LONG AGO, wizards were venerable, white-bearded characters who would dodder around their caves uselessly mixing potions and forgetting where they were in time.

Now, thanks to JK Rowling, wizards are adolescents on broomsticks tearing about the place solving puzzles, battling evil and righting wrongs with only a pair of spectacles as a nod to their former reputation for physical frailty.

The Wacky Wizard Show this Sunday in Ebbw Vale promises a wizard that's older - and nastier -- than the Hogwarts gang.

The children's show stars Igor the Owl, Toast the Baby Dragon, and evil wizard Smelly Sox in a tale of magic and mischief set in the Enchanted Forest.

It features plenty of pantomime-style wizardy and fun, with prizes, and children who come dressed as wizards can enter the Best Dressed Wizard contest and win a goody bag.

The Wacky Wizard Show is at the Beaufort Theatre, Ebbw Vale on Sunday at 2.30pm. Tickets are £4.50 or £3 concessions. Box office 01495 350360.