Paul Daniels
Encyclopedia
Paul Daniels, born Newton Edward Daniels on 6 April 1938, is a British
magician
and television performer. He achieved international fame through his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the BBC
from 1979 to 1994.
, Middlesbrough
, the son of Handel Newton Daniels and Nancy Lloyd. Handel (known as Hugh) was a cinema projectionist at the Hippodrome Theatre and a former worker at Imperial Chemical Industries
(ICI) Wilton
.
During World War II
, Daniels was evacuated
to the Helmsley
area. After Sir William Turners Grammar School on Coatham Road in Coatham
, Redcar (now the Redcar & Cleveland College
Connections Campus on Corporation Road) and his first job as a junior clerk in the treasurer's office of Eston
council, Daniels served as a conscript
in the 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
. Even at this early age he had thinning hair which he claimed to be an act of 'magic'. Daniels later sported a wig for much of his television career. After working as a junior clerk and then as an auditor in local government Daniels joined his parents in the grocery business they were running at the time. He later set up his own shop – at one point a mobile shop – but eventually gave this up in favour of his growing career as a magician.
as a way to deal with a heckler.
A major turning point in Daniels' career came in 1969 when he was offered a summer season at Newquay
. He decided to sell his grocery business and try magic as a full time career. He made his television debut on the long-running talent show
Opportunity Knocks in 1970, and came second. Television producer
Johnnie Hamp
saw Daniels in that show and later gave him a regular spot on a show compèred by Bernard Manning The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club
for Granada Television
.
His first series for the BBC
was For My Next Trick, where Daniels appeared with several other magicians and singer Faith Brown
. This led to Daniels presenting his own television series, The Paul Daniels Magic Show, on BBC1 from 1979 until 1994. As well as featuring tricks and illusions for pure entertainment, he also included a regular segment (the "Bunko Booth") in which he exposed the confidence tricks of street charlatans. He also replicated the kind of results that have impressed researchers of the paranormal and parapsychologists in a segment called Under Laboratory Conditions, thereby demonstrating his skepticism about claims made in these fields.
Daniels starred in his own stage show, It's Magic, at the Prince of Wales Theatre
from 10 December 1980 until 6 February 1982. At that time, the show was one of the longest-running magic shows ever staged in London
. By this point he was already working with his future wife, Debbie McGee
, whose role as his assistant would become a major feature of his act. She had first worked with him on his summer season show in Great Yarmouth
in 1979.
In addition to his magic shows he hosted a number of other television series during the 1980s and 1990s, including three BBC1 quiz shows: Odd One Out, Every Second Counts and Wipeout
, and the children's television programme Wizbit
(also for the BBC), about a magician called Wizbit and a rabbit called Woolly, who lived in Puzzleopolis.
On the magic circuit, Daniels' appeal diminished as the 1980s drew to a close, and in the 1990s the ratings for his TV show slumped. A 1995 magic show for the BBC entitled Secrets, set in a variety club, failed to catch on and was not renewed. He has, however, made several guest appearances on television, though this has often been as the unsuspecting butt of the joke on satirical comedy shows, such as the Chris Morris
show, Brass Eye
. Daniels and McGee were the focus of one of the episodes of the 2001 BBC documentary series When Louis Met…
, presented by Louis Theroux
, with Daniels additionally appearing on Da Ali G Show
in an Ali G costume, 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 ITV
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 and McGee also made a guest appearance in the Wife Swap
series in early 2007, with McGee
changing places with journalist and presenter Vanessa Feltz
. In 2008 Daniels was part of Dec's team in the Ant v Dec segment of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
, but was eliminated by Dec after the team lost the Bobsleigh challenge in show 3 (of 6).
Daniels still tours doing live magic and recently presented a show about magician 'Max Malini'. He currently owns a magic and fancy dress shop in Wigan
town centre and also has an online shop selling items for magician and fancy dress outfits. He has stated he has an ambition to star in a Hollywood film.
During 2009, he toured a number of more intimate venues, performing for audiences of around 200.
In September 2010, it was announced Daniels would be participating in the eighth series
of Strictly Come Dancing
. His dancing partner was Ola Jordan
. They were the second couple to be voted off on 17 October.
special of The Paul Daniels Magic Show won the Golden Rose of Montreux
Award at the International TV Festival in Switzerland
in 1985.
