There's plenty of fast banter, funny patter and ridiculous rhyme to enjoy in this traditional panto script by Channel 4 comedy writer Brian Luff. It's a script packed with great new comedy routines. Hapless palace guards Kosh & Bosh have numerous opportunities to show off their comic chemistry, including a messy gym scene, a "Standing Very Still" sketch and a pacy routine about a bunch of "Spies Behind the Pork Pies". Meanwhile, Dame Plump & her farmhand Charlie perform an hilarious sketch called "Counting Potatoes", which may turn out to be a bit of a panto classic. Charlie also hooks up with handsome hero Jack for a very funny "Eye Test" routine. Jack and the Magical Beanstalk is traditional family pantomime at its very best.

The folk tale is embellished with fresh touches as the legend of the Sword in the Stone is reflected in Jack's methods, the Dame has a tremendous fight with the Giant's evil henchman and the original Vegetable Fairy displays her usual Power for Good (she is frequently overly optimistic and bungles her efforts). The climatic contest between Jack and the Giant is described in detail and special interpolations include an updated version of a famous Grimaldi comedy "baby bathing' scene. The pantomine offers opportunities for elaborate staging, but can be produced quite simply.

Ally knows her super-efficient big sis Linn finds their chaotic family a bit ... exasperating. But when Linn falls for Q, the tearaway lead singer in a local band, all her sensible ways go out of the window. Everyone else can see that Q's a creep, but does Ally have the courage to burst Linn's heart-shaped bubble?

"Fletcherism: what it is: or, How I became young at sixty" by Horace fletcher is a fascinating book on nutrition and diet. The author here relates briefly the story of his regeneration, of how he rescued himself from the prospect of an early grave, and brought himself to his present splendid physical and mental condition. He tells of the discovery of his principles, which have helped millions of people to live better, happier, and healthier lives. The book is a good fit if you are concerned about health and diet.