Liz Nicholls awards 5 stars to this panto starring Shane Richie

We were lucky enough to be part of the loudest audience on record to watch Dick Whittington at Wycombe Swan.

How many decibels our voices contributed is hazy. But if I tell you that Shane Richie kicked things off by begging the crowd: ‘Come on, I want to hear all the mums shouting for Dick!’, you might get the gist.

Who doesn’t love a good old panto double entendre at Christmas? Oh yes you do! And, mark my words, Dick Whittington has the full package... so to speak.

From the off, the show hit exactly that naughty-but-nice sweet for an impressive two hours. And the stamina shown by the whole team behind the panto, headed up by the sparkling Shane, was clearly fuelled by fun.

You might know Shane Richie best as lovably hapless Alfie Moon, landlord of Albert Square’s Queen Vic. However, he is a firm (!) favourite in our hearts as Panto King, and this, his third outing at the Swan, is surely his best yet. Charismatic as the eponymous Dick, he cranked the fun up to just the right side of risque, whether it was flirting with a lucky mum from the front row, bantering with Dame Sarah The Cook (Malcolm Lord) taking the, er, mick out of wealthy Beaconsfield folk or squirting us all with water pistols.

Amid an exquisitely designed set (lit by Andy Webb) which swirled from a bedroom to a pirate ship, to a Cockney hill to an acrobatic underwater dance (where Shane got the giggles), all were entranced. Children from Jackie Palmer Stage School warmed cockles with their cute moves while a troupe of sexy, buff grown-ups (male and female) added a little extra jingle.

Special mention must also go to the sultry Queen Rat (Kim Tiddy in amazing tights) and The Sultan of Morocco Phil Hitchcock who managed to add wonderful stage magic to this heady festive cocktail.

I defy anyone to watch this show without emerging, blinking, into the winter night with a nice warm memory of Dick.

Dick Whittington
Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe
Until January 4
Call 01494 512000 or visit wycombeswan.co.uk