Daniels was the first recipient of The Maskelyne, awarded for services to British Magic by The Magic Circle
in 1988.
More recently he was named "World's Greatest Magician" by students at Boston Spa School, Yorkshire. Daniels turned up to the ceremony and gave an impromptu show.
Daniels is a supporter of the Conservative Party
.
On the subject of criminal justice
, he has stated: "...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".
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".
Daniels now refuses to attend magic conferences in the UK since they "...were ruined for me by bitchiness and jealousy...now I only go to foreign conventions where, to be honest, I am greeted with respect and civility AND I have tons of ‘foreign’ magician friends."
He is dismissive of modern illusionists. He has described David Blaine
as "not very original".
He is also dismissive of modern impressionists – "I don't think much to modern impressionists either. Forget Alistair McGowan
."
On journalism – "I don't really understand why journalism has to be so nasty, so sarcastic and intrusive". Daniels has often remarked that for his final trick he would like to make "The Sun disappear", a reference to the British tabloid newspaper.
He said that Anne Robinson
has hated him ever since his 1987 Halloween
special hoax
performance.
On the radio presenter, Chris Morris
he commented: "[He's] just nasty."
On the hereditary system in the House of Lords
– "The hereditary peers, the real Lords, have the genetic knowledge so they know what to pass and what not to let through. I believe the gene carries more than physical characteristics. It's more than just education that makes the Lords better at making these kind of decisions than leaving it with the Commons. It's like an animal instinct. The aristocracy
may act foolish, but in times of war and riots they have the knowledge and a belief and strength of leadership and instinct
that coal miners just haven't got...".
On pornography
- "Porn is fine when it's between consenting adults. The stuff with kids is wrong, but between consenting adults it's fine. There's a lot I like, although nothing weird. There's a group of people who are really into looking at pictures of women in guillotine
s. Not naked or anything. Just in guillotines. They have a page full of pictures of Debbie in guillotines – I have used guillotines in my routines. How strange is that as a fetish
?".
. Martin sometimes appeared on The Paul Daniels Magic Show, and Paul's father, Hughie, often made props for the show, such as wooden boxes for the Selbit Sawing illusion. Daniels' nephew James Phelan is a budding young magician.
Daniels married his second wife, long-time assistant Debbie McGee
on 2 April 1988 in Buckinghamshire
. The couple met in London in May 1979 during rehearsals for Daniels' summer season show in Great Yarmouth
that year. At that time he was 40 and she was 20. McGee went on to work with Daniels in his 1980 summer show in Bournemouth
and then his London stage show It's Magic before being offered the role of assistant in his long-running television series. Their relationship gradually became more established until he proposed in 1987. Early in their marriage they lived in a house in Denham
, Buckinghamshire
, that once belonged to Roger Moore
. In 1998 they moved to a house on the banks of the River Thames at Wargrave
in Berkshire
.
Daniels' autobiography, Under No Illusion, includes descriptions of his and McGee's joking life:
Daniels also claims in the book to have had, as of the year 2000, sexual relations with more than 300 women. This figure includes a Chinese
girl he met on a Hong Kong ferry during his National Service, whom he recalls as being "rather throaty".
Daniels maintains a website that includes personal information, a detailed blog
and records podcasts. The blog incorporates Daniels's diary entries and day-to-day musings and observations on a range of topics.
He has an Isuzu Trooper
for hauling props and show material with the personalised registration plate
that reads 'MAG1C'. He also drives a Toyota Prius for personal use. During his life he has also owned three Bentley
s and a Ferrari
.
In February 2009, Daniels and McGee appeared in Closer magazine in a picture recreating an image from an Armani advert that featured footballer David Beckham
and his wife Victoria.
In January 2011, a wig belonging to Daniels was sold for charity on Ebay
for £
1,100.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
magician
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
and television performer. He achieved international fame through his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
from 1979 to 1994.
