THE Beacon has wowed the crowds with its perfect pantomime again this year - oh yes it has!

In celebration of the arts centre's 10th anniversary, the nationally-renowned venue is staging Beauty and the Beast right up until the end of December. 

The Telegraph was invited along to watch the show and got ready for a night of sparkling family entertainment. 

With glowing reviews flooding in, a high standard of panto was definitely on the cards, and the spectacular show exceeded all expectations by miles. 

This is a timeless tale, told sensitively and hilariously through an expertly-crafted script brought to life by an incredibly talented cast. 

Greenock Telegraph:
Written by Alan McHugh and directed by Beth Morton, the show beautifully blends cheeky innuendo-tinged moments with an innocence and wholesomeness to create the perfect panto. 

There ain't nothing like this show's dame. 

River City actor Jimmy Chisholm stars as Betty Blumenthal, a lady of a certain age with an outlandish wardrobe who is on the hunt for a man. 

Greenock Telegraph:
Jimmy puts in an incredible performance which surely must make him one of the best dames in the business.

Lee Samuel stars as Betty's very lovable son Boabby who is in love with Belle, the Beauty of our story. 

Lee has the audience shouting his name within seconds and is the perfect partner for Jimmy.

Betty and Boabby's comedy double act had people of all ages roaring with laughter and will surely go down in history as one of the best ever. 

Greenock Telegraph:
The villain of the piece is played by Jane McCarry, of course better known as Isa from Still Game. 

Jane stars as Deadly Nightshade who cursed Prince Sebastian (The Beast) after he shunned her love years before. 

The popular actor puts in an amazing performance as the baddie and shows off her singing talents too. 

Greenock Telegraph:
Jane's partner in crime in Still Game, Mark Cox, plays Angus McFungus. 

Mark's performance is comedy gold, and he even shows off his singing skills in a take on a Madness tune and a 'happy song' medley. 

His transformation near to the end of the show elicited one of the biggest laughs of the night. 

Greenock Telegraph:
Lee, Jimmy, Jane and Mark show off their athletic abilities in an incredible Inverclyde version of the 12 Days of Christmas using a whole range of props, including a stack of Teles! 

Belle is played by the amazing Shannon Swan who fills the venue with her wonderful voice. 

She's the ideal choice for the central role and has formed a beautiful partnership with Sam Willison, who plays Prince Sebastian (The Beast). 

Sam expertly balances the role of the Prince with his hairier alter ego and manages to maintain his cool even when hilarity ensues around him. 

Shannon and Sam help to maintain the central love story and keep the message of 'true love finding a way' running all the way through the tale. 

Throughout the festive spectacular, there are constant references to parts of Inverclyde which endear the cast to the audience. 

Alongside the main cast, there's a very talented ensemble quartet who play villagers, portrait people, and Nightshade's ghouls. 

It's abundantly clear that everyone on stage, and everyone involved in the production, love what they do and are proud to be doing it in Greenock. 

Karen Townsend, the Beacon's creative producer and acting joint director, says this year's show has been a great success. 

She added: "We're delighted that so many people in Greenock come along and join us in this great Inverclyde festive tradition. 

"We start planning the panto in January and the cast, crew and creatives really do put their heart and soul into creating the magic that has made this year's show 'the best panto in Scotland'. 

"We are grateful for the support of everyone that comes to support this wonderful arts centre we have on our doorstep."

To book tickets visit www.beaconartscentre.co.uk/events/beauty-and-the-beast