Ghost stories are usually associated with Halloween but two friends are proving that spooky tales can be enjoyed at any time of the year. Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 Since 2009, South Staffordshire author Alan Smith has been captivating audiences with annual readings of his Weeping Bank tales.
Several of his haunting stories have even been adapted and brought to the stages of Birmingham and London. Around two years ago, Alan, who uses the pen name A.G.
Smith, was joined by lifelong friend Rob Whitehouse. Since then the world of Weeping Bank has expanded, taking in more venues across the UK as well as a headlining performance at the UK Ghost Story Festival in February this year. “We met at college in 1992 – originally bonding over a mutual love of comedy.
Our early career was centred on writing and performing sketch comedy. This grew and evolved over the intervening years,” says Rob, who manages the hectic reading tour and the Weeping Bank website and social media accounts. “In 2022 I saw a Weeping Bank performance at Dudley Library and felt the impact of the reading and how the packed audience reacted to it.
“It was like lightning in a bottle, an experience that I knew more people needed to be made aware of,” he adds. “It’s a joy to be working with Rob again, he has changed the game for Weeping Bank, bringing so much creativity and energy to the table,” says Alan. Since performances at the UK Ghost Story Festival.
