HARDMAN Hoyle Hall in Hammer was packed for The Lynchmereans’ 72nd pantomime – a ‘pseudo-political’ Aladdin, written and co-directed by Frederick Tibbs, who also starred as Widow Twankey.

A true village panto, it was a real family affair, featuring three Tibbs, two Masons, two Martins and four Aukim-Hasties.

The theme was the wish of one of the provinces to leave and how the emperor and empress, Christopher and Sylvia Tibbs, were going to stop this.

Frederick stood out as the dame – with a quick ability to ad lib and encourage the audience to cheer Aladdin, a confident Eve Sully, and boo Abanaza, aka Abanana, trying to get the magic lamp with the unhelpful ‘help’ of his student Iago, Lilla Boxall.

For a production with such a young cast, it moved extremely well, and the costumes and the scenery were exceptional for a village panto.