Magician says ‘Thanks Uncle Paul (Daniels)’

A MAGICIAN who discovered from probably the greatest is bringing his present to Henley.

James Phelan is the nephew of the late, nice Wargrave magician Paul Daniels — his mom Donna is the sister of Paul’s widow, Debbie McGee.

The 30-year-old, who has his personal present, referred to as Trickster, on BBC Radio Berkshire, will carry out as The Biggest Magician on the Kenton Theatre on Friday,
October 28.

James, who lives in Surrey, says that he has developed his personal magic however will all the time be grateful to his uncle for his recommendation and help.

He says: “For my first 5 years of touring, I needed to cease myself saying, ‘Not lots’ on the finish of each sentence.

“I used to rely very closely on bouncing stuff off my uncle Paul however now I purposely avoid his stuff.

“My materials may be very me relatively than him however it’s good to have an encyclopaedic data of magic simply from rising up with it.

“I’ve sort of been finding out it my complete life. I’ve carried out magic since I used to be two-and-a-half years previous and I used to placed on little reveals for my auntie and uncle.

“I learnt magic by watching the VHS tapes that my nan had recorded of Paul’s tv present and rewinding and fast-forwarding.”

Daniels was a fantastic sounding board.

James recollects: “I’d be sat in my uncle’s front room and simply going via concepts.

“He would say one thing off-the-cuff that may be meaningless however can be the spark of genius that may simply fully unravel my considering for the subsequent week or so.”

The Biggest Magician is billed as being directed by Daniels and James says: “The present’s not overly sentimental however it’s actually a love letter to my uncle Paul.”

In 2016, James was all set to seem on Britain’s Bought Expertise with enter from Daniels however needed to scrap it when it was found he had incurable mind most cancers and he died in March that yr.

James says: “We mainly pulled it as a result of we filmed it earlier than my uncle was unwell. When he had been poorly we’d sit speaking about stuff in his present.” James has additionally acquired to know different well-known magicians together with Derren Brown and David Copperfield.

In 2014, he was in a position to assist the well-known American pair Penn and Teller with an pressing request at quick discover.

He recollects: “I acquired a cellphone name from my Uncle Paul saying, ‘Do we all know a swimsuit tailor?’ and I mentioned, ‘Perhaps however most likely not right this moment’.

“It was the center of August on a Sunday afternoon and he goes, ‘We’d like a swimsuit tailor’.

“I mentioned, ‘Why?’ and he mentioned, ‘Nicely, Penn and Teller are over and doing their Vegas present on the Hammersmith Apollo’.

“Prince Charles, now King Charles, is a member of the Magic Circle, and somebody had rung them on his behalf and mentioned, ‘Would you thoughts staying an additional day and doing a present for us?’

“They mentioned, ‘Sure, after all, we’d like to’. They went again to their lodge and Teller discovered his tuxedo didn’t match anymore as he had placed on weight.

“They have been operating round London, going, ‘How can we get this swimsuit altered?’ and so they go, ‘Who do we all know within the UK? Paul Daniels’.

“Then he rings me and I’m going, ‘Fantastic, I’ll type it’, so I drive to the Hammersmith Apollo and there’s Teller standing there and he has a Sainsbury’s bag together with his trousers in.

“I take them off him and I and drive 200 miles to the one individual that had answered the cellphone.

“It takes them 30 seconds to change the trousers after which I get in my automotive, drive 200 miles again and say, ‘Mr Teller, listed here are your trousers’.”

The alterations have been carried out by his aunt, Angela Bockett-Pugh, a seamstress who makes youngsters’s first Holy Communion outfits for a residing.

James says: “Penn and Teller been very good to me ever since. They ship me a Christmas card yearly. Additionally they invited me over to Vegas the place I’ve simply carried out a fortnight with this present.”

James, who additionally did a stint on the Edinburgh Fringe in August, says the present is enjoyable.

“It’s only a occasion, it’s nothing apart from escapism,” he says. “We don’t discuss covid, or the price of residing, or Brexit, or any of these issues, it’s simply pleasure.

“It is extremely a lot empowering the viewers and making them snort. I do issues like make folks neglect their very own names and cease folks having the ability to learn and we inform tales. It’s only a riot.”

James stays grounded with the assistance of his close-knit household.

He says: “I converse to Debbie daily in regards to the present and she or he’s simply an enormous help.

“It’s good when somebody like uncle Paul has been in your life. You may sort of think about how they’d reply in the event you requested them the query.”

• The Biggest Magician with James Phelan is on the Kenton Theatre on Friday, October 28 at 7.30pm. Tickets value £24.50 and the present has a operating time of 110 minutes with a 20-minute interval. For extra info and to purchase tickets, name the field workplace on (01491) 525050 or go to www.kentontheatre.co.uk