Nine of the best pantomimes at the Sunderland Empire from over the years

Emmerdale star Matthew Wolfenden will star as Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk in this year’s production, as reported in the Sunderland Echo.

It got us thinking about all the great stars we’ve seen in the festive line-up in years gone by, from Sheila Ferguson to Mickey Rooney and Barbara Windsor to Faye Tozer.

Let’s relive it all in these Echo archive photos, boys and girls.