YORK'S first family of panto once again took to the stage at their adopted home over at York's Grand Opera House for the second year running on Saturday afternoon and launched this year's offering The Adventures Of Old Granny Goose in spectacular style.

Fellow babbies and bairns don't need me to tell them how fabulous this show is... Berwick Kaler and co's reputation speaks for itself. This is my 45th year seeing Berwick in panto here in York.

Berwick is a genius when it comes to his craft and how incredibly lucky are we that he has bestowed his gift upon the city of York all these years and long may he continue.

I have always felt that at the very core of panto is family and Mr Kaler rounds up his entire panto family, a happy band of merriment and mirth for yet another rip roaring hilarious two-hour show.

Yes the gang are all back together and back on a York stage where they all belong - Berwick, Martin Barrass, Suzy Cooper, David Leonard, AJ Powell and Jake Lindsay who's first onstage appearances drew huge applause and cheers from their loyal and devoted audience.

Pantomonium reigns supreme among the fabulous musical production numbers complete with brand new ensemble members and little babbies & bairns.

So if you are looking for a little bit of happiness and a little bit of joy in these currently troubled times we now live in then look no further than York's Grand Opera House this panto season.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Berwick, Martin, Suzy, David, AJ & Jake are collectively a Christmas gift that just keeps on giving!

Key Way,

Fulford,

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the prime example of a supernatural teen drama, and most of its ensemble cast is still beloved 25 years later. Angel was the perfect vampire boyfriend years before Twilight or The Vampire Diaries became popular, and Buffy was critical to the rise of strong female characters. Similarly, Giles is held up as one of the best mentor figures in fantasy, and Willow is both the nerdy best friend and a powerhouse in her own right.

Given how much the fans love the Scooby Gang, it was that much more disturbing when they became the bad guys. The group fought against the forces of evil daily, but they were not purely good by any means. They got petty and mean at times, and that turned exciting, powerful characters into terrifying threats. In some episodes, Buffy and her friends became far more frightening foes than the demons and monsters they were supposed to be fighting.

Tabula Rasa

Season 6, Episode 8

This episode marked the beginning of Willow's journey to villainy. After Buffy and Tara confront Willow about the harm her spells caused them, Willow decides to cast a more powerful spell that made everyone forget who they were. It's one of the funniest episodes of Buffy, but what it says about Willow is concerning.

While trying to get their memories back, the Scooby Gang has to face off against a demon loan shark, but he's just an obstacle. Willow is the problem. She is completely addicted to magic and refuses to take accountability for her actions. Instead, Willow's pursuit of a happy life comes at the expense of other people's free will.

CHENNAI: Biryani continues to rule India's taste buds as the dish sets new records in 2022.

Swiggy on Thursday said biryani was the most ordered dish on Swiggy for the seventh year in a row in 2022. Around 137 biryanis were ordered every minute on Swiggy during the year-- that's 2.28 biryanis per second.

The classic and comforting masala dosa was the second most ordered dish on Swiggy.

When it came to snacks, the reliable samosa took the pole position as more than 40 lakh of these were ordered in 2022.

As for late night cravings, popcorn came to the rescue as 22 lakh orders of popcorn were placed on the food tech app during the year- a majority of which were post 10pm.

Swiggy also notes a change in the flavour profiles of Indian foodies and records an uptake in orders of sushi, Mexican bowls, Korean spicy ramen and Italian pasta.

The favourite gulab jamun was the top dessert ordered at 27 lakh times. Rasmalai with 16 lakh orders and choco lava cake with over 10 lakh orders followed.

Bengaluru emerged as the top city that saved the most with Swiggy One- Swiggy's membership product. Making the most of the benefits, members in Bengaluru saved over Rs 100 crore followed closely by those in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi.

More than 35 lakh customers of Swiggy came forward to tip delivery partners this year to the tune of Rs 53 crore. 100% of these tips go to our delivery executives, Swiggy notes.

Swiggy’s analysis is from transactions from January- November 2022 across India.