SHOWS are being lined-up to keep families entertained next week during the half term holidays.

Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake says its shows next week for little – and bigger ones – include captivating puppetry, raucous musicals and gory Gothic epics.

The Elves and the Shoemaker is on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, starting at 11am and 2pm in the Main House, and is for ages three and up. The classic tale is brought by the Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company, and includes puppets, music, comedy and bonkers shoes!

For the under-fives, there’s the enchanting show The Naughty Fox on Friday and Saturday February 21 and 22, again starting at 11am and 2pm, in the theatre’s Studio. The interactive, multisensory show features comfy creatures Honk, Splash and TaWit TaWoo as they teach The Naughty Fox a very important lesson about sharing.

The following week, on Wednesday, February 26 , for lovers of Harry Potter, Lemony Snicket and Tim Burton, The Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps mixes compelling storytelling with a brilliant musical score by Arun Ghosh.

Written and performed by BBC Radio 4’s Poet-in-Residence, Murray Lachlan Young, this darkly comic tale takes flight when a young orphan named Crispin inherits a looming ancestral home, unconventional butler included, and begins to learn about his peculiar family history.

Book by phone on 017687 74411, online at theatrebythelake.com or at the Box Office.