Anyone walking down New Road on Tuesday afternoon might have imagined they'd walked into a different world, as the pavement was dotted with dozens of young girls sporting pink hair.

But, in a way, it was a different world. You were experiencing the LazyTown phenomenon.

If there's one person who can counteract the effect of the junk food advertisers, it's LazyTown's superhero Sportacus. Preaching his mantra of exercise, fruit and vegetables and plenty of sleep while decrying the insidious effects of junk-food, he's like a lycra-clad version of Jamie Oliver.

But anyone who can persuade children it's cool to eat "sports candy" (ie apples and carrots) will be a hero to parents.

The TV show mixes humans with CGI-generated characters so it would have been a shock for the children to see actors in roles usually computer generated. But we needn't have worried, as all the actors brought the characters to life with real verve.

Julian Essex-Spurrier looked a bit of a fresh-faced Sportacus but certainly had the moves.

The best of them was the villain, Robbie Rotten. The long-legged and loose-limbed Scott Joseph gave an admirable impression of the TV character, so much so, my daughter was worried he'd spot the apple she was eating and take it off her.

This was a slick show with just the right mix of music and action to keep children entertained.

My one quibble was with the Americanisms, which jarred on the ear a bit. There must have been some youngsters who wondered what soccer was.

But that's a minor point. The real test was how did the young audience receive it? In that regard it was a resounding success.

My two were on their feet dancing at the end and were still smiling when they got home. Must have been the sports candy.