Some things are essential at this time of year. Pigs in blankets, a glass of Baileys, badly wrapped presents, stacks of food in the fridge that you're not allowed to eat yet, hopefully securing a bit of time off...and a good old traditional pantomime.

I recently had the pleasure of attending A Ladd In'Er, proudly presented by Sparks Dramatic Society. This show was the much anticipated follow up to last year's Jack and his Big Stalk. It was brimming with bawdy humour, cheeky one-liners, double entendre, and swear-filled moments. I absolutely loved it! I only wish I'd seen last year's show.

Pitched at those aged 17 and above with a sense of humour, we were greeted by an announcement as the lights went down that anyone easily offended should probably seek their afternoon entertainment elsewhere. It was worded a little more crudely than that, but no-one could have claimed not to have been warned! The promises of mild nudity and bad language were also fulfilled pretty quickly as the production began.

I attended with my good friend Patrick, and even got him a cheeky mention during the 'shout outs' section. Hyde Festival Theatre is a lovely friendly venue, with sensible bar and food prices and lovely staff. It was my first visit, but definitely won't be my last. Whilst collecting our interval tipples, I noticed lots of folk were ordering double spirits in the interval, even though it was a matinee performance. Bravo! As with many things this time of year, "well, it's Christmas" is a good excuse for such excesses.

The fun flowed from the opening scene, and this newspaper's very own legend Nigel Skinner brandishing a cucumber whilst in his regal robes was a definite highlight. I won't ever look at him in quite the same way again! Nigel went to see last year's show to review it, and in his own words "was so blown away he knew he just had to be in it".

I can't mention every cast member due to space restrictions, but Natalie Wright as Fairy Muff,  the super expressive Jemma Pattison as Tragic Carpet, and Andrew Grogan as Bob Sledding were amongst my faves. The dance routines were brilliantly choreographed, the pyrotechnics were decent (even when a couple happened slightly late, it just added to the fun!), the jokes were genuinely funny, and the music choices really added to the story.

The atmosphere in the theatre auditorium was cracking throughout and it's the most fun I've had on a Saturday afternoon since I went to Hyde United to sample the food at Big Al's Tea Bar! Next year's performance will be Blow Queen, and I'll definitely be there with bells on.

Thinking back to Christmas 2016, I played one of the Wise Men in a nativity play that took place just outside Barnsley whilst on a radio station in that neck of the woods, and  even though I only had a couple of lines, I kept freezing up and forgetting them! So I really admire the cast for how well they all worked together to deliver this show, and remembered every single line! If there were any brain freeze moments, they were very well hidden. The chemistry between characters was genuinely great, and I've seen much bigger budget productions which just fell flat on their faces due to this electricity being absent They should all be really proud of what they created on stage. I gather over 1250 people were entertained across the run, which is a terrific achievement.

Thinking about it, special credit should also go to Melissa Mottershead, who had a particularly tongue-twisting section of dialogue to deliver as the Princess, and she carried it out with aplomb. There were fourteen in the principal cast, and all took to their roles like a duck to water. I am glad that not everything these days is cancelled on Twitter, as several of the jokes told in the script could have easily started a social media storm amongst less broadminded types. There's a fair bit of the script I couldn't repeat on the radio without fearing for my job, but cheeky Christmas fun as British as a saucy seaside postcard was just what the doctor ordered after a year of bleak news. Bravo!

Thank you for reading this column during 2023. It's hard to believe I've been writing it now for over three years. Time is fleeting and life is short. I hope you manage to find some joy this Christmas, and enjoy the little things in life that make you smile. Happy Christmas.