Chubby Harris: Were you happy with the format of "Dirty Tricks," or would you have done things in a different light? If so, why and how? Did you get given much input as to what went into the show?

Pete Firman: I was happy with the format of DT. What you have to understand is that a series like that is a massive undertaking. Having one performer do everything would have been a real challenge. Plus the fact we wanted it to feel like a variety show, all be it a dark one. Our commissioner at Channel 4 wanted to be able to watch the show with his mother! I think she's been watching the whole series and loved the Rabbit from Hat in particular.

Each of us is asked to come up with idea for our own sections. I was brainstorming my celebrity section and the section with Ali. Then we all get together and bounce these ideas around and at the same time generate new ones. So we're lucky in that we do play a big part in the selection and evolution of the material.

Furret: I was just wondering what your favourite magic show was (watched or performed in)?

Pete Firman: My favourite magic show would probably be between Penn and Teller's live show and Mac King's.

We saw both while filming Secret World. P+T was awesome, the effects were beautifully constructed and the presentations were inspired. Mac's show is amazing, he succeeds in presenting really strong magic that will fool you and also makes you laugh hard. This is the challenge of the comedy magician, so often one of those elements is strong to the detriment of the other. Mac's show is an education on how both can be super strong.

As I think about it, Gaeton Bloom's act is among my favourites in magic. Fooled the hell out of me, I didn’t see it coming. He is a great guy too.

These are my top 3.

John Doe: Is it true [Penn and Teller are] on tonight's show doing the bullet catch?

Pete Firman: Yep they're on tonight doing the routine in its entirety. We do a live link to Vegas. They can’t do the effect in this country because of gun laws and they are working every night (bar one) of the week at the Rio.

Oliver: Loving the work, really, you're very appealing to me (17 year old) in personality and material, but anyways here’s the questions I'd like to ask you:

1. How did you develop your performance personality...it's pretty large and do you make any alterations to it for different situations?

2. How do YOU go about writing the patter for your acts and routines?

3. How do YOU create new stuff??

4. How did you break into TV and make the transition from restaurant work into the more commercial world?

5. Ooh and finally, how do you get jobs in bars when you're 17???

Pete Firman: I'll try to answer you questions one at a time.

1. Read the thread on Character.

2 + 3. Read thread on Brainstorming.

4. I ended up making Monkey magic as I responded to a wanted ad that Objective Productions had placed on Magic Week. I came to London for a meeting and was given the job on the spot. It happened quite quickly and I had not planned it. To be honest I hadn’t really thought about being on TV.

5. Ask them.

John Doe: I thought [Mouse in Blender] was hilarious but have you received any complaints from the animal rights people?

Pete Firman: Yes we did have complaints about the Mouse in Blender routine. Lots.

Some people thought we actually blended a real mouse for the sake of that blending shot! We didn’t.

Joel Dickinson: Perform it again with a giant blender and next time blend a horse!

Gareth Witty: Now that would be magic, but use a member from the audience.

Pete Firman: Or Ali.

Turgon: I was just having a look at your site and saw you had done a small selection of tricks that could be sent to your mobile.

This is one of the best idea's I've seen in a long time and was wondering if you would be making any more magic videos for mobile phones? How did the idea come about, and will there be a "Pete’s mobile course in magic"?

Pete Firman: I'm glad you like the idea. The movies or Govies are aimed at absolute beginners or guys in the pub that want to impress their mates. There are explanations sent to your phone or stand alone performances.

They approached me and its proven to be quite popular. I've got no plans to do any more, but the course isn’t a bad idea! As I mentioned in another post I'll be releasing a card trick that I co-created with Anthony Owen through his www.tvmagic.co.uk pretty soon. Its a belter. Details will be around soon...

Tubz: What are your thoughts [on the popular magic scene], likes and dislikes on the current popular magicians such as David Blaine, Criss Angel, Derren Brown and you lot on dirty tricks/monkey magic/playing tricks etc?

Do you particularly like or dislike any of the more famous magicians now or anything they've done?

Do you think magic on TV will remain extreme or mental and nothing else as it has done for a few years now or will we see a new kind of magic coming soon?

Pete Firman: I think the current magic scene is pretty good. I still think there is room for a big Saturday night show on a big channel but I truly don’t have any idea what that is. What I mean by that is it would be naive to say, "Well let’s get some great close-up guys, some illusionists and a mentalist and we're there!" No channel would want that. This is I think what some of the magicians on these boards would like to see on TV instead of Dirty Tricks. The fact of the matter is that is never going to happen. That show is not good enough to stand up to the X Factor, Ant and Dec and Celebrity Come Frikken Dancing!

I love Blaine and Brown. They have grabbed a genre with both hands and made it their own. To be fair I haven’t seen much of Angel. What I have seen is good but doesn’t seem as original as the other two.

What myself and my colleagues tried to do on Monkey and DT was present something new, it may not have been your cup of tea, but the total package was something you hadn’t seen before. Monkey certainly started a trend in British television magic, as there were a number of shows that 'borrowed' our style. The way we presented the magic and the way the show actually looked.

Television certainly demands extremes, hence frozen in time, buried alive, Russian roulette etc. I hope that those things aren’t a prerequisite for having a great career, mainly because I'm a wimp. I think good is good; a good show is a good show. My feedback on DT has been very positive, so who knows, maybe in a few years time magicians in restaurants up and down the country will be swearing at customers and pulling rabbits out of ladies!

John Doe: Loved [the last show]. Jonathon actually escaped. No hypnotist. Penn and Teller. The only fault I could find was the talk over guy talking over the tennis racket guy's act. That was bad form.

Most of us on here know how you did the balloon swallow but I will ask discreetly. Did you actually swallow it or did you save it and ditch later?

One of our members, AJ, recommends have a pint ready to wash it down. Perfect opportunity to ditch. Guinness works best apparently.

Pete Firman: Thank you. I'm glad you liked the show. I'm not going to tip my mitt on the balloon, I have some wrinkles I'd rather keep to myself. Anyway, method is the least interesting part. I'll take the Guinness tip onboard, you lads don’t need much of an excuse do you!

Thanks again.