Steven Frayne – aka the illusionist Dynamo – is back on our screens with a new series called Magician Impossible (Thursday, September 4) on the Watch channel.
After performing a few quick-fire tricks for us in a London hotel, he tells TV & Satellite Week what's in store…
You'll be performing stunts, tricks with celebrities and street magic on unsuspecting strangers. We hear that Coldplay even invited you into their studio – what can you tell us about that trick?
"I was really interested in the synchronicity between musicians in bands. I wanted to see how in tune they really were, so my trick with them involves their minds and their music."
You're mates with One Direction and they appear in the new series, too, in a trick filmed during last November’s 1D [One Direction] day, a seven-hour event streamed live on the internet. What can you reveal about that?
"They had some of their 32 million fans tuning in on social media, and it involved the guys and their fans tweeting and sending messages, which we incorporated into a magical 1D magic trick."
You're also seen heading to India for the first time…
"My TV show was aired there and it got 25 million viewers. To get off the airplane and see crowds of people chanting my name was immense."
What was it like filming in India’s slums?
"Not everyone has mobiles or even shoes. There was a language barrier, so it was the language of magic that spoke to them and it caused me to make my magic super-visual. I think it’s probably my favourite ever episode."
It may be your favourite, but viewers are likely to be more gobsmacked by the final stunt in the first episode. Filmed at the rooftop bar of LA’s Shangri-La Hotel, it’s even more thrilling than the walking-on-water trick and seems more dangerous…
"That final stunt is something I wanted to do in series one, but I put my back out and I’ve been in rehab ever since. I’ve been working with a strength and conditioning coach who’s got me to a level where I felt my body was strong enough to attempt it again."
So, this could be the final series of Magician Impossible. Are you bowing out of TV for the moment in favour of live shows?
"I feel that in regard to magic on television I’ve kind of achieved all of my dreams. Better to leave with the audience wanting more than to overstay your welcome."
How would you sum up your goals now?
"I’m from a poor area of Bradford and I’ve managed to achieve things I never thought were possible. I want to inspire people by showing them that whatever your dreams are, you can make something out of nothing, like I have."
