REVIEW: Seasonal silliness goes on with Wrongsemble's innovative digital production Humbug

Humbug is an innovative digital production that allows families to enjoy seven episodes filmed at the Ministry of Make Believe as Secret Agent Dashford sets out to discover who is trying to ruin Christmas. Everybody who signs up will also receive a related factfile sent directly to their homes to help audiences solve the mystery and save the day.

The simple items, such as cress seeds and character cards, get children involved and will keep them entertained in between episodes, if you choose not to watch them all at once.

The episodes, which can be watched over and over again, are full of fun and silliness. My daughter was howling in delight as the gingerbread people and sprouts came to life, and we all had a good giggle at the rogue dog poo ingredients on the recipe card. We watched all seven recordings in one go as we were eager to find out who was responsible (we didn't guess right until the very last minute).

It's something different to the usual festive films and helps keep the spirit of the season going at a time when we're all missing pantomimes and theatre shows. The episodes are short enough to maintain the attention of younger children yet funny enough to entertain older children and still be enjoyable for the adults.

Humbug features a stellar cast of northern actors, and is supported by cultural partners across Leeds including Leeds Libraries, Child Friendly Leeds, Leeds City College, Slung Low, 100% Digital Leeds, and Red Ladder Theatre Company. It promises to transport the joy of Wrongsemble’s annual Christmas production into the safety of hundreds of audiences’ homes.

Tickets cost £10 for all episodes, along with audio description, captioning and an episodic narrative to ensure everyone can get involved. The price - which also includes the factfile - is a small cost for a professional theatre production that is so enjoyable.

Book online at www.wrongsemble.com/humbug.