With a cast that includes a 20ft long talking snake, a snorting gorilla as big as a caravan and a genie hovering in the air, you’d think Billy Pearce might be in danger of being upstaged for his 15th Alhambra pantomime.

But when Bradford’s favourite funnyman flew over the audience on a magic carpet, which turned him upside-down just a few feet above us, there was no mistaking the star of this show.

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Billy delivered a cracking performance as Aladdin; holding a delighted audience in his palm throughout the action-packed show.

He threw himself into a range of stunts, from sword fighting to a hilarious slapstick song-and-dance routine that – be warned – involves a bucket of water.

There’s a lovely vulnerable side to Billy too; not least with his ‘shrinking’ scene which had us in stitches.

Chico delivered a slick performance as Slave of the Ring, showcasing his skills as an accomplished all-round entertainer.

With spectacular visual effects by The Twins FX, this is a West End quality show, but it retains the traditional elements of panto, including a great ‘it’s behind you’ scene that had youngsters on the edges of their seats.

Highlights included the fast-paced fight scene and old-school acrobatic fun from the excellent Acromaniacs.

A class-act cast included Jeffrey Harmer as evil Abanazar, Adam Stafford as Widow Twankey, Jenny Gayner as Princess Jasmine, Masashi Fujimoto as a hilarious Emperor, and the delightful Sunbeams from the Sara Packham School of Dance.

Runs until January 26, 2014.