It had some big, glitzy shoes to fill, did Dick Whittington.

The panto at the Marlowe Theatre has taken on something resembling legendary status, with last year's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs proving a record breaker - 99% of tickets sold and almost 96,000 people watching it.

So theatre bosses called on their dream team: director Paul Hendy of Evolution Productions, TV presenter Stephen Mulhern, regular dame Ben Roddy and Kent actor Lloyd Hollett. All four have on-stage and off-stage chemistry, having worked together many times and become friends. And it showed.

Stephen Mulhern, currently presenting The Next Great Magician on ITV, was able to indulge some of his magical talents as Billy, including "appearing" on stage, instead of the normal entering stage left. His show-stopper was a piece of magic which left the audience baffled and amazed, while his stage presence had us all cheering along.

Ben Roddy played Dolly the Cook, the dame, in his usual loud, hilarious style, and threw in plenty of banter with cast mates, including Lloyd Hollett as Captain Crabstick. This year, there was a rocking boat scene between the two which, let's say, proved messy - it's been a while since I've laughed so hard. Dolly's own show-stopper included an eye-popping bikini. I will say no more.

He also found his traditional man in the audience - on our night, provided by Johnny in the second row - and the way Dolly singled him out was quite a giggle and set the scene nicely for the rest of the evening.

The cast were all on top form, notably Lisa Davina Phillip as Fairy Bow-Bells, Ben Carruthers as Dick and Jemma Carlisle as Alice Fitzwarren, with Britain's Got Talent trampolining star Vladimir Georgievsky as Alderman Fitzwarren. His trampolining performance brought gasps and "oohs" and "aahs" from the audience, as well as plenty of laughs.

With top notch music, effects, a 3D scene and the ghost scene, tradition also dictated the classic "Sheppey gag", although there were plenty of local references to places including Chatham and the "you don't get that in the Dartford panto" line. What was missing was the usual "He's behind you" gags - a welcome relief. There was so much audience participation already, they simply weren't needed.

The show is still warming up, having opened on Friday, so look out anyone who goes in the next few weeks as it will be even more lively! It runs until Sunday, January 8.

For tickets from £12, call 01227 787787 or visit marlowetheatre.com.

For details of all the pantos playing across the county this year click here.