Mr Benn in Morecambe

One of the great pleasures of my job is that I sometimes get to travel. On Saturday we finished a run of my play in Lancaster, and my wife and daughter travelled up to collect me and we went to stay the night in Morecambe. The next morning we did the compulsory selfie with the statue of beloved comic Eric Morecambe, then we went browsing.

My daughter spied an interesting looking shop, and I commented to the owner that it looked like an unusual collection of stuff. He said he had a magic shop in the back, and would we like to see it...

We went back to a little cavern of tricks, and the owner - Andy Winters - charmed us with his enthusiasm and skill with a private magic show. I love stuff like this - something you can get nowhere else - real skill, delivered in person, and it wouldn’t work on the internet or TV or in any other way.

Twenty minutes later my daughter had experienced something she would probably remember all her life, and Andy gave her two books and a card deck as a gift.

These skills and real showbiz treasures are very special, so if you’re in Morecambe, go to Andy’s shop and ask to see the magic, because that’s what it is.