THE panto Aladdin was a box office success for the Palace Theatre at Christmas, with nearly 15,000 seeing the show.

And it was the third year in a row the panto had seen an increase in numbers.

Press officer Paul Hughes said: "We are delighted by the ongoing popularity of the Palace panto and by the high standards of production provided by Paul Holman Associates.

"We attribute the success to the fact Palace pantomimes are family oriented, with something for all age ranges to get involved in and it offers good value for money when compared with other productions in the region."

There will be no panto at the Palace for the coming year 2005/06 due to the theatre's closure for refurbishment.

However it has been announced that Peter Pan will be the festive show for the following year, complete with "real flying and special laser effects".