THE Big Bad Wolf may have got a bad press in fairytales, but a new puppet show in Oxford aims to reveal the truth.

Wolf Tales is the latest production from Pickled Image, which uses puppetry, shadows and songs to create exciting shows for children.

The show, which has been running at the North Wall Arts Centre in South Parade, Summertown, Oxford, aims to show “he’s not mean, he’s not scary, he’s just a twerp who’s very, very hairy”.

Paula Clark, of the North Wall, said: “This has been a really big hit. The children love it, but a lot of the adults tell us it’s the best show they’ve seen too.

“It is all set backstage at a musical of Red Riding Hood, with the wolf coming backstage after each act.

“He tells the audience all about how Red Riding Hood is a little minx, and how the nasty three little pigs tried to burn him when he climbed down the chimney to say sorry.”

Comments left by children included “the wolf was really fun” and “I loved the show, I thought the puppet was very clever”. Ms Clark added: “A few of the adults added comments too. A lot of the jokes were just for them.”