Early life
Daniels was born at 51 North Street in South BankSouth Bank, Middlesbrough
South Bank is a small town which forms part of the Middlesbrough urban area that lies 2.3 miles from Middlesbrough centre, in North East England. As the name suggests, it lies on the south bank of the River Tees. Although it is part of the Middlesbrough conurbation, it is a ward of Redcar and...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, the son of Handel Newton Daniels and Nancy Lloyd. Handel (known as Hugh) was a cinema projectionist at the Hippodrome Theatre and a former worker at Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
(ICI) Wilton
Wilton, Redcar and Cleveland
Wilton is a small village in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.-Geography:It is located between Redcar and Eston at the base of Eston Hills - to the east of Eston Nab. The village is noted for its golf course and castle, Wilton...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Daniels was evacuated
Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II
Evacuation of civilians in Britain during the Second World War was designed to save the population of urban or military areas in the United Kingdom from aerial bombing of cities and military targets such as docks. Civilians, particularly children, were moved to areas thought to be less at risk....
to the Helmsley
Helmsley
Helmsley is a market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England. The town is located at the point where the valleys of Bilsdale and Ryedale leave the higher moorland and join the flat Vale of Pickering. It is situated on the River Rye and lies on the A170 road, east...
area. After Sir William Turners Grammar School on Coatham Road in Coatham
Coatham
Coatham is a place in the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.- History :Coatham began as a market village in the 14th century to the smaller adjacent fishing port of Redcar but as their populations grew from the 1850s, the dividing space narrowed...
, Redcar (now the Redcar & Cleveland College
Redcar & Cleveland College
Redcar & Cleveland College is a further education college, based in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the A1085 between Westfield and West Dyke, and very near Redcar Central railway station...
Connections Campus on Corporation Road) and his first job as a junior clerk in the treasurer's office of Eston
Eston
Eston is a town within the Unitary Authority of Redcar and Cleveland, England. Within the Middlesbrough agglomeration it falls inside the Greater Eston initiative...
council, Daniels served as a conscript
Conscription in the United Kingdom
Conscription in the United Kingdom has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1919, the second was from 1939 to 1960, with the last conscripted soldiers leaving the service in 1963...
in the 1st Battalion, The Green Howards
The Green Howards
The Green Howards was an infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division...
, during his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
and was posted to the British garrison in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, before training as an accountant in the Civil Service
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
. Even at this early age he had thinning hair which he claimed to be an act of 'magic'. Daniels later sported a wig for much of his television career. After working as a junior clerk and then as an auditor in local government Daniels joined his parents in the grocery business they were running at the time. He later set up his own shop – at one point a mobile shop – but eventually gave this up in favour of his growing career as a magician.
Showbusiness career
Daniels' interest in magic began at the age of 11 when, during a holiday, he read a book called How To Entertain At Parties. He has stated that: "From that moment, I can safely say that all I ever wanted to do in life was to become a professional magician". He began performing magic as a hobby, occasionally entertaining at parties and youth clubs and later doing shows for fellow servicemen during his national service. After returning to civilian life he continued to develop his magic by performing in clubs in the evenings while working at his grocery business during the day. At one point he worked with his first wife Jackie under the name of 'The Eldanis', an anagram of Daniels. It was while working the clubs that he developed what would become his long running catchphrase, "You'll like this...not a lot, but you'll like it." He has stated that he first came up with the line at a club in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
as a way to deal with a heckler.
A major turning point in Daniels' career came in 1969 when he was offered a summer season at Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
. He decided to sell his grocery business and try magic as a full time career. He made his television debut on the long-running talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
Opportunity Knocks in 1970, and came second. Television producer
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
Johnnie Hamp
Johnnie Hamp
Johnnie Hamp is a British television producer, now retired. He is responsible for the early British television appearances of such acts as The Beatles, singer Cilla Black, comedian Woody Allen, and singer Lisa Stansfield as Head of Light Entertainment with Granada Television.-Early life and 1960s...
saw Daniels in that show and later gave him a regular spot on a show compèred by Bernard Manning The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club
The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club
The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club was a British television variety show produced by Granada Television from 1974 to 1977. It was set in a fictional working men's club in the North of England and was hosted by comedian Colin Crompton. Also regularly featured was comedian Bernard Manning...
for Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
.
His first series for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
was For My Next Trick, where Daniels appeared with several other magicians and singer Faith Brown
Faith Brown
Faith Brown is an English actress, singer, comedienne and impressionist.-Background and Early Career:Born as Eunice Irene Carroll, Faith Brown began her career as a singer at the age of fifteen, backed by a local group. She later became the resident cabaret singer in Liverpool's Rialto Ballroom...
