A decent costume is a bear necessity

It's always nice to learn something new, even if that something means exposing yourself to humiliation. My lesson this week? Entertaining children isn't as easy as you would imagine.

As part of Nottingham Castle's attempt to stage a world record gathering of Robin Hoods on March 8, I was invited to come and dress up as Robin Hood along with Heart 106 DJs Sam and Amy at Bluebell Hill Primary School in St Ann's.

Pupils at the school, who had been given Ready, Steady, Cook-style voting cards for the occasion, would then choose whose costume they liked the best.

Getting hold of a costume was hard enough. The internet company I bought my outfit from didn't tell me they had visited my house to deliver it, so I was forced to make a last-minute dash to a fancy dress shop in town.

Even with the finished outfit on, I still had my doubts about whether I could win over a hall full of children in the face of competition from Sam and Amy, who are clearly two showbusiness pros. But then, an epiphany.

Remembering I had an old bear costume in my wardrobe (the reasons for this don't need to be discussed just now, but involve a fancy dress wedding) I put it on and wore my newly-bought Robin Hood outfit over the top.

The result looked like something from a rejected Noel's House Party feature - but would at least give me a fighting chance in the vote. Everyone likes fluffy polar bears, don't they?

In reality, it possibly wasn't such a good idea. The down sides of a giant polar bear outfit are numerous, heat and an inability to see where you are going being just two. But actually the main problem was that my feathered Robin Hood hat kept falling off my head.

It must have been the heat that prompted me, when asked to tell the Bluebell Hill children why I should win their votes, to promise a "special polar bear dance" if I won.

In the end I didn't win - but had to do the dance anyway. Being unable to see wider than 20 degrees in either direction meant I couldn't tell how well my comical flailing was going down, so I carried on regardless.

My consolation for not winning was that at least my outfit proved popular with the pupils, who were only too keen to wave at me and give me high-fives as they walked out of assembly.

And my respect for the likes of Mr Blobby and his pratfalling peers is now higher than ever.