PANTOMIME stars Chris Jarvis and Su Pollard kept spirits high at the Christmas lights switch-on in Bournemouth Square on Sunday.

Chris of CBeebies fame who plays Muddles and the former Hi-de-Hi star who plays the Wicked Queen in the Pavilion pantomime Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, challenged youngsters and their parents to a tongue-twister competition.

Other entertainment during the afternoon included The Funky Little Choir from Christchurch who performed a mix of Christmas carols and pop songs including Take That.

Later on Sportacus of Lazy Town fame entertained youngsters from the stage with his famous acrobatic flips. Bournemouth mayor Cllr Beryl Baxter told the crowd: “It’s great to see so many families and children here”.

At 5.10pm the countdown began and Sportacus and the pantomime cast switched on the lights to cheers from the crowd.

Heart FM presenter Caroline Verdon praised the pantomime cast for helping to keep spirits high in the unpleasant weather.

She said: “They were absolutely hilarious. I can’t believe how many people turned up. The weather was so horrible earlier.”