MORE than 25,000 people crowded into a specially built events arena to see boy band Blue officially switch on the 2003 Blackpool illuminations.

The massive crowd, many of whom had been queuing for several hours before the arena even opened in mid-afternoon, cheered as the band pulled the lever which launched the lights and a massive firework display and laser show.

Stars Liberty X, Louise and Atomic Kitten also played in the live Radio Two show, while Bee-Gee Robin Gibb made an emotional return to the resort where he and his band-mates once performed the switch-on.

New features this year include a haunted house tableaux on the North Promenade.

Another new addition is Digital Diva, Europe's first digital pop star, starring in her first video on a specially erected screen opposite Heaven and Hell nightclub. Digital Diva is the brainchild of Heaven and Hell's Peter Clarke, who believes her song can help young people 'break out of their program' and live a better life.

"Past experiences and teaching throughout our lives more often than not shape the course of our lives, leading to us settling for what we have and who we are. We are encouraging the youth of today to start looking beyond their immediate surroundings and start believing they can do better.

"Digital Diva has literally broken free, and the single explains why she is now living her new life."