The best pantos for Christmas 2013 DICK WHITTINGTON (Theatre Royal, Stratford, London E15; November 23 - January 11) Dick is on his way to London's East End where he has heard the streets are paved with Olympic gold. This production from Olivier-award winning duo Trish Cooke and Robert Hyman is both original and genuinely hilarious - not something that can be said for all pantos. Buy tickets for Dick Whittington. DICK WHITTINGTON (Grove Theatre, Dunstable, Bedforsdshire LU5; December 13 - January 5) This more traditional take on the Dick Whittington tale features two soap legends in Ryan Moloney (the evergreen Toadfish from Neighbours) as Idle Jack and Leslie Grantham (Eastenders' "Dirty" Den Watts) as Dirty Rat. Buy tickets for Dick Whittngton. JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (Lyric Hammersmith, London W6; November 23 - January 4) Always an interesting marriage of traditional thrills and innovative spills, the Lyric's show this year harnesses the distinguished services of rising playwright Tom Wells while boasting the camp-as-Christmas sparkle of Steven Webb as Jack's best friend Sprout. Loud, brash, pop-packed and tot-friendly. (DC) Buy tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk. JACK AND THE GIANT (The Theatre, Chipping Norton; November 19 - January 12) Chipping Norton may have been singled out for criticism in this year's book Crap Towns Returns, but when it comes to Christmas, the Cotswolds town delivers, with panto combining all the charms of old-fashioned rusticity with snappy metropolitan wit. (DC) Buy tickets for Jack and the Giant. PETER PAN (Richmond Theatre, London TW9; December 6 - January 12) One of London's most enchanting theatres plays host to one of the most timeless of children's tales, as Henry Winkler - still remembered as "the Fonz" from Happy Days - returns to pantoland to play the dastardly Captain Hook. (DC) Buy tickets for Peter Pan. POTTED PANTO (Vaudeville Theatre, London WC2; December 8 - January 5) Another chance to see seven classic pantomimes condensed to just 80 minutes and zippily performed (mainly in the mornings) by reigning kings of the ridiculously-reduced experience, Dan and Jeff. (DC) Buy tickets for Potted Panto. PUSS IN BOOTS (Hackney Empire, London E8; November 23 - January 5) The most riotous, raucous and ritzy of the London pantos. Writer and director Susie McKenna has the Midas touch when it comes to entertaining the pre-teen masses (and their entourages). With regular Kat B in the title role, and Sharon D Clarke as Queen Talulah the Hoo Ha, expect cheek in spades. (DC) Buy tickets for Puss in Boots. ROBIN HOOD (Theatre Royal, Plymouth; December 20 - January 25) Qdos Entertainment is the main commercial panto player out of town, and with smart casting like this - Nigel Havers as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Lee Mead as Robin Hood and Bobby Davro as Will Scarlet - you can see why. (DC) Buy tickets for Robin Hood. Alan Fletcher (Neighbours' Karl Kennedy) plays the Sheriff of Nottingham in this production of Robin Hood alongside X Factor's Andy Abraham. A perfect panto cast if ever I saw one. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham B5; December 19 - February 2) Who else to play The Man in the Mirror but fashion guru Gok Wan? Television's best-dressed man is sure to get the tone just right but the real star of the show will be John Partridge, best known for playing Christian in Eastenders. The Hippodrome has a fine panto reputation, which looks assured for another year. Buy tickets for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Buy theatre tickets from Telegraph Box Office