Written by Roger Buist and edited by MAD members, the show with its chaotic cacophony of colourful characters was well received by audiences on Friday evening and at matinee performances on both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

There was the usual mixed bag of traditional characters - a poor but hard-working dame and her daft but fearless son, Jack, a prince and princess, an evil giant, the local squire, an eager but inept fairy, a couple of nasty crooks and a magic wizard keeping a fatherly watch over the whole hapless bunch!

Of course, the character who was guaranteed to capture everyone's heart right from her very first appearance was Daisy, the loveable pantomime cow whose refusal to give any milk was the cause of much consternation at Dame Trot's Dairy.

'Jack And The Beanstalk' contained all the right ingredients for another successful pantomime for MAD, with lively music and dance, slapstick humour, danger and daring and a touch of romance woven through the story.

Jack was played by ever-popular MAD member Gavin Barton, who brought his usual charm and enthusiasm to the part of the simple but warm-hearted hero.

Dame Trot was played with gusto by Gareth Barton, who is no stranger to the stage and obviously relished wearing a variety of outrageously bright costumes and frighteningly high platform shoes as he shouted and complained his way through the performance in true panto-dame style.

Baron Skint, the local squire who comes to collect his rent from the dame and ends up with a lot more than he bargains for, was brought to life by Craig Low, who consistently excels in such understated comedy characters.

Richard Cook was the impressively masterful Walter the Wizard, Supreme Head of the Magic Spells Union, who kept a friendly eye on the goings-on of all concerned and tried to keep Fairy Twinkletoes on the right path - no easy task with a fairy this useless! Twinkie, superbly played by veteran MAD actress Nicky Stewart, had the audience on her side from the very first moment she clumped on to the stage.

Oliver and Bartholomew, the inevitable baddies, played by Calum Dwyer and Ben Podger, were booed on and off the stage at regular intervals and the audience loved their slapstick style of comedy.

A pantomime wouldn't really be a pantomime without a handsome prince and newcomer Martin Rowbottom was perhaps more surprised than anyone to discover he had landed the part, since he originally came along to MAD to join their team of writers! His bride, Princess Grace, was played by Debbie Campbell whose terrified screams are becoming famous within the company.

Jack's perfectly matched girlfriend, Jenny, and her friend Sally were played by Libby Gee and Theresa Lynn, adding their charms to the spectacular dance sequences and Stuart Anthony provided the superb voice of 'Giant Grim'.