From behind a pile of suitcases labelled "Top Secret", bowler hat-wearing Professor Horn (Mark Pitman) set out to build his flying machine. He held a sign up which read "Hello" to his young audience, and it soon became clear this was mainly a mime act.

However, the Professor produced a variety of sound effects to complement his solo performance. There was the ventriloquist-style mumbling made for his grumpy pilot puppet which emerged complete with flying jacket and goggles. Words were difficult to make out, and one little boy called out “Mr Bean”, which was quite an accurate comparison.

After discovering a poster offering £5,000,000 to build a flying machine, Horn’s mission intensified and this imaginative show enacted his various attempts to become airborne, including copying his elegant bird puppet.

The show was slow and graceful, but the young audience seemed to retain their fascination. Some comedy moments helped, such as when a large egg and a mallet were produced in frustration, sparking cries of: “Do it, smash it”.

Finally, as the light changed to a deep blue night time hue, shadows and smoke were used to reflect Horn’s intensive building project, in what was a real creative highlight.

In the morning, the pilot flew away to the tune of Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines.

Pitman, who is co-artistic director of Garlic Theatre, which works to encourage imaginative play, then invited children to look closely at his puppets and flying machine and they certainly appeared inspired by the experience.