WITH the lights having gone down, the audience at Walking with Dinosaurs was warned the use of flash photography was forbidden.

It apparently upsets the great beasts and could have terrible consequences – for us all.

We chuckled in response.

A few minutes later, after being introduced to our host Huxley the paleontologist, otherwise known as Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan, the first of the giant creatures entered the arena.

Blimey, if this is a taste of what’s to come then the announcer’s proclamation was no joke.

I imagined the scenario after some kind of circuit overload caused by a spectator trying to get a selfie.

Thankfully, the exits were close by so I reckoned we could make a run for it.

Seriously though, so realistic were the stars of this spectacular show it was easy to imagine yourself watching some kind of Jurassic Park on Tour imagined by John Hammond.

I had seen the earlier incarnation of this prehistoric spectacle some years ago, but such has been the technological advances made since that the creatures seem unnervingly lifelike.

I swear, as we were taken on a journey through the millennia, you could almost observe them thinking.

Movement, muscle mass, scale are all replicated to the nth degree. The aspect that had the greatest effect on me though was the eyes. It was almost as if you could see the thought processes brought about by what they were witnessing.

I don’t think I was the only one genuinely enthralled by the show in front of us if the oohs, aahs, shrieks and whoops were anything to go by and it was not just the kids who were captivated.

The audience represented all ages, demonstrating the lasting attraction of dinosaurs and everything that goes with them.

This tour is billed as a 'last chance to see'. If I were you I'd grab the opportunity, you won't be disappointed.