ILLUSIONISTS have always fascinated me - and this week I'm intrigued to be at the centre of a magic experiment.

The Champions of Magic are bringing their stage show to Darlington Civic Theatre on March 31.

Ahead of that performance, a member of the magical cast - Alex McAleer - has challenged me to take part in an experiment which ends with him predicting a random word which will feature in the paper.

A sealed envelope has been delivered to my office with the strict instruction that I mustn't open it until this Friday (March 20) when the word will be revealed.

In the meantime, I have to complete daily tasks set by Alex. Today's task is to draw a simple picture and tweet it. By analysing my tweets, behaviour and thought processes, Alex says he can predict the word which will appear in the paper.

All I can say is that I have no knowledge of what's inside the envelope and I can't wait for all to be revealed.