Paul Daniels

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Paul Daniels (born 6 April 1938 in South Bank, Middlesbrough) is a television magician from England.

1 Biography
2 Family
3 Trivia
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Daniels' interest in magic began at the age of 12 when reading a book called How To Entertain At Parties while on holiday.

After Grammar School and his first job as a junior clerk in the treasurer's office of Eston council, Daniels served in 1st Battalion, The Green Howards during his National Service and was posted to the British garrison in Hong Kong, before training as an accountant in the Civil Service. He left his job in local government to run a small, mobile grocery business.

Daniels claimed in his autobiography to have had, as of the year 2000, sexual relations with more than 300 people[1]. This figure includes a Chinese girl he met on a ferry during his National Service, whom he recalls as being 'rather throaty' [2]

[edit] Television

Daniels made his television debut on Opportunity Knocks in 1970, and came second. Television producer Johnnie Hamp later gave Daniels a regular spot on The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club for Granada Television.

Daniels presented his own show, The Paul Daniels Magic Show, on the BBC from 1979 until 1994. As well as featuring tricks and illusions for pure entertainment, he also included a regular segment (the 'Bunco Booth') in which he exposed the confidence tricks of street charlatans and he also replicated the kind of results that have impressed researchers of the paranormal and parapsychologists, thereby demonstrating his skepticism about claims made in these fields. He also hosted other television shows during the 1980s to the 1990s, such as the quiz shows Odd One Out, Every Second Counts and Wipeout, and the BBC children's television programme Wizbit, about a magician called Wizbit and a rabbit called Woolly, who lived in Puzzleopolis.

An easter special of The Paul Daniels Magic Show won the Golden Rose of Montreux Award at the International TV Festival in Switzerland in 1985.

Daniels' appeal diminished rapidly as the 1980s drew to a close, and following a ratings slump in the mid nineties he is now seldom seen on television [3]. Daniels does however make occasional guest appearances on British television, though this is usually as the unsuspecting butt of the joke on satirical comedy shows, such as the Chris Morris show, Brass Eye. He appeared on Da Ali G Show in an Ali G costume and was interviewed by Caroline Hook in her guise as Mrs Merton. In 2004, he and Debbie appeared in the Channel 5 reality TV show, The Farm, and in 2006, they appeared in the ITV1 show The X Factor: Battle Of The Stars. They were the first act voted off the show, after singing Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams.

Daniels recently presented a magic show at the Eton College Magic Society to about 500 Etonians on 28th November 2006. He will also be making a guest appearance in the new series of Jim'll Fix It and participate in the Wife Swap series, exchanging Debbie McGee for journalist and presenter Vanessa Feltz.

[edit] Political views

Daniels is known for his conservative views on a range of matters. In terms of criminal justice, he emphasises the principle of '[making] the punishment fit the crime'. "...make them afraid of the punishment...when I heard Ian Huntley had tried to commit suicide – I’d have helped him. There are no ifs or buts about Huntley. With him, I wouldn’t even have told him the result of the trial, he’d just have gone to sleep and never woken up.' - [4]

Daniels has stated that he has very little sympathy with the homeless since, in his words, " [I] was always trying to be best, to get ahead of the other guy. And I can't say why, I just knew I could...I saw Peter Stringfellow on TV one time, and we both have a little, but not very much, sympathy for the homeless, because both of us came from very poor backgrounds, got off our arses, and grafted." - [5]

[edit] Theatre

Daniels starred in his own show, It's Magic, at the Prince of Wales Theatre from December 10, 1980 until February 6, 1982. At that time, the show was one of the longest-running magic shows ever staged in London.

Despite his retirement from television, Daniels still tours with his magic show, and recently presented a show about the 'Magic of Max Malini'.

Paul was awarded the prestigious ‘Magician of the Year’ Award by the Hollywood Academy of Magical Arts in 1983, and was the first magician from outside the US to receive it.

[edit] Online

Daniels maintains a website including a blog and personal information, and records podcasts and video podcasts.

[edit] Family

Early in his magic career, Daniels performed a manipulation act under the name of 'The Eldanis', an anagram of Daniels, with his first wife Jackie.

He has three sons by his first wife: Gary, Paul and Martin. Martin sometimes appeared on The Paul Daniels Magic Show, and Paul's own father, Hughie, often made props for the show, such as wooden boxes for the Selbit Sawing illusion.

Daniels married his second wife, long-time assistant Debbie McGee in 1988.

[edit] Trivia

His catchphrase was "You'll like this; not a lot, but you'll like it."
Daniels is of short stature, at only 5.5ft tall.
Unbeknownst to TV audiences, Daniels sported a wig for the majority of his television career - [6]
He was humiliated by Chris Morris in the 1997 media spoof TV series, Brass Eye, in a segment where he was persuaded to appeal to viewers to help a fictional East German elephant that had got its trunk stuck up its anus.
He is dismissive of modern illusionists. He has described David Blaine as "not very original". - [7]
Daniels drives a Bentley.
His current ambition is to star in a Hollywood movie. - [8]
In one of the sketches in Rowan Atkinson's one-man show, the story of Jesus is read by Atkinson, dressed as a priest. In the sketch, Jesus is portrayed as a magician. In the end of the sketch, when Jesus is asked whether he is the son of God, he denies it, and claims the true Lord will be recognised by his name:

"By his name shall yee know him. And he shall have a very religious name. Paul, shall he be called. And Daniel, shall he be called."

Daniels has often remarked that for his final trick he would like to "disappear the Sun".
His personalised registration plate read 'MAG1C'.

[edit] References

Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee are the butt of a series of running jokes on the 6 episode series "The Unpleasant World of Penn and Teller," which competed with the Paul Daniels show during its short run.