Murder most horrid

IT ISN'T every day you go for dinner at the White House Hotel and get murdered between courses.

That is what happened to me when I joined the actors from It's Murder for an exciting opening weekend on Herm.

The actors have visited the hotel twice a year for the past few years to provide weekend entertainment for guests. Each mystery weekend has its own storyline and this week's was The Goode Friday Gang, a tale of East End gangsters, murder and betrayal set in the 1930s.

Having attended one of these evenings as a guest in the past, I couldn't resist the opportunity to see things from the other side and find out just how hard the actors work to keep the room interested.

Thankfully I didn't have to do much before I was brutally killed, as the very talented actors around me had complete control of the situation and were able to entertain and improvise responses to guest questions.

The scariest part was having to enter the packed hotel lounge before everyone else. I had to ignore staff and guests who recognised me as obviously my character didn't know them. But this didn't stop several guests making a beeline for me.

Nerve-racking as it was, the evening was a great experience and a lot of fun. The food was good, the wine was flowing and the guests were all in good spirits. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time.

It's Murder has provided this kind of entertainment in the UK for several years. The company was set up by Jack Johnson, who also takes part in most of the events. He has collected an array of talented actors who are adept at bringing various characters to life.

They are all very professional and funny and were entirely supportive of me in my amateur role. Seeing them change instantly from themselves to their characters was very impressive.

The company has dinner and weekend scripts, with stories ranging from 1920s glam through 70s disco fever to the present day.

So there's plenty to look forward to for their next visit to Herm.