T HEY’VE waved their wacky wand over Robin Hood, King Arthur and Toad and Ratty in recent years, and now, this time round, it’s the turn of Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera and Shere Khan.

Yes, Oddsocks are back for their festive run at the Queen’s Hall in Hexham, bringing their own madcap brand of magic with them.

More than 5,000 tickets have already been sold for The Jungle Book, this year’s panto, but with 20 shows lined up, there are still tickets available, said marketing manager Simon Haworth.

“All the shows for schools are sold out and the shows either side of Christmas Day are more or less gone, too,” he said.

“There are still some tickets left for other performances, but you’ll have to be quick!

“As we keep saying at the Queen’s Hall, you don’t have to go the big city for the best entertainment – it’s all here on your doorstep.”

Rudyard Kipling’s legendary tale follows the adventures of Mowgli, of course, the man cub who has to battle against the odds – never mind the veriloquent vultures, the crazy-eyed cobra and the terrifying tiger – before he finally finds his way back to civilization.

But in Oddsocks’ hands, who knows what the finished product will look like?

A laugh a minute, definitely. A story Kipling himself would recognise? Possibly not.

Simon confirmed: “There’ll be the usual mayhem.”

The Jungle Book will run until Friday, December 30 at the Queen’s Hall. Tickets are available from the box office now.