History of Magic TV Show

WillMorton: Hi Paul, I saw your Malini Show at Edinburgh (twice) a couple of years back, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Have you thought about doing a small series - say 6 episodes - on famous magicians? You could do Malini, for a start, and perhaps Alexander Hermann, et al. Just a thought. I would love to see it, and I'm sure there are a lot of other people (magicians and not) who would too.

Paul Daniels: I have thought about it. I would love to present it. Now all we need is a production company and a channel controller who want it!

Bitter

Shaun David: Firstly let me say, please do not take any of this as an insult. It is a genuine question from some one who both respects and admires you. The question is: Are you at all bitter about magic/magicians in general? If you feel this is out of line, please do not reply and I'll delete my post. It just seems from your time here you're quite bitter towards the "modern" magician. But you are here after all, so maybe you're not? People ripping you off, TV producers showing you in a different light etc? Maybe I just answered my own question? So I guess my question is, do you dislike the type of magician the learning mediums are churning out these days? If so, why? Or am I misunderstanding your posts...

Paul Daniels: Hey... don't worry... I have had a lot worse thrown at me. I cannot stress enough that I am not bitter. I am one very happy bunny. The problem lies in the written word I think. If I criticise any modern performer it sounds cold, hard and bitter, ...... probably! If I am talking then you can 'feel' the truth in my voice and feel that I feel more sorry than bitter.

Now that 'sorrow' is not for me at all. I have had, and am having, a great career doing what I love doing for a very long time and then some.

I feel sorry that TV executives do not understand that, just as I wrote the other day about learning all the rules for the different venues, their production staff and directors should be taught the rules for the different types of entertainment. You cannot direct a magic show in the same way as a pop show or drama because it demands its own knowledge and techniques.

So, I love this art of ours, and I feel sorry that the general public are not being shown it in its best light.

Friday night's show is a classic example of downmarket entertainment done in a slovenly style. Such a shame because IF those performers had been given good direction, they could have really shone out of the screen. I don't think it did magic any favours at all and put it at the bottom end of pub shows.

Wizbit

John Doe: Wizbit used to scare the hell out my little sister who was only about 2 at the time (one of the reasons why I liked it so much). I just found this site and he does look decidedly scary. How did Wizbit come about? Was he your idea?

Paul Daniels: Hey... I KNOW I replied to this one so I wonder where it went. Barry Murray was the writer of Wizbit.v

John Doe: Happens from time to time. I thought I had read it too. You said that if you had designed him you would have made him a tall wizard type character.

James: I have my Wizbit Annual still Signed by Wizbit and The Rabbit forget his name now.

Just need to get Paul to sign it.

Paul Daniels: Woolly Rabbit. If you write to me directly I will tell you where to send the book for signing.

Devplus: Hi Paul, with regeneration of magic spawning a new generation of magicians inspired from the "David Blaine" approach, if you could hammer one point home to every magician, give them one piece of advice- what would it be?

Thank you!

Paul Daniels: Learn something new every day and make it from as wide a range of magic as you can. Don't be Blaine, Copperfield or Brown. Be you.