Enjoying a juicy sausage from Rendezvous fish and chip shop on Denmark Street before the start of Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome, I half expected Louie Spence to come up behind me from the nearby stage door and make a cheeky innuendo.

Here is Spence with the ugly sisters Miley and Tulisa:

Spence plays Dandini in this year’s pantomime, and Bristol Hippodrome regular Andy Ford (below), back for a fifth year, summed it up when he said Spence even makes him look butch.

Ford’s own silly walks and leg raises are nothing compared to Spence’s high-camp histrionics.

Then there is ex-Hear’Say singer Suzanne Shaw playing the title role with not much spark, at one stage pulled in a coach by two real Shetland Ponies, one of which unfortunately fell over on press night and had to be rescued from what looked like some considerable stress on the floor by a trainer.

A 3D interlude with ghosts and spiders was a modern take on the “He’s behind you” element, while there were also gentle jokes at the expense of celebrities such as Tom Daley, and song and (mostly) dance routines to best showcase Spence’s pirouetting prowess.

Cinderella is at Bristol Hippodrome until January 5. For tickets and more information, visit www.atgtickets.com/shows/cinderella/bristol-hippodrome/.