For some people Paul Daniels is an awful 70s throwback but you don’t have a sixty year career if you’re not good at what you do. As his catchphrase goes ‘You’ll like this, not a lot, but you will like it.’
Make no mistake, this veteran showman is probably the most gifted British magician of his generation, but like many performers of his vintage he is like Marmite – you either love him or hate him.
But over his six decades as a performer he has built up a loyal fan base that will no doubt pack out the City Varieties for a night of illusions, corny patter and a chance to see his long suffering wife/assistant, ‘the lovely Debbie McGee.’
“It’s a full blown magic show in which I do magic and Debbie does magic. It’s got everything from small magic to illusions, but the number one thing that everyone is talking about on this tour is how funny it is.”
Evil granny Mrs Merton once asked ‘the lovely Debbie’ what ‘first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?’, but she is an integral part of the act as well as being the most famous assistant in the world.
“There were other assistants who were as famous in their day but I’m trying to think of another one today as famous as Debbie, and I can’t.
“Debbie’s got two spots in the new show because it makes the show run smoother and faster. If I was to go on, as I have in the past, and do two solid one hour slots it is fine, but it’s much faster in the minds of the audience if you can break it up with a change of pace.”
Paul is probably the greatest self promoter ever seen in light entertainment which is really saying something. He did an utterly hilarious Wife Swap with fellow egotist Vanessa Feltz, jousted with celebrity bushwhacker Louis Theroux, tripped the light fantastic on Strictly Come Dancing, but he has resolutely resisted the call of the jungle with Ant and Dec.
“I was asked about I’m a Celebrity the first time, the second time, the third time until they took the hint. I just don’t find that entertaining at all and the money offered was fantastic but I don’t work for money, I do it because I love it.
“I know Joe Pasquale is a very, very funny comic but why would I want to see him get buried with rats running over him? I just don’t get that scene at all.
“I’ve been a broadcaster for a very long time so when Louis came at us I recognised his interviewing technique was to ask questions, let you answer it and then say nothing. If you’re not a regular broadcaster then you start to burble to fill the gaps, so beforehand I tipped Debbie off to that, and said we answer the questions and then we say nothing.
“We didn’t fill in the gaps so we let him start to burble, so I do tend to manipulate the media somewhat, but then I know what my job is.”
For a man in his seventies Paul has totally embraced new technology to sell his shows, and he has a particular fondness for the City Varieties.
“The world has changed now and in the past you used to read reviews in the national press dahling, but now it’s the people on Twitter who decide whether you are any good or not. But we’ve had nothing but rave reviews on there so its great.
“We’ve played the Varieties lots of times but haven’t been back since it’s been refurbished so we’re looking forward to seeing the posh Varieties, and the old adage was take nothing there on wheels as the stage slopes that much.”
Paul has no plans to retire because at heart he is a showman who is still in love with the roar of the crowd and the power of magic.
“I’ve given instructions to Debbie if I become a doddery old, fart on stage she has to shoot me, but certainly when I’m doing pantos the rest of the cast always ask where I get my energy from. I don’t know except my mum is 96, still living on her own doing the cooking and cleaning so maybe that’s where I get it from.
“To me magic is timeless in that if I was to vanish a pebble three thousand years ago and then do it in two thousand years time then it is still a magic trick. It’s then down to the magician – some do it dramatically, some use music and I do it through comedy.
“I just love people and too many times in my life I’ve heard other acts and actors say I can’t really sign autographs, despite the fact they are the people who have paid to come to the show, and they deserve the very best you can give them.”
* Tickets for Paul Daniels – Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow on Sunday April 1 are available from Box office 0113 243 0808 City Varieties Music Hall, Swan Street, Leeds LS1 6LW mailto:boxoffice@cityvarieties.co.uk