Sinderella, The Mayflower, Southampton

BARELY two months after making Aladdin, The Mayflower's most popular panto to date, Jim Davidson is back and packing in the punters.

But the question on everbody's lips last night was - has he split up with his girlfriend?

As ever with Jim, off-stage dramas rival those taking place in the spotlight. Previous visits to the city, where Jim has one of his homes, have seen him clash with the Musicians' Union and almost cancel a panto on its opening night.

Judging by last night's performance, his latest week-long stay is shaping up to be just as eventful.

Throughout the show - a revival of his infamous "adults-only" pantomime Sinderella, given an extra dose of sauce for a more filth-tolerant 21st century audience - the four-times-married star made references to various members of the cast having been "chucked".

The audience couldn't have been blamed for thinking that one of them might have been Jim himself, who met his latest girlfriend, hairdresser Michelle Cotton, in Oxford's Brasserie in Southampton two years ago.

Jim is shortly to leave England for Dubai, where he has bought a new apartment, and last week told the Daily Echo that Michelle hadn't made up her mind about living there.

Whatever the story, Jim must have been cheered by the rapturous first-night response. Anyone expecting Carry On-style innuendo would have been shocked by this deluge of body parts, mimed sexual acts and four-letter dialogue - but, judging by the gales of raucous laughter, Southampton audiences are not so naive.

To audiences weary of sickly-sweet musicals and bland family fare, this swim in the gutter must have been strangely refreshing.

Say what you like about Jim, but when it comes to crudity, he's in a class of his own. Runs until Saturday.