It was a Christmas concert that aimed to make us smile.

And the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) certainly delivered on the promise made by conductor Pete Harrison – with plenty of help from guest vocalists Iain Mackenzie and Alison Jiear.

To get the audience into the festive spirit before the music even began, Lighthouse decked its halls with reams of tinsel and lights.

But before the orchestra treated us to some Christmas tunes, they got into the swing of things with some big band numbers, including The Lady is a Tramp and Too Darn Hot.

As expected, this is where the brass section became the focal point and the double bass came into its own. The latter kept up a non-stop pace and drove the pieces forward.

The BSO were not oblivious to the fact their concert coincided with the Strictly Come Dancing finale on Saturday night, and as a treat for the show’s fans, they performed a spectacular adaption of the show’s theme song, arranged by Ray Moore (who was in the audience enjoying the evening’s performance).

Afterwards, Iain and Alison returned to the stage, and the talented and charismatic vocalists performed a variety of solos and duets including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Feeling Good, and You’ll Never Walk Alone, which Alison performed on Britain’s Got Talent last year.

In a surprise, but nonetheless welcome, deviation from the swing theme of the first half, a medley of songs from The Sound of Music was performed. With Alison singing as Maria, the audience became the Von Trapp children and sang along to Do Re Mi.

In tribute to the two greats of jazz and swing music, a Ray Charles overture and a Frank Sinatra medley followed, and there was no doubting the richness in sound a full orchestra brings to these genres of music.

The second half saw the orchestra become fully festive, with players dressed as reindeer, elves, and even Father Christmas.

A wide number of Christmas classics were performed, with Alison and Iain crooning Baby It’s Cold Outside and Let it Snow. Prokofiev’s popular Troika featured, as well as more modern favourites. Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody and Wizzard’s I Wish it Could Be Christmas Everyday got even the most reserved audience members clapping and on their feet.

Last Night of the Christmas Proms will no doubt become a festive tradition for those who enjoyed last night’s fun and feel-good concert.