The launch of a laugh-a-minute all-star panto in Wimbledon is proof that Britain's much-loved festive tradition is alive-and-kicking.

Where else can you see Wayne Sleep in a 'twerk-sandwich' between the two Ugly Sisters, Prince Charming doing a mock-take of a Sam Smith ballad and Matthew Kelly dressed up as Moet Champagne on ice?

Cinderella at the New Wimbledon Theatre officially launched last night and runs until Sunday, January 11.

Your average "He's BEHIND you" panto this ain't. The panto's producers have cleverly brought the genre up-to-date with 3D glasses, fireworks and a hit soundtrack including every child's favourite Frozen song Let It Go.

Dallas Star Linda Gray is this year's big celebrity crowd-drawer, making her panto debut as possibly London's first ever "Yee-hah" Fairy Godmother.

She takes a self-mocking approach as an American intruder on a quintessentially British theatrical tradition.

"If this doesn't get me a part in Downton, I don't know what will", Gray tells the audience in an off-stage moment while meeting Cinders at a forest festival.

Apart from fluffing her lines a couple of times, she brings a Texan charm to the character, and has the entire cast dancing in Stetson hats to Pharrel Williams' 'Happy' by the end of the night.

Wayne Sleep sparkles as Prince Charming's official "Aide de Camp". Dancing and prancing and running away from the Ugly Sisters, you can't deny the man has stage presence.

But the show is held together by award-winning comedian Tim Vine, who plays Buttons, and has plenty of jokes for parents in the audience: "The second sign of madness is believing the DFS sale will actually finish on Sunday", he tells Cinders.

Father-and-son duo Matthew Kelly and Matthew Rixon are hilarious as the larger-than-life Ugly Sister baddies, aka Cheryl (Versini Fernandez) and Mel (B), as they declare "We've got the X Factor".

It's the spirit of British Christmas jam-packed into two hours of side-splitting fun, with all the self-mocking humour you can't imagine going down so well anywhere else.

Casual racism ("Cleaners? Polish?), audience jibes ("Did you go to the hairdresser's this morning? Was it shut?) and the good old tradition of embarrassing children from the audience on stage ("Not enough party bags? You're old enough to deal with it.")

It's panto time. Oh yes it is.