. This led to Daniels presenting his own television series, The Paul Daniels Magic Show, on BBC1 from 1979 until 1994. As well as featuring tricks and illusions for pure entertainment, he also included a regular segment (the "Bunko Booth") in which he exposed the confidence tricks of street charlatans. He also replicated the kind of results that have impressed researchers of the paranormal and parapsychologists in a segment called Under Laboratory Conditions, thereby demonstrating his skepticism about claims made in these fields.
Daniels starred in his own stage show, It's Magic, at the Prince of Wales Theatre
Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre on Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in the City of Westminster. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner...
from 10 December 1980 until 6 February 1982. At that time, the show was one of the longest-running magic shows ever staged in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. By this point he was already working with his future wife, Debbie McGee
Debbie McGee
Debbie McGee is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the wife and assistant of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and, for three years, she was artistic director of her own ballet company...
, whose role as his assistant would become a major feature of his act. She had first worked with him on his summer season show in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
in 1979.
In addition to his magic shows he hosted a number of other television series during the 1980s and 1990s, including three BBC1 quiz shows: Odd One Out, Every Second Counts and Wipeout
Wipeout (UK game show)
Wipeout was a British game show based on the original US format that aired on BBC1 from 25 May 1994 to 3 December 2002. The show was originally hosted by Paul Daniels from 1994 to 1997, then Bob Monkhouse took over from 1998 to 2002.-Format:...
, and the children's television programme Wizbit
Wizbit
Wizbit was a 1985 BBC children's television show in which an alien magician called Wizbit and a large rabbit called Wooly had adventures in a place called Puzzleopolis....
(also for the BBC), about a magician called Wizbit and a rabbit called Woolly, who lived in Puzzleopolis.
On the magic circuit, Daniels' appeal diminished as the 1980s drew to a close, and in the 1990s the ratings for his TV show slumped. A 1995 magic show for the BBC entitled Secrets, set in a variety club, failed to catch on and was not renewed. He has, however, made several guest appearances on television, though this has often been as the unsuspecting butt of the joke on satirical comedy shows, such as the Chris Morris
Chris Morris (satirist)
Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...
show, Brass Eye
Brass Eye
Brass Eye is a UK television series of satirical spoof documentaries. A series of six aired on Channel 4 in 1997, and a further episode in 2001....
. Daniels and McGee were the focus of one of the episodes of the 2001 BBC documentary series When Louis Met…
When Louis Met…
When Louis Met... is a series of documentary films made by BAFTA award-winning film-maker Louis Theroux. The series was originally aired on BBC2 from 2000 to 2002....
, presented by Louis Theroux
Louis Theroux
Louis Sebastian Theroux is an English broadcaster best known for his Gonzo style journalism on the television series Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends and When Louis Met.... His career started off in journalism and bears influences of notable writers in his family such as his father, Paul Theroux and...
, with Daniels additionally appearing on Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show is the name of two related satirical TV series created by and starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and featuring the character Ali G....
in an Ali G costume, interviewed by Caroline Hook
Caroline Aherne
Caroline Mary Aherne is an English comedian and BAFTA winning writer and actress, best known for Mrs Merton and The Royle Family.- Background :...
in her guise as Mrs Merton. In 2004, he and Debbie appeared in the Channel 5 reality TV show, The Farm
The Farm (UK TV series)
The Farm is Five's version of the international TV format The Farm, produced by Strix. It had a number of celebrities appearing on it.-Series one:Series one aired in 2004 and was presented and narrated by Ed Hall...
, and in 2006, they appeared in the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
show The X Factor: Battle Of The Stars
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
. They were the first act voted off the show, after singing Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
. Daniels and McGee also made a guest appearance in the Wife Swap
Wife Swap
Wife Swap is a reality television program, originally produced by UK independent television production company RDF Media and created by Stephen Lambert. It was first broadcast in 2003 on the UK's Channel 4. Since 2004, a US version has also been broadcast on the ABC network...
series in early 2007, with McGee
Debbie McGee
Debbie McGee is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the wife and assistant of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and, for three years, she was artistic director of her own ballet company...
changing places with journalist and presenter Vanessa Feltz
Vanessa Feltz
Vanessa Jane Feltz is an English television personality, broadcaster and journalist. She currently presents an early morning radio show on BBC Radio 2, a mid morning phone-in show on BBC London 94.9. In 2011, she started hosting The Vanessa Show on Channel 5. The first series ended on June 24th...
