COULD you escape Death Row or survive a trip to another dimension?

Now you have the chance to find out at Lockdown Escape, an exit game at Evans House devised by Warrington actor Craig Davies.

Exit games are a new craze which give people a set time to solve clues and crack puzzles to break out of a locked room.

Lockdown Escape is the second exit game to come to Warrington after Clue HQ opened in Crown Street in 2014.

Craig, a former William Beamont High and Bridgewater High pupil, said: "I think the film Saw made people really interested in what they would do in a certain situation.

"I’ve done about 10 escape rooms all over the north west and it’s a weird bug. As soon as you’re locked in you feel a bit trapped but as soon as you get out you want to go back in.

"And as soon as you’ve done one you get hooked and you want to try them all."

Craig has appeared in the likes of Peaky Blinders and was an extra for upcoming Harry Potter prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

But in September 2015 he decided to develop a business to keep him going in between acting parts.

The 30-year-old took a business course and had to go in front of a Dragons' Den-style panel to get funding from the Prince's Trust. The idea itself came while he was on the set of Emmerdale.

Craig added: "Somebody mentioned on set one day that Crystal Maze was coming back. Then I thought why don’t I make my own version?

"I wrote down 10 different themes that are different to what is already out there as I didn’t want it to be the same as anyone else.

"I'm used to sitting down with scriptwriters and directors so that helped with the story side of it."

Lockdown Escape currently features two experiences.

In The Lost Soul, inspired by The Poltergeist, you play a paranormal investigator, and in Death Row, influenced by The Green Mile and Prison Break, you are falsely accused of murder and have to prove your innocence or escape.

Craig, who reached the final 20 in the The X Factor in 2004, said: "I’m a film buff so it’s good to be able to stick people in the middle of a film situation."

Teams of between two and six have an hour to escape.

Craig is watching over CCTV and can offer up to three 'life lines' if players are stuck.

He added: "I watch these guys talking and rooting around. Some work really well as a team and others argue.

"If they need help I just give a subtle hint or a clue for how to do the next puzzle. I don’t want people to be stuck and not enjoy it. I want them to move on and be able to complete it.

"Each room has its own storyline to it. As you’re solving clues you’re unravelling a story as well

"It’s not just random puzzles that mean nothing. In Death Row I’ve got body parts lying around, secret messages and codes and there’s even an electric chair.

"The pictures in the wall are relevant to what it is. There is a crime scene and there are guns and a police line-up and things like that."

- For 20 per cent off your first game of Lockdown Escape visit lockdownescapeeg.co.uk and use the discount code 'lockdownlaunch'. The discount is only available in May and for the first 50 bookings.

DAVID MORGAN