ONCE upon a time fairy tales were an enduring piece of storytelling, where every little boy and girl knew that good would triumph over evil and that all princesses were beautiful and every prince was handsome.

But with pantos aplenty during the festive season (which don't all stick to the original plot) and a barrage of children's cartoons, toys and computer games to keep the little ones busy - has the sparkle finally gone out of the classic fairy tale?

We all know most of the stories from childhood.

They usually involve a princess or two, a little bit of magic, a journey the lead character has to go through to discover themselves - not forgetting a few baddies, witches or evil people to try and throw them off the scent, all sprinkled in for good measure.

But, in this age of television and Harry Potter, is all that behind us?

Not so, according to a recent survey by children's channel Nickelodeon, with Little Red Riding Hood coming out as the favourite bedtime story in a poll of 3,000 parents.

And, more than half of stories which parents read to their tots at bedtime were classic fairytales.

Which is pretty good going when you think of the range of stories shown on the children's channel.

And these findings are echoed by Chris Jaeger, chief executive of Worcester Live which runs the Swan Theatre. He believes the classic fairytale isn't dead, but very much alive and kicking, especially with local children who come to see the shows.

Chris believes the strong elements of a good tale are always popular during panto season - something which some modern tales just can't quite live up to.

"It's probably the only entertainment in Britain which three generations of a family can enjoy," he said.

"We have Snow White on at the moment. It's a fantastic tale which most children know through Disney but also through hearing it at school."

But, he added, while the cartoon version had an incredibly scary Queen, in a show, the audience watching it could interact more, and get to shout at her and boo' when she is being bad.

"It's a release of tension and in that way it's fantastic."

However, he was careful to point out the choice of story performed had to have strong traits and narrative for it to be popular.

"We did Dick Wittington a few years ago which didn't have that strong narrative to keep it a compelling human drama, like the wicked witch in Cinderella and evil queen in Snow White.

"It just shows that you need a strong story in panto and for a really good tale," he added.

Most of the parents of children at the Wishing Well nursery, on Bilford Road, agreed their children had firm favourites when it came to stories and that they enjoyed listening and watching again and again. The majority of children were read to each night, along with story times throughout the day - and the favourites were clear.

Lucy Symonds, aged three, said some of her favourites were When Santa Got Stuck up the Chimney, because it was "funny".

But she also said she really liked Cinderella because she was pretty.

And Connor Baker, aged four, said he liked Snow White because of the witch and the dwarfs, especially Grumpy.

For three-year-old Charlotte Ecclestone, her favourite was also Cinderella.

"I can copy her and put on my Cinderella dress. I like it because it's got princesses in. I watch it a lot. I've also got Kipper books that I am read," she said.

Manager of the nursery, Sue Hunt, said most children knew the old stories, but the original tales were too long for them to listen to, so they made a way for the tales, old and new, to become more accessible by creating story boxes which have pictures and toys relating to them.

"We also personalise them, changing some of the characters' names for the children's. They really love that," said Sue.

"It's all about making the story fun for them."

So, perhaps the old tales will never lose their appeal.

They must be classics for a reason and while they may change slightly with the times, children will forever live happily listening to and watching the fairy tales.

The End.