. In 2008 Daniels was part of Dec's team in the Ant v Dec segment of Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Saturday Night Takeaway
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, is a variety show created by LWT and shown in the UK on Saturday evenings on ITV, presented and executively produced by Ant & Dec. It is broadcast live from The London Studios on the South Bank...
, but was eliminated by Dec after the team lost the Bobsleigh challenge in show 3 (of 6).
Daniels still tours doing live magic and recently presented a show about magician 'Max Malini'. He currently owns a magic and fancy dress shop in Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
town centre and also has an online shop selling items for magician and fancy dress outfits. He has stated he has an ambition to star in a Hollywood film.
During 2009, he toured a number of more intimate venues, performing for audiences of around 200.
In September 2010, it was announced Daniels would be participating in the eighth series
Strictly Come Dancing (series 8)
The eighth series of Strictly Come Dancing began with a red carpet launch show on 11 September 2010, and the competitive live shows began on 1 October. The series concluded on 18 December when Kara Tointon and Artem Chigvintsev won the competition...
of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
. His dancing partner was Ola Jordan
Ola Jordan
Aleksandra "Ola" Jordan is a professional Latin dance specialist best known for her appearances on the British TV show Strictly Come Dancing. After winning a championship event in Poland she moved to England and began a new partnership with James Jordan...
. They were the second couple to be voted off on 17 October.
Strictly Come Dancing performances
| Week # | Dance/song | Judges' score | Result | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horwood | Goodman | Dixon | Tonioli | Total | |||
| 1 | Cha-Cha-Cha Cha-cha-cha (dance) The Cha-cha-cha is the name of a dance of Cuban origin.It is danced to the music of the same name introduced by Cuban composer and violinist Enrique Jorrín in 1953... / Could It Be Magic Could It Be Magic "Could It Be Magic" is a song by Adrienne Anderson and Barry Manilow. It was included on Manilow's 1973 debut album, Barry Manilow.Due to its popularity, it was released as a single in 1975, two years after it had originally been recorded, where it reached #6 in the United States.Manilow's... |
2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | N/A |
| 2 | Foxtrot / Lady Luck | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 21 | Safe |
| 3 | Rumba Rumba Rumba is a family of percussive rhythms, song and dance that originated in Cuba as a combination of the musical traditions of Africans brought to Cuba as slaves and Spanish colonizers. The name derives from the Cuban Spanish word rumbo which means "party" or "spree". It is secular, with no... / Take A Bow Take a Bow "Take a Bow" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 1994 studio album Bedtime Stories. It has since also appeared on her compilation albums Something to Remember , GHV2 and Celebration . Released as a single in December 1994, it became her longest-running number-one hit in the... |
2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16 | Eliminated |
Awards
Daniels 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. An EasterEaster
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
special of The Paul Daniels Magic Show won the Golden Rose of Montreux
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
Award at the International TV Festival in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
in 1985.
Daniels was the first recipient of The Maskelyne, awarded for services to British Magic by The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle is a British organisation, founded in London in 1905, dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.- History :The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant...
in 1988.
More recently he was named "World's Greatest Magician" by students at Boston Spa School, Yorkshire. Daniels turned up to the ceremony and gave an impromptu show.
Outspoken views
Daniels is known for being outspoken on a range of matters, including politics and current affairs as well as magic, entertainment and fellow celebrities.Daniels is a supporter of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
On the subject of criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
, he has stated: "...make them afraid of the punishment...when I heard Ian Huntley had tried to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
– 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".
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
Peter Stringfellow
Peter James Stringfellow is an English nightclub owner.-Early life:Stringfellow was born on 17 October 1940 to Elsie and James William Stringfellow , a steelworker...
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".
Daniels now refuses to attend magic conferences in the UK since they "...were ruined for me by bitchiness and jealousy...now I only go to foreign conventions where, to be honest, I am greeted with respect and civility AND I have tons of ‘foreign’ magician friends."
He is dismissive of modern illusionists. He has described David Blaine
David Blaine
David Blaine is an American illusionist and endurance artist. He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. He has set and broken several world records...
as "not very original".
He is also dismissive of modern impressionists – "I don't think much to modern impressionists either. Forget Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan
Alistair McGowan is a British impressionist, stand-up comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for The Big Impression , which was, for four years, one of BBC1's top-rating comedy programmes - winning numerous awards, including a BAFTA in 2003...
