Jimmy Osmond, Meera Syal and more fly into Birmingham for swashbuckling panto - in pictures

Audiences will be setting sail to Neverland over the Christmas period and into the new year with Birmingham Hippodromes' latest pantomime offering.

Award-winning Black Country writer and actress Meera Syal will be the star of the show making her pantomime debut as the Magical Mermaid. The Wolverhampton-born star will be joined on stage by Jimmy Osmond as Captain Hook, Union J singer Jaymi Hensley as Peter Pan and Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist Sascha Williams as the Drunken Pirate.

Returning to the Birmingham Hippodrome pantomime for his sixth consecutive year, is Birmingham's most popular entertainer Matt Slack starring as Smee.

Speaking to the Express & Star at the pantomime launch earlier this year, he said: "People always ask me how are we going to top the show from the previous year. Well, last year’s was certainly great, with a brilliant cast and people like Beverley Knight.

"But this year’s really is going to be exceptional. We have got a lot of surprises in store.”

Joining them all for the high-flying adventure as the Neverlanders will be the acrobatic troupe The Timbuktu Tumblers.

The show has been produced by Qdos Entertainment and directed by Michael Harrison for the ninth year.

Mr Harrison said: "We are delighted to, once again, have assembled such a stellar line-up for this year’s production of Peter Pan, the first time the title has been staged there for thirteen years."

Peter Pan opens at Birmingham Hippodrome tonight(19) and runs at the venue until January 27.

For tickets, call 0844 338 5000 or visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com.