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Magician of the Week - Paul Daniels

Writer's picture: Martin BrophyMartin Brophy

As a child of the 70s/80s, I remember watching Paul Daniels on a Saturday Night with his assistant (and wife) Debbie McGee.

As a child, this was one of my favourite TV shows and I remember watching it fondly every week with my sister on a Saturday night.

At the time, Paul Daniels was pretty much the most famous magician in the country. Magic was at it’s height and the show ran on the BBC for longer than I actually remember. It started in 1979 and ran for 15 series until 1994. It was a major hit for the BBC and attracted audiences up to 15 million and was sold to 43 countries.


The variety of the acts was a big draw for me. I loved the big illusions in particular and still do, of course Paul Daniels was versatile and able to mix close up magic, cards and large scale illusions into his show.

Like many who remember the show, I recall his Halloween prank well, with the BBC switchboard getting rammed with concerned viewers for Paul’s safety. Read here for details.

While magic has surged again in popularity, I don’t think we have seen a Magic show on TV since then that has been as popular with viewers in the UK. The US is lucky and has a couple of quite high profile magic shows for TV viewers currently. Though Netflix UK is a good source for Magic shows these days.

Sadly Paul Daniels died in 2016. However, the show business of magic still lives on with Paul’s sons, grandsons and nephews pursuing magic as a career. His wife Debbie is still a media personality who is still also actively involved in the magic circle etc.

Social media links follow at end of profile.

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Bio:

Paul Daniels is without doubt one of the most accomplished magicians in the World, and certainly one of the most exciting. Add to that a unique comedy style and you have a complete entertainer and one of the funniest men in show business.

His fame and achievements are not confined to the UK where he is a household name. The USA, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Spain, and Japan have all recognised him as a world class entertainer. Amongst his numerous achievements, he has starred in his own hugely successful West End Theatre Shows, headlined in Las Vegas and Broadway, as well as performing more unique magic on TV than any other magician in history..

With a reputation as one of the most popular society and show-business entertainers, Paul has entertained The Royal Family including Princes William and Harry, The Sultan of Brunei, The Sultan of Oman, Prince Rainier of Monaco, Barry White, John Major (Prime Minister), James Callaghan (Prime Minister), Princess Michael of Kent, The Duke and Duchess of Wessex, and countless others.

In the world of TV no-one has enjoyed more success than Paul Daniels. From the moment he burst onto the ITV network, and later switched to the BBC, his magic shows topped the ratings. A book on TV facts calls him the most successful TV magician of the 20th century. His creative genius enabled him to produce consistently stunning shows, never rivalled in spectacle, covering the full range of the world of entertaining magic, from small, ‘close-up’ effects, to enormous outside broadcast illusions.

In 1983 Paul was presented with the prestigious ‘Magician of the Year’ Award by the Hollywood Academy of Magical Arts before a star-studded audience in Los Angeles. It was a tremendous achievement for Paul, and he was the first magician from outside the USA to receive the award.   He is the only magician in the History of the London Magic Circle to receive all three of their top awards.


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Not aware on an official site. Instagram:







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