Have You Got The W Factor!

The W FactorThat’s not a typo and I’m definitely not questioning your singing ability, I’m asking if you have what it takes to be the winner of a brand new historically inspired competition held at Warwick Castle! The W Factor allows budding Horrible History actors to take to the stage in the hope of winning a cameo role in a stage performance of ‘Wicked Warwick’ complete with a Glamping break for the overall winner!

Now that you’re champing at the bit to dress up as Henry VIII or Charles II here’s the full details:

‘The W Factor at Warwick Castle’ parodies a format familiar to prime-time TV viewers, offering an extraordinary opportunity for budding stage stars and history lovers of any age to ‘audition’ for a one-time cameo in a performance of ‘Wicked Warwick’ this half term.

HH_WickedWarwick_logoWhat will it take to nail ‘The W Factor at Warwick Castle’? Participants might take inspiration from the Castle’s role in 1,100 years of English history: founded by a daughter of Alfred the Great; once owned by Richard III; used as a prison for kings and traitors; besieged and burned down; a favourite haunt of flirty Edwardians and even a haven for Hollywood stars, there’s no shortage of gruesome, gory and grotesque tales to tell. Or, maybe their inspiration will come from further afield, as far back as the Savage Stone Age or the Ancient Aztecs. Individuals, families and groups are encouraged to come along on the morning of Wednesday 27 May and present their favourite short gory stories to a panel of three judges. 

Entering is easy, free of charge and registrants will receive a 2-4-1 voucher for entry to the Castle on the day. Eager entrants need simply visit the Warwick Castle website to register their intention to audition live for a panel of judges at ‘The W Factor at Warwick Castle’ on Wednesday 27 May. Entrants are encouraged to upload their practice videos to the Warwick Castle Facebook page with the tag #thewfactor to draw extra attention to their talents and receive priority placement in the audition queue. Last minute entries may be accommodated on 27 May depending on time available.

The judging panel will select four entrants to perform in live shows at Warwick Castle the following month, on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June. One overall winner will also receive a unique starlit woodland family sleepover in the Mediaeval Glamping Village on 21 June, only 5 minutes from the Castle and located in a beautiful woodland glade.

hh-characterI’ll be taking along some small thespians to try their hand at impressing the judges and it would be great to see you all there, even if it’s just to cheer the entrants on. I’ll be watching (and cheering) from the audience 🙂

 

Mike the Knight at Warwick Castle

Last Saturday my family and I travelled to Warwick Castle to meet Mike the Knight as part of a weekend organized to celebrate series two launching. The castle in conjunction with Hit Entertainment had arranged a selection of Mike themed activities. If you fancy crying ‘Be a Knight, do it Right’ Mike will be back at the castle again this coming weekend (6-7 July).

To say my children were excited would be an understatement, however my heart sank when I saw a queue at the castle ticket office (I imagined hours of waiting in line for each attraction).Thankfully this was not the case as everything was very well organized and only the Face Painting had a long queue.

The Mike the Knight area was set in little Medieval style tents and children were given booklets listing all the activities. As each activity was completed they were given a sticker and if they finished them all they received a prize (it’s a flag). The adults in charge of each event stayed in character throughout and seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the kids having fun!

My little knights started by taking a Wizard Workshop with Mike’s sister Evie. They watched as she pulled things out of a bag and helped her to cast magic spells and create something out of thin air.

Next they took to their (hobby) horses and galloped to victory in a race. The Knight in charge of this event had all the parents in stitches as he organised our kids; he had endless patience as they ran in the wrong direction, set off in twos or just generally caused chaos!

A little castle building, target shooting and face painting later we made an orderly queue and waited to meet Mike himself. He stood happily as each child came to meet him in front of the beautiful castle backdrop!

Everywhere we walked the Mike the Knight theme tune played through speakers concealed in bushes and trees 🙂 We finished by joining Sparke and Squirt’s Dragon Egg Hunt. This went all over the grounds and certainly gave the children some exercise (and the parents a chance to admire the views). We all had a fabulous time and if you have any Mike fans at home I thoroughly recommend going to meet him.

That wasn’t the end of our day though, we had the whole of Warwick Castle to explore! I have many childhood memories of visiting the castle and after reading some reviews online I wondered if I would still enjoy it. I did 🙂 The castle sometimes receives criticism for being part of the Merlin group and people accuse it of being more like a theme park than a historical monument. However I feel this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes it is owned by Merlin, yes there are photos you can buy and gift shops to visit but the Castle is very much aware of it’s past and importance in British history.

There are little rooms all around the walls with wax figures dreaming on the eve of battle, or ghosts squealing down staircases. I suppose this might not be to everyones taste, but for a child this really brings the castle to life! There’s no standing around looking bored while Mum and Dad read a plaque on the wall, here they can watch the story unfold and get involved with the action.

We visited the Princess Tower, where my daughter was picked to test a stack of 7 mattresses to see if she could feel the pea (she could, she’s a princess! 🙂 ). We went through the Merlin Tower where my son was spoken to by a dragon and somehow they knew my daughter’s name and warned her to use her powers for good (she was astounded and promised faithfully that she would).

We saw bald eagles and owls flying between the battlements and knights teaching us why metal shields would never have worked before chopping apples held in someones hand! It was thoroughly educational and more importantly… it was alive!

For more information on Warwick Castle and the Mike the Knight event click here.

To find out more about Mike the Knight visit his website here.