THERE was a time, not so many years ago, when the great British traditional pantomime was in the doldrums.

Considered past their sell-by date, corny and even non-PC, the annual festive productions suffered a decline in audiences and a regular slating from the critics.

But in recent times pantos have soared in popularity again, people of all ages realising they offer enchantment and escapism - and plenty of good old-fashioned fun.

There can surely be no more glorious location to celebrate the rip-roaring revival of the genre than the Theatre Royal in Windsor.

The audiences who’ve been packing in to this year’s offering, Aladdin, will certainly vouch for that.

Excited, laughing, sweet-munching (and that’s just the grandparents) they’ve been roaring their approval of one of the best Windsor pantos in years.

The show is full of all the wonderful ingredients that everyone expects, but this time they’re mixed with a few interesting new touches.

For example, instead of a cave choc-a-bloc with of twinkling jewels, Aladdin finds himself in the middle of a Busby Berkeley-style chorus line of high-kicking dancers celebrating his new-found wealth.

When I say ‘himself’ I should point out that, like all the best pantos, the principal boy is a girl, in this case, Samantha Barks, fresh from a massively-successful touring production of Cabaret.

She’s joined by former Corrie starlet Poppy Jhakra, the evergreen Wendy Craig, stalwart Windsor dame Michael Sharvell-Martin, Heartbeat’s Steven Blakeley and Toby Hull, perpetuating his late father’s Emu puppet act.

But almost stealing the show is Jess Conrad as the baddie Abanazar, who enlivens the proceedings with a combination of over-the-top-acting and self parody.

The show moves on at a fair old pace – none of those awkward delays between scenes - and has some of the most colourful, sparkly costumes ever seen in a Windsor panto.

*Aladdin runs at the Theatre Royal Windsor until Sunday January 10. Contact the box office on 01753853888.