, will be Rebecca Marks as the Princess along with the one and only Robert Powell, who will be the evil Abanazar. He played Jesus in the film Jesus of Nazareth, and is also fondly remembered for his partnership in The Detectives television series with comedian Jasper Carrott.

On hand to help Aladdin is the Slave of the Ring played by Carrie Rawlings, and hindering rather than helping with his hilarious antics will be Channel 5’s Milkshake presenter Derek Moran as Wishee Washee. Owner of ‘Twankey’s Laundry’, the old scrubber herself Widow Twankey is played by one of the country’s leading pantomime dames, Ian Good.

They’ll be joined by comedy magician Mark James as PC Pong, Spencer K Gibbins as The Emperor and Connor J Barrie as The Genie.

The show, with a full supporting cast, features lavish sets and costumes and a spectacular CGI flying carpet sequence. The pantomime is once again produced by UK Productions Ltd and runs through to Sunday, January 4, 2015.

Worcester’s Swan Theatre panto - Beauty and the Beast - is already on and runs through to January 4 while at Kidderminster’s Rose Theatre they have the Nonentities presenting Christmas Entertainment from Tuesday, December 16 to Friday, December 19, and then from Sunday, December 28 to Saturday, January 3, Limelight will be offering The Snow Princess.

Of the major venues the Birmingham Hippodrome has several top stars appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk. They include TV personality and singing sensation Jane McDonald, Blue’s Duncan James and Coronation Street’s Chris Gascoyne, along with the comedy trio of Gary Wilmot, Paul Zerdin and Matt Slack who return by popular demand following their hilarious antics in last year’s show.

Jack will be climbing the beanstalk from Friday, December 19 through to Sunday, February 1, 2015.

At Wolverhampton’s Grand Theatre Julian Clary and Hollyoak’s star Joe Tracini are currently appearing in Cinderella until Sunday, January 18, 2015.

And of course we mustn’t forget, on no we mustn’t, that a Bromsgrove theatrical company, The Jigsaw Players, are currently presenting their traditional panto, Dick Whittington, at the Trinity Centre, Lickey Parish Hall, in Old Birmingham Road, Bromsgrove, until Saturday, December 13.