I ignored the stares I was garnering from everyone else and resolutely turned back to the front. Moonbeam was already off, chatting away to one of the producers and occasionally throwing looks in my direction. I lifted my chin and gave him an enthusiastic wave. It didn’t make him very happy.

I really was going to have to try harder if I was going to find out any useful information from this lot before I antagonised them all into avoiding me for good. The only positive thing was that no one seemed to want me to run off on yet another errand. At least I’d get to watch the show’s opening without interruption.

Belinda Battenapple, who’d barely lifted a perfectly manicured eyebrow at all during the commotion, was shaking herself in what could only be some kind of pre-show ritual. She started with her feet, raising one then the other before allowing her jiggles to travel up her body. Her actions made her look more like a dog who’d been for a swim than a world-famous television presenter – though I was hardly in a position to judge.

When she began flicking her head from side to side, the morning sun caught a glimmer of something round her neck. Frowning, I edged closer for another look. She was wearing a silver necklace with a small vial attached to it. It was certainly pretty, but that wasn’t what had grabbed my interest. The contents of the vial were what were really fascinating. From this angle, it appeared to be some kind of liquid, not dissimilar to mercury. There was also a strange etching on the glass. Before I could read what it said, she realised it was dangling out of her shirt and hastily tucked it away. Interesting.

From the far corner of the stage, Armstrong checked his watch. The show wasn’t going out live so I could only imagine that he was trying to stick to a strict schedule to make sure nothing was missed. He strode forward and made an incomprehensible gesture in the direction of the cameras. The operators seemed to understand what he meant because they immediately straightened their backs.

‘Quiet on set!’ someone yelled.

The bustle of activity stilled. Armstrong murmured something to Belinda and she nodded. It was time.

‘Remember folks,’ he said, to everyone and no one in particular, ‘we are making history here.’ And with that, he stepped off the stage and headed for a chair with his name emblazoned on the back. A delicious shiver ran down my arms. It was showtime.

A crew member gave Belinda’s invisible microphone a final check before she shooed him away and stepped up to her mark. Her features visibly transformed as she glowed into the cameras. ‘It’s Friday,’ she breathed. Actually it wasn’t. It was Monday but I wasn’t going to argue with her. ‘And we are here in the stunning Highlands of Scotland for the most epic, most unique and most special series of Enchantment every created. Twelve new contestants are waiting in the wings and all of them have special skills and abilities. All of them want to win the coveted Trophy of Spells. And all of them know that,’ she paused for dramatic flourish before she launched into her catchphrase, ‘Magic. Is. In. The. Air. Welcome back to Enchantment!’