In pictures: Peterborough panto Snow White at the Key Theatre

And the people behind the city’s longest-running pantomime have given Snow White a very clever 21st century twist.

There’s no dwarfs for starters, they’re all off mining Bitcoin apparently, even their cottage in the forest is “just off stage” and unseen. You don’t see much of Snow White (and it’s her show!!) – which is a shame as Kellianna Jay has a terrific voice – or the under-used Prince (Max Taptygin) who discovers “true love’s kiss” has been brought bang up to date.

Not that any of that gets in the way of what is the best panto at the Key in recent years.

The jokes, some a little cheeky of course, are better than ever; the ghost gag has the kids in the audience screaming louder, the props gag is bigger, better and sillier; there’s audience participation; a hilarious ballet scene involving a giant balloon; and a tongue-twister to end all tongue-twisters. Compliments to all who made that happen.

Even the good versus evil showdown has a Gladiator-reboot makeover with those giant cotton buds! All great fun.

A lot of the credit goes to writer and director David Griffin-Stephens - who plays “the dame", Camilla The Cook and is excellent from start to finish. No-one escapes his Mickey-taking, including World leaders, Gregg Wallace and himself.

His chief sparring partner, the villain of the piece, is certainly up to it, with Katie Stasi excellent as Queen Mizrabelle, who in this up-to-date take is not the “fairest of them all” – but the one with the most social media likes!

And her punishment when she is defeated (spoiler alert) is a fate worse than death – being blocked on X, facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

She is helped along the way by the Man in the Mirror (Andrew Sharpe playing it for laughs) who, of course, is her socials likes manager.​

Caught in the middle of all that is the funny Natalie Durkin, who as Violet brings a lot of humour to the proceedings.

The songs from Simon Hanson are great – I particularly liked the recurring magic of panto song – and the ensemble as ever played their part. A big thumbs-up too to MD Dan Smith for the music.

It’s #wellworthseeing #Ohyesitis