SEE streets paved with gold as Weymouth Pavilion stages Dick Whittington from Saturday (15).

Performances continue until January 5 and include a relaxed performance on December 20 and an adults' only night on Wednesday, January 2.

The rags-to-riches story tells the tale of a boy from Gloucester who travels all the way to London to make is fortune, believing that the streets there are paved with gold! In actual fact, the streets are covered in rats – there’s an infestation of rodents throughout the city and it’ll be up to Dick and his funny feline friend to save the day and overthrow the Mistress of Misery...the Duchess of the Drains... the almighty villain – Queen Rat!

Former Weymouth musical theatre group member Lewis Asquith, 26, plays the main role of Dick and Gwynfryn West plays Idle Jack.

Also in the cast are Karla Harvey as Alice Fitzwarren, Yvonne Patterson as the evil Queen Rat, who plans to take over London and cheeky chappy Tegan Jones as Tommy the Cat and Alan McLaren playing multiple roles in the show including Alderman Fitzwarren, Captain Birdtable and The Sultan Of Morocco.

This year's show also sees the return of Yvonne Patterson as Queen Rat, after wowing audiences with her powerful vocals last year as the evil Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty.

As always, the Weymouth pantomime promises stunning scenery, colourful costumes, toe-tapping songs and laughter by the bucketful.

*Dick Whittington, Weymouth Pavilion, December 15 to January 5. Performance times vary. See weymouthpavilion.com for more information.