."
On journalism – "I don't really understand why journalism has to be so nasty, so sarcastic and intrusive". Daniels has often remarked that for his final trick he would like to make "The Sun disappear", a reference to the British tabloid newspaper.
He said that Anne Robinson
Anne Robinson
Anne Josephine Robinson is an English journalist and television presenter, known for her assertive views and acerbic style of presenting. She was one of the presenters on the long-running British consumer affairs series, Watchdog, from 1993 to 2001 before returning in 2009...
has hated him ever since his 1987 Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
special hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
performance.
On the radio presenter, Chris Morris
Chris Morris (satirist)
Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...
he commented: "[He's] just nasty."
On the hereditary system in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
– "The hereditary peers, the real Lords, have the genetic knowledge so they know what to pass and what not to let through. I believe the gene carries more than physical characteristics. It's more than just education that makes the Lords better at making these kind of decisions than leaving it with the Commons. It's like an animal instinct. The aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
may act foolish, but in times of war and riots they have the knowledge and a belief and strength of leadership and instinct
Instinct
Instinct or innate behavior is the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior.The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern, in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a...
that coal miners just haven't got...".
On pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
- "Porn is fine when it's between consenting adults. The stuff with kids is wrong, but between consenting adults it's fine. There's a lot I like, although nothing weird. There's a group of people who are really into looking at pictures of women in guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
s. Not naked or anything. Just in guillotines. They have a page full of pictures of Debbie in guillotines – I have used guillotines in my routines. How strange is that as a fetish
Fetish
Fetish may refer to:* Fetishism, the attribution of religious or mystical qualities to inanimate objects* Sexual fetishism, sexual attraction to objects, body parts, or situations not conventionally viewed as being sexual in nature....
?".
Family and personal life
Daniels married his first wife, Jacqueline Skipworth (born 1942), in 1960, when she was 17 and he was 21. He has three sons by her: Gary, Paul and MartinMartin Daniels
Martin Daniels is an English magician and entertainer.The second son of famous UK magician Paul Daniels from his first marriage to Jacqui Skipworth, Martin worked alongside his father on The Paul Daniels Magic Show, but he also took singing, dancing and music lessons, in addition to magic.Martin...
. Martin sometimes appeared on The Paul Daniels Magic Show, and Paul's father, Hughie, often made props for the show, such as wooden boxes for the Selbit Sawing illusion. Daniels' nephew James Phelan is a budding young magician.
Daniels married his second wife, long-time assistant Debbie McGee
Debbie McGee
Debbie McGee is an English television, radio and stage performer who is best known as the wife and assistant of magician Paul Daniels. McGee is a former ballet dancer and, for three years, she was artistic director of her own ballet company...
on 2 April 1988 in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The couple met in London in May 1979 during rehearsals for Daniels' summer season show in Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
that year. At that time he was 40 and she was 20. McGee went on to work with Daniels in his 1980 summer show in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and then his London stage show It's Magic before being offered the role of assistant in his long-running television series. Their relationship gradually became more established until he proposed in 1987. Early in their marriage they lived in a house in Denham
Denham
- People :* Carl Denham, fictional character from King Kong* Daryl Denham, British radio DJ* Digby Denham, Australian politician* Dixon Denham, British explorer* Henry Denham, British printer* Henry Mangles Denham, , Royal navy...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, that once belonged to Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
. In 1998 they moved to a house on the banks of the River Thames at Wargrave
Wargrave
Wargrave is a large village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, which encloses the confluence of the River Loddon and the River Thames. It is in the Borough of Wokingham...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
Daniels' autobiography, Under No Illusion, includes descriptions of his and McGee's joking life:
"I was writing and needed to concentrate, so I had a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on my back. Eventually I went to bed and Debbie was lying stark naked on the bed - eat your heart out fellas! She was wearing the sort of sleeping blindfold you get on long-haul flights. Printed on it was Do Not Disturb. But further down her body she had a sign that said Disturb!"
Daniels also claims in the book to have had, as of the year 2000, sexual relations with more than 300 women. This figure includes a Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
girl he met on a Hong Kong ferry during his National Service, whom he recalls as being "rather throaty".
Daniels maintains a website that includes personal information, a detailed blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
and records podcasts. The blog incorporates Daniels's diary entries and day-to-day musings and observations on a range of topics.
