As this isn't the BBC, there's no problem about having a competition: "Right, who can pull the scariest face?" asks Wishee Washee. Some 1,300 mouths at Milton Keynes Theatre duly oblige. "No, no, that's not nearly scary enough, try again," comes the inevitable reaction from the stage.

This Aladdin is chock-full of audience participation, led by Bradley Walsh, playing Wishee Washee, who returns to Milton Keynes after scoring a big hit there in Cinderella last year. The lovable rogue persona he developed while playing Coronation Street's Danny Baldwin for more than two years is just the job for panto, and Walsh is ace at connecting with the audience. The increasingly anarchic "Twelve Days of Christmas" routine he develops with both cast and audience is truly hilarious, featuring, as it does, a three-cup bra, and a bunch of toilet rolls that are flung out into the audience as each succeeding day of Christmas is announced. PC Pong (Chris Nelson) has to go and recover them each time, with splendidly unpredictable results.

Poor old Pong has already been in trouble. Sent to arrest Aladdin and Wishee Washee for stealing apples, he decides to apprehend their mother, Widow Twankey, as well. It doesn't matter that you weren't present at the crime scene, he tells her: "I'm arresting you for being an old bag." The Widow protests that being an old bag is not illegal. "Yes it is, you're an accessory," comes the retort. Eric Potts (lately also in Coronation Street as Diggory the baker) does sterling service as Widow Twankey, a rotund lady who plainly hails from the north of England.

The Aladdin storyline dips in and out of the proceedings, with Michael Quinn as Aladdin and Eloise Irving as Princess Jasmine drawing many an "ooh" and "ah" as they duly fall in love. Both are accomplished singers, so it was a pity that they were drowned by the over-amplified band on opening night. In the baddies department, tall Abanazar (Granville Saxton) employs an incredible vocal range to scarify all around. Yet you always feel that a warm heart beats underneath his cloak. As for the Milton Keynes Juveniles, their singing and dancing are both top-notch.

This is a big, bright, noisy panto, with high production values - the glittering sets and costumes look brand new. It could be a bit overwhelming for the very young, but for everyone else it's a lot of fun.

Aladdin continues at Milton Kenynes Theatre until January 20. Tickets 0870 060 6652 or www.miltonkeynestheatre.com