EVERY good panto needs a villain; a sneering, sharp-tongued, ghastly rogue.

You won't find any better this festive season than the wicked yet wonderful Tom Peters. Last year he played King Rat in the Salisbury Playhouse panto, Dick Whittington. This time Tom returns as the nasty and wicked Abanazar - a cross between Sean Connery's James Bond, the poncho-wearing Clint Eastwood and an East End spiv! For Saturday's opening night, the kids loved him.

They hissed and booed, and the adults, too, got in on the act with some good-natured heckling to which Tom responded with some witty ad-libs. What a star, what a show-stealer.

The first night didn't all go to plan.

Emily Pithon, who plays Princess Jasmine, was ill and so director Caroline Leslie, armed with a script, took her part at the last minute. However that little hitch didn't detract from a fine panto.

There were some lovely little performances - the rubber-faced Wishy Washy (Jake Thornton), the hapless dynamic duo of police officers Ping (Rosalind Philips) and Pong (Cornelius Booth), the roller-skating Widow Twankey (David Ashley), and the Posh Spice-like Spirit of the Ring (Isabella Jade Fane). Victoria Lugg plays Aladdin. She was enchanting. She possesses a lovely voice and has a commanding stage presence.

Christmas wouldn't be the same without a decent pantomime.

There was a good buzz about the theatre on Saturday night with a full house to watch what turned out to be a treat of a show. Aladdin is at the Salisbury Playhouse until January 10.