He has an Isuzu Trooper
Isuzu Trooper
The Isuzu Trooper was a mid-size SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu between 1981 and 2005. It was exported worldwide as the Isuzu Bighorn, Isuzu Trooper, Isuzu Trooper II , Caribe 442, Acura SLX, Chevrolet Trooper, Subaru Bighorn, Honda Horizon, Opel/Vauxhall Monterey, Holden Jackaroo,...
for hauling props and show material with the personalised registration plate
Vanity plate
A vanity plate or personalized plate , prestige plate, private number plate, or personalised registration or custom plate or personalised plate is a special type of vehicle registration plate on an automobile or other vehicle...
that reads 'MAG1C'. He also drives a Toyota Prius for personal use. During his life he has also owned three Bentley
Bentley
Bentley Motors Limited is a British manufacturer of automobiles founded on 18 January 1919 by Walter Owen Bentley known as W.O. Bentley or just "W O". Bentley had been previously known for his range of rotary aero-engines in World War I, the most famous being the Bentley BR1 as used in later...
s and a Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
.
In February 2009, Daniels and McGee appeared in Closer magazine in a picture recreating an image from an Armani advert that featured footballer David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
and his wife Victoria.
In January 2011, a wig belonging to Daniels was sold for charity on Ebay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1,100.
Paul Daniels Magic Show transmission guide
- Series 1: 4 editions from 9 June 1979 - 22 June 1979
- Series 2: 6 editions from 13 September 1980 - 18 October 1980
- Series 3: 6 editions from 26 September 1981 - 28 November 1981
- Series 4: 8 editions from 6 October 1982 - 20 November 1982
- Series 5: 8 editions from 15 October 1983 - 3 December 1983
- Series 6: 8 editions from 1 September 1984 - 20 October 1984
- Series 7: 10 editions from 7 September 1985 - 9 November 1985
- Series 8: 9 editions from 6 December 1986 - 14 February 1986
- Series 9: 9 editions from 2 January 1988 - 27 February 1988
- Series 10: 8 editions from 7 January 1989 - 25 February 1989
- Series 11: 8 editions from 6 January 1990 - 24 February 1990
- Series 12: 9 editions from 5 January 1991 - 2 March 1991
- Series 13: 9 editions from 11 January 1992 - 7 March 1992
- Series 14: 9 editions from 2 January 1993 - 27 February 1993
- Series 15: 9 editions from 2 April 1994 - 18 June 1994
- Specials
- Special produced by Granada TV: 31 December 1977
- Christmas Special: 22 December 1979
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 25 December 1980
- Paul Daniels Magical Christmas: 25 December 1981
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 25 December 1982
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 26 December 1983
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 25 December 1984
- The Paul Daniels Magic Easter Show: 6 April 1985
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 26 December 1985
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 27 December 1986
- Paul Daniels Live at Hallowe'en: 31 October 1987
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 26 December 1987
- Paul Daniels Live at Hallowe'en: 31 October 1988
- The Paul Daniels Magic Christmas Show: 26 December 1988
- The Paul Daniels Magic Show: 26 December 1989
- The Paul Daniels Magic Show Christmas Edition: 24 December 1990
- The First Ten Years: 22 March 1991
- The Paul Daniels Magic Show Festive Edition: 28 December 1991
- The Paul Daniels Magic Show Festive Edition: 24 December 1992
- The Paul Daniels Christmas Magic Show: 28 December 1993
- Secrets Festive Special: 29 December 1994
- Compilations
- The Best of Paul Daniels 1981: 12 April 1982
- The Best of Paul Daniels 1982: 4 April 1983
- The Best of Paul Daniels: 3 April 1984
- Paul Daniels Magic Moments: Best of Series 6: 3 January 1985
- Paul Daniels Million Pound Magic: Best of Series 7: 5 May 1986
Paul Daniels Secrets Transmission Guide
- Series 1: 8 editions from 15 November 1995 - 17 January 1996
- Secrets Festive Special: 29 December 1994
External links
- Paul Daniels' homepage
- Paul Daniels' weblog
- Paul Daniels Magic Party Shop Online
- Paul Daniels' Ebay Transactions a blog about Paul Daniels' buying and selling activities on Ebay
- Paul Daniels on IMDb