Ugly Sisters are doing it four themselves at school panto

Pupils at Queen Mary's School, Topcliffe, Thirsk, have been hard at work putting the finishing touches to their festive production.

And to ensure there is double the trouble for the heroine of the story they have doubled the number of ugly sisters to four, naming them Harrogate Hattie, Topcliffe Tabitha, Boroughbridge Betty and Ripon Rosie.

Teacher Alistair Cowey, the director of the panto, said: "We're very fortunate to have a number of pupils who are able not only to learn their lines, but to adopt different accents, which is no mean feat for children of this age.

"Our four ugly sisters have all been working hard on developing very broad Yorkshire accents, and they are coming together nicely.

"All our pupils have been very committed to the Christmas production and it should be a brilliant show."

There is also a cameo role in the production with young Daisy Auckland playing Bruno Tonioli, the extrovert Italian judge from TV's Strictly Come Dancing who gives his verdict on the skills of the dancers at the royal ball.

Nearly 30 youngsters are taking part in the production which takes place in the school's Great Hall at 6.30pm on Monday, December 13.