Christmas is coming and so the pantomime season is here again, writes Gareth Foreman.

Oh no it isnt, I hear you cry, Oh yes it is and theatres across South West London will be home to all the well-loved panto stories, plus a few not so well known tales.

There will be well-known stories and faces, including Shane Richie and Geoffrey Hayes.

Getting the season underway is Jack and The Beanstalk (pictured) at Wimbledon Theatre.

This lavish production, which tells the story of Jack and his adventures after selling his cow for a handful of beans, stars Shane Richie, Sadie Nine and Rainbows Geoffrey Hayes.

Jack And The Beanstalk opens on tomorrow (Friday), and tickets for the first night cost just £10. It runs until Sunday, January 20th. Call Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon Broadway on 020 8540 0362.

Also in Wimbledon is the Polka Theatre for children, which is staging not one but two shows, The Elves And The Shoemaker and The Night Before Christmas.

In The Night Before Christmas Jimmy Tibbs and his pals are drawn into a series of escapades, heading to the North Pole on a rescue mission. It runs until February 2, 2002.

The Elves And The Shoemaker is a timeless tale. The shoemakers have no money for food or heating, yet their generosity is repaid in a strange and magical way. Call the Polka Theatre at 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon on 020 8543 4888.

A fine alternative to pantomime is Around The World In Eighty Days which is being staged at

Battersea Arts Centre (BAC), which over the years has built a reputation with its Christmas musicals. This production is now on and runs until January 12.

Oh no it isnt, Oh yes it is!.

For more details call BAC, Lavender Hill, Battersea on 020 7223 2223.