I have the hardest speaker challenge in the country. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Hi, I’m Ernie Boxall, and I’m a storyteller…or should that be storyseller. Let me explain… Every school holiday, I become Erine the Wizard of Storytelling at Tudor World in Stratford-upon-Avon, and to be a storyteller in Shakespeare's hometown, you have to be pretty good. The house, built in 1480 and renovated in 1594 after one of the most destructive fires in the town, is a living museum where families can steep themselves into the fabric of Tudor life. The town life, the English Civil War, and the Great Plagues of Stratford, along with smells, videos, and educational notice boards around the museum. In one particular room, Erine awaits as families climb the stairs into the infamous Ship Room, where, for ten minutes or more, they will learn about ‘Otto’, the now famous ‘Headless Knight of Stratford Upon Avon. NOTE: Don’t waste time scouring the history books for him. These slots are relatively easy as a storyteller, a captive audience who, while they have paid to tour the museum, I come for free. The challenge is the evening where, at 6 pm and 8 pm, almost every Saturday, you will be met by Wilfred the Warden of Tudor World, one of England’s most haunted Houses. This, ladies and gentlemen, is when I take the victi…visitors around the house, barely lit by a ‘Tudor LED lantern’ and educate and entertain them with the stories of everyone who has died there (and there have been an awful lot of people who have died in many ways, all of them tragic. And this is where it is, in my opinion, the hardest speaking gig in Britain. There will be a number of people pre-book for the hour’s tour because of the historical significance of the house, some will book because of the opportunity to experience the Spirit side of the building (no other actors, or ‘jump outs’ but ‘stuff’ as often happened, and the other will have come off the street after a day out or a hen night. Each group needs to be educated AND entertained in each of their fields. I need to be: