THE Theatre Royal may have pulled off a coup in landing international superstar David Hasselhoff for this year's panto, but it was the lesser-known Ben Nickless who stole the show.
The comedian, a product of 2006 BBC TV talent contest Let Me Entertain You, was never far away from all the best bits of this Peter Pan.
Playing good-natured pirate Mr Smee, his sweet-toothed version of the erotic novel 50 Shades of Grey was the innuendo-laden highlight of an entertaining panto.
He found the perfect foil in Hasselhoff for other side-splitting moments, including a marvellous section where he and his camp troupe of twerking pirates repeated everything 'the Hoff' said.
There were also some amusingly smutty misunderstandings when Smee stored a telescope in his trousers as well the bikini-clad pirate's own must-see tribute to Hasselhoff's hit show Baywatch.
Ironically, it fell to Smee to give the legend that is the Hoff a suitably over-the-top introduction when the television colossus joined proceedings 25 minutes in.
Smee converted to boxing ringmaster to introduce the 'Baywatch bruiser' as he was wheeled on to stage in a bright red chair adorned with the legend 'The Hoff'.
Hasselhoff, whose appearance has helped spark record-breaking ticket sales for the Theatre Royal, was a suitably villainous Captain Hook and more than willing to poke fun at himself and his TV back catalogue, with a couple of nods also given to Knight Rider.
He can sing a bit too, belting out some powerful numbers, including a barnstorming 'Hoff Stuff' finale which had the audience dancing in the aisles.
And he wasn't the only great singer as Isobel Hathaway (Tinkerbell), Billie Kay (Tiger Lily) and Hannah Nicholas (Wendy) all proved more than capable of holding a tune.
Hathaway was, in fact, a multi-talented fairy, also whizzing about on rollerskates with some very necessary precision in the tight confines of the stage.
Her fairy was a big hit with the youngsters and also popular, of course, was Nottingham's own Su Pollard, celebrating 40 years in showbusiness with her role as Mimi the Mermaid.
The vital audience participation arrived with Pollard as she reprised her most famous TV role of chalet maid Peggy with a hearty 'Hi-de-Hi' just after arriving on stage in a huge disco ball.
'Absolutely average," she teased as the audience responded with a subdued 'Ho-de-Ho'.
While other members of the cast perhaps needed to let their lines breathe a little, to allow time for those all-important hisses and boos, Pollard's panto experience really showed as she constantly engaged with the audience, including an inevitable flirt with an unsuspecting gentleman near the front.
And he wasn't the only one in the firing line. If you're sitting in the front rows at any time during the run, prepare to get wet, be dragged up on stage and, hilariously, join in with the Pan-Hook fight scene.
Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood, in the title role, rounded off a stellar cast, often flying high above the fabulous sets and expertly ad-libbing his way through an opening-night glitch when one of his safety wires failed to hook up.
Peter Pan runs until Sunday, January 12 and no Christmas will be complete without a visit. For more details on this, and next year's panto Snow White, for which tickets are already on sale, call the Theatre Royal box office on 0115 989 5555.