A SCHOOL pushed the boundaries of the traditional Christmas show by putting on an alternative pantomime that tackled the problems of drug addiction and abuse.

Tyne View Community Primary School, in Gateshead, swapped the usual festive cheer of traditional pantomimes, for a production that educated children about the dangers of drugs, using characters that schoolchildren could identify with.

Set between present day and 2030 on a new housing development, Geordie and His Amazing Technicolour Spectacles follows main protagonist Josie, played by ten-year-old Casie Flamson, as she struggles against the temptations of taking drugs.

Torn between two friends with different lifestyles, Josie battles between addict Jane, played by Alexandra Rice aged 11, who tries to drag her down into the dark underworld, and health fanatic Angie, played by ten-year-old Megan Varga, who tries to keep her away from drugs.

Assistant headteacher and writer of the play, Sue Dawson, said: "Each year, the school has put on an alternative Christmas show with a different theme that will educate our students on important issues, while still having fun.

"This year we decided to concentrate on the dangers of drugs, a problem that can affect children from a very young age."