Forget the magic, its all about sex appeal (From Echo)

Forget the magic, its all about sex appeal

8:52am Wednesday 16th July 2008 in

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PAUL Daniels is known best for his work as a magician and game show host, but puts his enduring success down to sex appeal.

That’s despite being 70-years-old and five foot nothing. Well, his loyal assistant and wife, Debbie McGee, must have been attracted by something more than just his wand! “I’m a very sexy, young man,” laughs Daniels, who is part of the star studded line-up of Seventies and Eighties favourites visiting the Cliifs Pavilion, in Westcliff, for the Best of British Variety Tour 2008, on Sunday, August 10.

“I could have been a body builder, but I stuck to the magic. I see myself as an entertainer, as well as a magician, and I try to perform magic which makes people laugh.

“It’s the audience who are the most important part of the act and keeping them happy is the best part of the job.

“Although, it does get right up my nose when I’m working hard on stage for a few laughs and a clap, only to see Debbie walk on and get the whole house out of their seats applauding.

“That’s not fair! But she still looks great and I’m not surprised. Debbie hasn’t aged a bit. But it’s no illusion, nothing to do with my magic, Debbie works very hard at the gym every morning and looks amazing for it.”

Daniels got his big break in 1969 when he was offered a summer season at Newquay. Working as a grocer at the time, he swapped his carrots, spuds and apples, for a wand, hat and rabbits, beginning a full-time career as a magician.

The Middlesbrough born performer made his TV debut a year later on talent show Opportunity Knocks and became a main course on the BBC menu, with the Paul Daniels Magic show running between 1979 and 1994.

Daniels also became a household name as a quiz master, presenting Odd One Out, Every Second Counts and Wipeout, as well as the children's programme Wizbit.

The workaholic still found time to star in his own stage show, It's Magic, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, in London, between 1980 and 1982, alongside his future wife Debbie, who he met working on a summer season show in Great Yarmouth in 1979.

But how do you make people laugh with magic? “Well there’s two ways,” adds Daniels, who was given the prestigious Magician of the Year award by the Hollywood Academy of Magical Arts in 1983.

“There’s the Tommy Cooper way, where everything he does goes wrong and people laugh at him. Or there’s my way, where I tell a few gags and get the audience laughing, but pull off a magical trick which works at the same time.”

Joining Daniels at the Cliffs will be a revolving door of nostalgic acts, including the Krankies, Cannon and Ball, Brotherhood of Man and Jimmy Cricket.

“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone to be honest,” said Daniels. “I’ve worked with most of these people before and it will be nice to talk and share a few laughs.

“We’ve all worked together at Royal Variety Performances and the like in the past, although I can’t remember when. What I’m looking forward to most is catching up on tour away from a hotel room or charity concert.”

Five decades on from starting out as a magician, Daniels is still in demand, whether he is offering advice on a special effects sequence to a movie director or appearing on prime time TV.

Only recently, he was a panellist on the Sunday Night Project with comedians Justin Lee Collins and Alan Carr, admitting to the programme’s guest presenter, former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson, that he sometimes sees her in his dreams.

“Did I really say that?” Daniels chuckled. “I have to be careful as Debbie has a strong radar and knows what I am doing.

“Seriously though, I enjoy doing shows like this and it’s always nice working with new people. Justin and Alan were great and I came back on later in the show dressed up as Queen guitarist Brian May with a long, curly black wig on.

“That wasn’t in the contract. Alan, who was playing Freddie Mercury, just asked me to do it on the spur of the moment. I had to come on and play a guitar. But I looked too short and needed some platforms.

“Brian won’t be happy with me. We both support the same charity and I’m sure he will have a word with me about it.”

And what about Pamela, aka the wonderful water goddess CJ Parker, who was (and still is) the prime fantasy figure of most teenage boys, and their dads.

“She is a very clever girl,” added Daniels. “She may come over like a bimbo, playing with her hair all the time. But she knows what she is doing, which is why she has had such a good career. She’s not as daft as she acts.

“Debbie does a great impression of Pamela by the way. The hair thing and moving her body about, which is spot on.”

Daniels follows magic very closely and his favourite master of mysticism on the current circuit is Lance Burton, who works the shows in Las Vegas.

Like father, like son, two of his three boys are also involved with magic. Paul junior runs the family magic shop in Wigan, while Martin performs on cruise ships.

But Daniels has no desire to go down the Yoda to Luke Skywalker route, establishing an heir to his powers by handing down his closely guarded secrets.

“That doesn’t interest me at all,” he said. “I like to see them choose their own way. I’ve never forced magic down their throats, or sat them down to teach them tricks. I’ll always offer them advice, but would never tell them what to do.”

For tickets call the box office in 01702 351135