SPRING has barely begun but already people have queued for up to six hours for a piece of Christmas magic.

Theatregoers started standing in line at 3.15am when tickets for this year's pantomime at the York Theatre Royal went on sale yesterday.

First in the queue, which stretched twice the length of the building, was a woman whose six-hour wait was rewarded with 16 tickets for her family's favourite seats.

Another customer bought 250 tickets, while some left home in West Yorkshire at 2am to book seats for their chosen performance.

By 1pm, the box office had dealt with more than 450 people. "It has been absolutely unbelievable," said theatre publicity officer Duncan Clarke. "We have just over 50,000 seats to sell and it has got off to a fantastic start."

Sinbad the Sailor runs from December 13 to February 2 and stars Berwick Kaler in his 29th pantomime dame role at the Theatre Royal. Last year's show, Cinderella, was so popular that tickets for this year's panto went on sale a month earlier than usual.

For ticket details, calll 01904-623568 or visit www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk