Knockabout family fun, a classic rags to riches story, a hero who finds the girl of his dreams and a baddie who gets his just desserts amid a hail of boos and hisses.

What more could you ask for at panto time?Wimborne’s Tivoli Theatre offers all this and more with its new festive production of Dick Whittington and his Wonderful Cat.

The time-honoured tale of the poor country boy who finds fame, fortune and true love on the streets of London is another show from Ron Martin Management in association Born2Perform, the team behind last year’s panto success, Sleeping Beauty.

With its mixture of humour, music and a story that can’t fail to warm the heart, it’s a real winner although, at two-a-and-a-half hours perhaps a little over-long.

The undoubted star of the show is veteran entertainer Bobby Bennett as Sarah the Cook. Something of a panto super-trouper, he has walked the festive boards for 53 years. That experience really shows. His dame is a minor masterpiece of timing, delivery and blowsy banter.

Kevin Leslie is the dashing hero who together with trusty ( and extremely supple) cat, Tommy (played alternately by Lucy Froud and Lucy Adeney) fights greed, corruption and prejudice to win high office and the hand of the beautiful and wealthy Alice Fitzwarren (Emma Wilson).

If he could sing as well as he can act, he’d be perfect.

Other standout performances include Adam Beckman as panto villain King Rat, Andy Walker as the Captain and Paul Cammack as Alice’s hapless dad, Alderman Fitzwarren. *Dick Whittington and his Wonderful Cat plays The Tivoli until 1st January.

Tickets are available from the Tivoli box office on 01202 885566.