THE hills may be alive with the sound of the sodding rain beating down - but at least the cinemas are alive with the sound of music. Abba music.

Yes, I have finally joined the happy band who have succumbed to the unbridled joy that is Mamma Mia!

I normally hate musicals but on Monday night we sang, we wanted to dance, but no one in our Odeon did. So me and my best mate Sarah are going back another time, when the singalong screening comes round.

Frankly, I can't wait.

Mamma Mia! is the ultimate woman's film. In case you've been on the Planet Zog, it's the simple tale of what happens when a young girl who lives with her hippy mum on a gorgeous Greek island asks the three men who might be her father to her wedding.

Yes, the plot is thinner than Victoria Beckham's thigh. Yes, Pierce Brosnan (one of the potential dads) can't sing for toffee. And I must admit that daughter Amanda Seyfried's perma-grin got on my nerves after a while.

But that's not the point.

All over this country there are a million women warbling along to Waterloo when all the men and the kids have safely left the house. They're bopping around to Dancing Queen while they do the housework. It's put a smile on their face.

But the film's success goes deeper than that. Mamma Mia! is so successful because it's about dreams and happiness and being able to correct the mistakes and regrets of the past.

It's also a celebration of wisdom and experience and puts a positive spin on getting older.

In a world of air crashes, knife-crime, political ineptitude and the god-awful August weather, no wonder Mamma Mia, with its sun-soaked set, brilliant colours and the world's cheeriest music, is packing 'em in.

Go and see it. You will not be disappointed. Promise.

PS If that really isn't your cup of the proverbial, flick on to the BBC's magnificent Britain From Above tomorrow night. There is something deeply relaxing about watching this land from the air, as Andrew Marr floats above London by night, or Glastonbury by day.

Described by my youngest (usual favourite programme; Family Guy) as "awesome", for once he wasn't exaggerating. It even received the grunt of approval from my eldest.