IS wasn't that long ago that Barney the dinosaur and his entourage were banned in our house.

It wasn't The Purple One that I really objected to, but the nauseating and sickly-sweet American children that formed part of his Backyard Gang and who squealed "we love you Barney" at every opportunity.

So I never thought I'd see the day when I would be sitting in a theatre with hundreds of tots watching a "real" nine-foot tall Barney dance, prance and sing on stage.

The dinosaur sensation was in York as part of the Barney Live Let's Go Tour to mark his 20 years in showbusiness.

He was joined by fellow dinosaurs BJ, Baby Bop and croaky-voiced Riff, who sounded like he smoked 40 Woodbines a day. There were no children, American, or otherwise. Thank God. The only human was a jolly lady called Sam who was keen to get the audience clapping, stomping and singing as much as they could.

After BJ and Baby Bop had broken some toys we were urged by Barney to use "our imaginations" to create a giant toy factory where the toys could be fixed.

Barney and the crew then launched into two 35-minute sessions of non-stop singing and dancing. At one stage Barney attempted a robotic dance and for a minute I thought he was going to spin on his head and do a little breakdancing. The kids thought it was T-rrrific!

Asked what her best bit was, my three-year-old daughter, Zara, said "all of it". Even her six-year-old brother, Elliot, who is more of a Power Rangers fan these days, admitted it was pretty good too. Here's to the next 20 years, Barney!