The days are shorter, the air is crisper and the streets are aglow with Christmas lights, which can only mean one thing: it’s time for the Marlowe Theatre panto.

Last year, the Canterbury panto was named the best in the country and, with a cast including Strictly champ Ore Oduba and West End star Carrie Hope Fletcher, expectations are high yet again.

I hadn’t been to a panto in years but, I must admit, the Canterbury show holds a special place in my heart.

As a child, I would go with my family every year and I remember it being one of the most exciting dates of the Christmas calendar.

I’d sit near the front and become absolutely enamoured with the cast - usually someone I recognised from the telly - the music, the comedy and the fun of it all.

Last night, I found myself peering down at the families in the front few rows, the same seats I used to sit in with my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and remembered that feeling of falling in love with theatre for the first time.

I knew there would be children feeling that exact same way during this performance, and it reminded me of the very special gift of panto.

When the curtain lifted, I put my sentiment to one side, sat back and enjoyed the show, which featured all the panto must-haves. Big stars? Tick. Bad puns? Tick. Fairytale romance? Tick.

On top of all that, the show had some exciting new additions, including fire juggling, TikTok songs and even velociraptors, which they somehow found a place for in the story of Sleeping Beauty. It felt really quite spectacular.

The famous Marlowe Theatre bench still made its appearance, although this year panto dame Nurse Nellie and sidekick Jangles were haunted by a huge Frankenstein’s Monster, giant spider and prehistoric dinosaurs.

It used to be just a couple of cast members with white bed sheets over their heads running around behind Dave Lee, but I suppose the budget has gone up since then.

I must give a nod to the star-studded cast. The production always gets good names, but this year’s additions of theatre pro Carrie Hope Fletcher and CBeebies favourite Jennie Dale gave us some of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard in panto.

Ore Oduba was a warm and likeable Prince Charming, Max Fulham was a fun best friend and brilliant ventriloquist, and Ben Roddy returned as the incomparable panto dame.

The three of them showed us the joy of family theatre when they performed a Make ‘Em Laugh-style slapstick routine that had both adults and kids howling with laughter.

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a panto where something hasn’t gone awry and, last night, one of the props didn’t quite go to plan during the bench scene.

It’s hard to know whether moments like this are real or rehearsed, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s like magic - you can try working out how a magician performs their tricks, but it’s much more fun to simply believe what you see.

Either way, planned or not, it gave us all a lot of laughs.

The show ended in a larger-than-life finale during which saw Princess Aurora step in to battle the wicked creatures without the help of her prince - an empowering ending that reflected the modern shift of this pioneering panto.

There are plenty of pantos taking place across the county this festive season - you can find them all in our panto guide - but I’ve got to say, I think the Marlowe Theatre will uphold its reputation as one of the best in the business.

Once again, Canterbury has pulled out all the stops to deliver a Christmas panto with all the trimmings.

Sleeping Beauty is at the Marlowe Theatre until Sunday, January 8. Book online here or call 01227 787787.

Tickets range from £15 to £55.