IT’S December, which only means one thing in theatre-land - panto season.

Bournemouth’s offering this year is Aladdin, the traditional fairytale of the impoverished lad who tries to win the heart of the exotic princess, acquiring a magic lamp along the way after being conned by the evil Abanazar.

But of course, the storyline is entirely secondary when it comes to pantomimes, the main focus being on the corny one-liners, cheesy love stories, audience participation and, above all, bucket-loads of fun.

And Aladdin certainly ticks all the boxes.

Antony Rickman is suitably perky in the title role, while Kelly Agredo makes for a pleasingly sweet Princess Jasmine.

Eastenders star Richard Blackwood was great as the baddie we all love to hate and X-Factor’s Amelia Lily was given the chance to showcase her fantastic voice in the role of the slightly ditzy Spirit of the Ring.

But the undoubted stars of the show were the simply brilliant double act of Noel Brodie as Wishee Washee and David Ball as Widow Twanky.

I would love to have seen them in even more scenes – the show certainly wouldn’t be the same without them.

The great thing about panto is that, the more it goes wrong, the more enjoyable it becomes.

Yes, some of the jokes have been recycled, but knowing what’s coming is all part of the fun.

An audience which started off slightly tentative were dancing in the aisles before the curtain calls, every single person leaving with a smile on their face.

An absolute must-see this Christmas.