PAUL DANIELS
Paul Daniels is without doubt one of the most accomplished magicians in showbusiness - and certainly one of the most exciting. Add to that a unique comedy style, and you have the complete entertainer and one of the funniest men in the business.
He is acclaimed throughout the world.
Paul is available for corporate entertainment and after-dinner presentations
where his anecdotal style, interspersed with superb magic tricks where
appropriate, is the highlight of any event.
In 1983, he was presented with the prestigious Magician Of The Year Award by Hollywood's Academy of Magical Arts, before a star-studded audience in Los Angeles. It was a tremendous achievement for Paul, becoming the first magician from outside the USA to receive the award.
In 1985 his exciting TV special, 'Paul Daniels' Easter Magic Show' - BBC Television's entry for the Montreux International TV Festival in Switzerland - was awarded the coveted Golden Rose Of Montreux trophy by the distinguished panel of judges. His outstanding achievement in the international festival was recognised by the Variety Club of Great Britain in October, when a special showbusiness luncheon was staged in Paul's honour at the Dorchester Hotel in London and televised by the BBC.
Paul Daniels has enjoyed outstanding success in recent years through the realms of his own top-rating TV series, 'The Paul Daniels Magic Show' (for BBC) and numerous other television shows and specials, including the highly-successful 'Odd One Out' and the fast-moving 'Every Second counts' - and he has certainly established himself as one of the most popular entertainers on television. At the start of 1986, he devised and presented a new children's TV series for BBC, called 'Wizbit', mixing fantasy and magic with pop music.
However, Paul's success and popularity are not only confined to television. He starred for 14 months in the West End in his own show, 'It's Magic' at the Prince Of Wales Theatre; and he continues to delight audiences all over the country, starring in concert and cabaret seasons, and touring with his own magical show, at most of Britain's major theatres. He has also completed several successful summer seasons, most notably in Great Yarmouth (1979), Bournemouth (1980) and Blackpool (1983) ..... and seasons at the London Palladium.
In 1979, he was chosen to appear in the Royal Variety Show.
He was born in South Bank, Cleveland, where his parents managed the local Hippodrome Theatre. Paul's first taste of magic came at the age of 11. He was on holiday at the time, staying with friends, when he discovered a book called 'How To Entertain At Parties', which contained several magic card tricks.
Paul was fascinated by the tricks the book contained, and soon became hooked on magic. "From that moment, I can safely say that all I ever wanted to do in life was to become a professional magician," he says. Unfortunately for Paul, he had to knuckle down to the more mundane things in life, like growing up and going to school. Stardom had to wait, at least for the time being. However, his interest in magic increased, and he was soon entertaining at parties and youth clubs.
He left school at 16 and went straight into local government, working as a junior clerk, and later becoming an internal auditor. Yet, whatever spare time he had on his hands, he spent developing new magic ideas and techniques. And entertaining at private functions.
Two years later, he was summoned for National Service. He enlisted into the First Battalion, The Green Howards and was sent on active duty to Hong Kong. There, he combined his time serving Queen and country, by entertaining American servicemen who were also stationed in the Colony. In a short space of time, Paul had built up a big reputation for himself.
On demobilisation, and back home in Cleveland, he decided to leave the security of the Civil Service to manage a small, mobile grocery business his parents now owned. Adds Paul: "The grocery business proved very successful and I was soon able to buy my own shop. But it meant that now I was working harder than ever before because every single night, I was out entertaining with my magic act and trying to combine two successful jobs was almost killing me. Something had to be done. I had to make a choice. "Luckily, the decision was made for me when I landed a long and lucrative summer season in Newquay. I decided to sell my grocery business and I took the chance and moved into showbusiness professionally. I'd achieved one of my burning ambitions".
It was 1969.A year later, Paul made his television debut on 'Opportunity Knocks' .... and came second. However, he was working more than ever now in Britain and overseas, with tours of Europe and Africa behind him. Then he was seen by television executive Johnny Hamp who gave him a spot on Granada's popular t.v show .9. and it proved the launching pad for what has become a fabulous career. Almost overnight, Paul's catchphrase - "You'll like it, not a lot, but you'll like it" - became a household saying. A new star was born. Paul Daniels has gone on to carve a very special position for himself in international showbusiness. A unique talent; a technically brilliant entertainer.
Highlights of an outstanding career have seen him headlining a season of cabaret in Las Vegas at the Tropicana Hotel, and appearing on major American television shows. He has published several books, including 'The Paul Daniels Magic Book, 'More Magic and 'Paul Daniels'- 'Magic Journey '; and hosted his own video, 'Now You See'. He also has his own marketing company which designs and promotes a whole range of Paul Daniels magic gift sets, products and gifts. On December 10th, 1980, Paul Daniels made his seasonal starring debut in London's West End, when he headlined his own show, 'It's Magic', at the Prince Of Wales Theatre. The show went on to become one of the longest running magic shows ever staged in London, taking well over £1,000,000 at the box office, in a 14 month run. He returned to the Prince Of Wales in the autumn of 1983 to star in his own one-man-show, 'An Evening With Paul Daniels'. The show was later presented on a short British theatre tour the following autumn, and it proved a unique departure for the man of magic. Besides starring in his own one-man-show, Paul acted as impresario to present ' Evening With Paul Daniels' in major theatres all over the country. The tour was so successful that he embarked on another series of engagements with the show from February 1985 (taking in appearances in Ireland), followed by a similar tour in the autumn.
Since then, Paul Daniels has continued to consolidate all his success in virtually every medium of showbusiness. Today, his TV series 'The Paul Daniels Magic Show'- - and Christmas and seasonal television specials - in which he presents some of the most unique and breathtaking magical tricks and illusions ever seen on television, have become major highlights in the TV calendar, and needless to say, they regularly feature in the tele-viewing charts. Away from television, Paul also presented a highly-successful radio series, "Dealing With Daniels", for BBC Radio 2.
Paul Daniels is a member of the Inner Magic Circle.
The race Track Switch
On Saturday, September 1985, millions of British television viewers saw one of the most breathtaking escapes ever devised. The stunt was shown on the Paul Daniels TV Show and took place at Silverstone Racetrack in Northhamptonshire, England.
No other performer has ever attempted this dramtic escape.
First Paul was fastened in chains and shakles and placed in a sack which was securely tied. The sack was lowered into a large wooden box which was lifted by a mobile crane and deposited in the centre of the race track.. Then international racing driver Jackie Stewart was introduced, dressed in his racing leathers. He walked over to a waiting car and slid into the drivers seat. On the
signal "GO" he began a circuit of the track, increasing his speed as he approached the box on a collision course. Paul Daniels had just seconds to escape.
Moments before impact, a distress signal was seen, but too late... The car crashed into the crate 120mph.
Pieces of timber flew in all directions but there was no sign of Paul. Yet when the car came to a halt further down the track out of it stepped Paul Daniels
Jackie Stewart was discovered at the control of the crane that had lowered the box on to the track. The expressions of the observers - particularly presenter Mike Smith - underlined that this was not achieved by trick photography. Those on the scene were just as baffled as the millions of views at home.
UNDER NO ILLUSION - BY PAUL DANIELS
For decades, magician Paul Daniels has captured the imagination of audiences throughout the world. Now, at last, his secrets are unmasked as the magician speaks frankly in his autobiography
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