This year Skype have gotten in on the act by sponsoring 24 pantomimes across the UK produced by panto’ giants Qdos. From Aberdeen to Plymouth and Neverland to the Cloud Kingdom, the shows will bring thrills, Christmas cheer and outrageous costumes to some of the country’s most enthusiastic audiences.

Images via Qdos

There are some real British entertainment icons amongst the stars including the likes of the Chuckle Brothers, John Barrowman, Steve McFadden (Phil Mitchell from Eastenders) and Craig Revel Horwood.

Rather than just posting a dull list of the shows and their venues we’ve decided to spread a little Christmas sparkle by making up a map instead. Just click on a location to see which show’s on where, who the stars are and the dates it’ll run for.

As a rather nice added touch, Skype have arranged for one of the shows to be brought to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for sick children via some electronic internet magic. On December 13th children in the hospital and their families will get to experience the Peter Pan pantomime running in Llandudno, Wales.

As they’ll be watching on a two way Skype video call they’ll get the chance to interact with the cast. Meaning when they boo, hiss and shout at Captain Hook he’ll be able to hear them, and when they shout “He’s behind you” at Peter Pan he’ll be able to answer them with a classic “Oh, no he isn’t”.

At the launch event in Great Ormond Street, Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood was on hand to talk about the project:

“Christmas is a very special time of year for families and we are delighted that the Qdos Entertainment partnership with Skype allows a pantomime to be broadcast live into Great Ormond Street Hospital in what is a fab-u-lous and unique event. As well as the live broadcast we are thrilled to be raising funds for the Hospital which treats sick children from across the country.”

Are you going to get involved in some Christmas pantomime fun this year? If so, we’d love to hear about your plans, just leave a comment below.

Creative commons image via Alan Cleaver

Have you been left to babysit your younger siblings over the half term break? Or are you looking for ways to entertain younger members of the family? It can be quite tricky to plan a family day out that everyone enjoys and not just the younger ones, so we’ve put together a few suggestions for family friendly theatre shows!

You might not have thought about a family trip to the theatre before but the costumes, characters and music are guaranteed to entertain the children, while you are bound to fine the storyline much more entertaining than pushing the kids on swings!  And a day out at the theatre doesn’t have to be that expensive; you can get theatre tickets at reasonable prices if you go to one of the day time shows or find a special offer. For example, lastminute.com has some great deals on theatre shows in London and even sells some tickets for £10!

Check our top five family friendly theatre shows:

Matilda the Musical

Matilda, Roald Dahl’s much-loved tale of a gifted child with dreadful parents is given the musical treatment by the combined talents of Tim Minchin and the Royal Shakespeare Company. This theatre show is an ideal one for the kids, who will love to watch Matilda teach her uncaring parents a few lessons!

The Lion King

We have heard lots of amazing reviews of this show. If your children loved the film then they will be mesmerised by the amazing costumes which really bring the story to life. You can check out the costumes and the amazing songs from the show in the trailer below.

Shrek

You can now see the popular kids film Shrek in the theatre and it’s just as funny! The musical comedy follows the same storyline at the film , in which, Shrek and his loyal steed Donkey, set off on a quest to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona. Princess Fiona has been played by several famous faces like, Kimberly from Girls aloud, Amanda Holden and at the moment the part is played by Carley Stenson (Steph from the TV show Hollyoaks!).

The Wizard of Oz

If the Wizard of Oz is one of your favourite childhood films then you will love this stage production. You can introduce your kids to one of the world’s classic children’s stories. This new production contains all the much-loved songs from the Oscar winning movie, all the favourite characters and iconic moments, plus a few surprises along the way, including new songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe

This live production of C S Lewis’s best-loved novel recently opened at the end of May 2012. It is staged in a state of the art theatre tent which allows the audience to enter the wardrobe along with Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy to discover the wintry land of Narnia. It has been adapted by the award-winning director Rupert Goold, and is said to “offer audiences of all ages an all-encompassing theatrical experience”, sounds like a perfect family theatre show to us!

Check out more of our recommended theatre shows for family entertainment via our video playlist below:

Are there any other theatre shows you would recommend for family entertainment? Then let us know by leaving a comment.