Panto fans will enjoy another magic carpet ride with this year's show at the Alhambra.

The Bradford theatre has announced that Aladdin will be its latest winter spectacular.

The show's biggest names will be comedy double act Cannon and Ball as the Chinese Policemen.

Also starring in Aladdin, which will run from December 15 until February 3, will be Tricia Penrose, who plays barmaid Gina Ward in the TV series Heartbeat, as The Princess.

Kulvinder Ghir, one of the stars of the comedy show Goodness Gracious Me, is also in the cast as the Genie of the Lamp.

And the Alhambra's favour-ite panto baddie Maurice Thorogood will make his fifth appearance at the theatre, this time as Aladdin's wicked Uncle Abanezer.

The cast will also be joined by the Sunbeams dance troupe, made up of local children.

But the star who will play the title role has yet to be announced.

Cannon and Ball have been familiar faces to British television audiences since the 1970s when they first burst onto the scene.

Best known for Bobby Ball's brace-twanging antics and catchphrase "Rock on Tommy!", the double act became born-again Christians and now combine gags with talking about their faith in some of their shows.

It will be the third time the pair have starred in panto at the Alhambra, having previously wowed audiences in Jack and the Beanstalk and Babes in the Wood, both in the Eighties.

More recently they have forged links with Bradford after agreeing to perform a charity concert at the Abundant Life Centre in Wapping Road, Bradford, to raise money towards its building fund.

Aladdin was last performed at the Alhambra in 1994/95 when the show starred Yorkshire comic Billy Pearce and broke box office records.

l Tickets for Aladdin go on sale next Wednesday. They are priced from £5.50 to £17.50 and can be booked by ringing (01274) 752000.

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