EAGER pantomime fans queued up raring to get their hands on the first few tickets for Launton Village Players production of Aladdin.

The pantomime tickets went on sale for the Players' next performance, which marks the 32nd panto for the group based in Launton, near Bicester.

Outside the Coles Bookstore box office in Crown Walk a queue of people waited for the doors to open so they could snap up their tickets on launch day, January 4.

Caroline French of Coles Bookstore was surprised at the queue.

As she opened the door, she said: “We knew that the panto sold out most performances last year, but we didn’t expect this level of interest so early.”

Fans of the show who queued up outside said the village panto was a must for the 2018 calendar, with one person queuing having been to every show since moving to Bicester in 1986.

Launton Village Players produce one pantomime production one or two other shows each year, both dramatic and musical.

The upcoming pantomime, to be performed over February half term is Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, which is the third time the group will have performed the tale.

This time it will feature a new storylines, script and other updates.

Lead members in the cast will be joined by 11 children.

The story tells the tale of Aladdin, played by Daisy May Richards, and his mother The Dame Widow Twankey, played by Scott Houston, who set up a takeaway to support their family laundry in the Chinese capital.

There will be performances on February 15, 16 and 17 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm at the performance hall at Cooper School in Bicester.

Tickets are available now from Coles Bookstore in Crown Walk and at The Bull Inn in Launton, with adult tickets costing £10 and children £5.

Money raised by the Launton Village Players over the years has been put to good use locally by a number of charities and community groups.

The Autumn play, Dramatic Amateurs, raised more than £300 for charity and in the past 31 years the group has raised more than £105,000 for charity local causes both in Launton and Bicester.

Money has also been brought in for the Launton village hall revamp project, which hopes to completely renovated the tired old building which many community groups including the amateur dramatics group use on a regular basis.

The hall revamp has the aim of updating the 1920s building and bring it into the 21st centur.

In its first 12 months the campaign managed to pull in more than £4,000.

Villagers formed a fundraising committee to look at ideas including expanding the hall, adding a second room and updating the toilets and kitchen facilities and have since been working tirelessly to fund the project.