An early reminder of what Christmas is all about, though not among the Chuckles' best, I'm afraid.
A jam-packed house was absolutely thrilled to see the boys back in town – and with a brand new show.
But there was precious little of the skits we've come to love over the years.
This time there were more mini 'production numbers' with long legged dancers and singing to herald Christmas.
We marvelled at the magician (did he REALLY cut his assistant's head off?) and enjoyed a seasonal neon puppet show (much better than the usual post-interval offering, by the way).
And yet there was something missing. This show fell somewhere between a full-blown panto and a true Chuckle Brothers stage show, like the recent River Rother exploits.
Barry and Paul were superb, of course, with Paul as Ebeneezer learning from Gerroutofit's Christmases past, present and future that he really must learn to enjoy the festivities. No Slacking made a perfect dame and the supporting cast pulled their weight beautifully – even Stinky Walker, who, we were told at the end had become a father half way through the second half, although it didn't show!
There was lots of audience participation, even some kids asked up on stage, and a clever finale of "If I were not upon this stage" which showed off the team in the very best light.
Good fun nonetheless, and perhaps a curtain-raiser to the Chuckles' anniversary tour planned for next year? Let's hope for their more traditional fare.
