With cheeky quips, belly-clutching humour and a fair old dose of theatre magic, Manchester's big Opera House pantomime has returned with just about everything you could possibly want in a festive ...

The opening performance of the inaugural Manchester International Festival at the Palace Theatre was a star-studded affair ... instead becoming more like the wedding scene at the end of a pantomime ...

And if you see one pantomime this festive season make it Cinderella – the fairy godmother of all pantos – at The Opera House in Manchester ... stranger to musical theatre having appeared ...