The car is the star in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang but a stellar cast keep the laughs coming

With a star studded cast, with over 2000, soap episodes between them with Emmerdale's Liam Fox and Eastenders Charlie Brooks, taking centre stage. 

Flying cars are all well and good but anyone of a certain age will have a certain character seared in their mind and it will not be the banger with a mind of its own. 

It is the Childcatcher. One of the great villains of stage and screen. 

From the twisted imagination of Bond author Ian Flemming the Childcatcher easily surpasses Blofeld and Odd Job. 

Cementing herself in the pantheon of TV wrongun's when Janine gleefully pushed Barry off a cliff, Charlie Brooks was born to play The Childcatcher. 

Her wide open face is perfect for exaggerated theatrical expressions she deserved more stage time. 

She had big stilettos to step in to, James Lee Williams, better known as Vivienne after winning RuPaul's Drag Race, starred in the role before tragically dying in January. 

The story centres around the Potts family, widowed inventor Caractacus Potts, played by Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba, his shell shocked military father (Liam  Fox) and his angelic children Jeremy (Roshan Thomson) and Jemima (Gracie Potts). 

The laughs come thick and fast usually in the form of Vulgaria - the sinister enemy of England where children are outlawed but has more campness per head than Brighton and San Francisco put together. 

The bisexual Baron, brilliantly portrayed by Martin Callaghan, and his child allergic wife played by Jenny Gayner, provided giggles and gags a plenty during songs and scenes. 

The spies Boris (Adam Stafford) and Goran (Michael Joseph) had beautiful timing and chemistry. They had top quality material with numbers like Act English, which could only have been written by an establishment man like Flemming. 

The Potts romantic interest comes in the blonde force of nature Truly Scrumptious, heir to a sweet empire, and in need of some love - and a ready made family. If only she can get over her bad first impression of Caractacus. 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang finally gets his wings just before the interval. 

The children in the audience who are now used to seeing CGI things flying all over the universe still got excited seeing an old car flying in the night sky, props to the set designer Morgan Large. 

With plenty sing-a-long-songs accelerating the production to its happy ending the audience were happily clapping along to the final outing of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

The cast were visibly moved by the ovation and Liam Fox emotionally looked to the heavens and said "this one is for you Vivienne".

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is at the Birmingham Hippodrome until Sunday.