At its best, panto is an ensemble affair and each member of this Aylesbury cast contributes to a slick and feel-good production.

Every ingredient has been thrown into the mix – from Dick Whittington defeating the Queen Rat in a lip-sync battle to a UV under-the-sea light show – but director Chris Nelson (also playing Alderman Fitzwarren and the Sultan) and nifty choreographer Nikki Wilkes keep the action flowing at an incredible pace.

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One or two of the musical numbers could be cut, but it’s easy to see why Nelson wanted to show off the vocals of X Factor divas Sam Bailey and Melanie Masson. When Bailey’s feisty Fairy Bowbells goes up against Masson’s convincingly dastardly Queen Rat, vocal fireworks fly.

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There’s also a little bit of magic during the Act I finale, when Dick dreams of being the lord mayor of London against a golden tableau of church bells ringing.

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Elsewhere, Rachael Louise Miller and Kristopher Milnes, as Alice Fitzwarren and Dick, create the central love story in a charming fashion, and Jason Sutton’s Sarah the Cook has great fun with an innuendo-laden script.

Keeping the energy high, and providing the lion’s share of the laughs, is Aylesbury’s own Andy Collins, a favourite with the audience – and it’s not difficult to see why.