Stranded with a Stranger: John France

Damien O'Brien

A great magic set isn’t about having the fanciest props. It’s about having material that survives real-world conditions: bad lighting, tough angles, quiet tables, camera pressure, and the sudden moment when someone says, “Do something,” and you’re already empty-handed. Damien O’Brien knows that reality first-hand, from reaching the finals on Britain’s Got Talent during the pandemic to performing close-up in immersive theatre at the Magician’s Table. We’re kicking off season three with Damien’s “desert island” list: the single card routine he’d repeat forever, the phone-based mentalism that creates bulletproof fairness, and the pieces that hit with pure visual shock. He breaks down why Ambitious Card still kills, how Digital Force Bag and Hypernesia turn a normal smartphone into a miracle machine, and why effects like Haunted Deck and Invisible Deck stay in a worker’s case for years. We also dig into Lumen Mini for deeply personal revelations, plus the bolder side of close-up with Pyro Perception and iCandy, where the reaction is instant and unforgettable. The conversation goes beyond methods into performance mindset: banishing negative energy, building a small trusted creative team, and finding inspiration through story with Carter Beats the Devil. If you’re into modern magic, mentalism, close-up performance, Britain’s Got Talent behind-the-scenes, or immersive magic shows, this one is packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately. Subscribe, share the episode with a magician friend, and leave a review telling us the one trick you’d take to your own magical island. Damien’s Desert Island List: Welcome Package. Ambitious Card 1. Digital Force Bag 2. Hypermnesia 3. Haunted Deck  4. Lumen Mini  5. Pyro Perception  6. Eye Candy 7. Invisible Deck  8. Pk Touches  Banishment. Negative Energy  Book. Carter Beats the Devil Item. Phone  Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Stranded with a Stranger: John France

You can learn a lot about a magician by the eight tricks they refuse to live without, and John France’s list is built for the real world: restaurant tables, family events, and close-up sets where you need fast impact, clear plots, and resets that don’t slow you down. John’s also a refreshing reminder that you don’t have to start young to start strong. He didn’t perform until his mid-50s, got a buzz from fooling one coworker, and turned that spark into a working, practical card magic toolkit. We dig into why each choice earns its spot, from a super-visual sandwich routine that grabs attention instantly, to a stacked-deck Five of Spades sequence that escalates into an ace-finding kicker people won’t forget. There’s also a dose of pure close-up shock with Sharpie Through Card, plus a simple, direct “one card reversed” selection reveal that proves how far strong handling and timing can go with a normal deck. Along the way we talk about building a mental library of dependable card tricks so you’re never stuck when someone inevitably says, “Show me something with cards.” The set widens into walk-around strategy and audience management: Sudoku 2.0 as a souvenir mentalism-style leave-behind that doubles as a business card, and The Grail as a versatile card-at-any-number tool for those awkward table revisits. Then comes the curveball John insists on: spooky, bizarre magic with Dead Man’s Hand, where story and multiple reveals change the energy in the room. We also hit a topic that matters to every performer and creator: what John would banish from magic forever, and why originality and credit are non-negotiable. Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

End of Season 2 Special with Peter Nardi

355 different tricks. Only six people sharing the single most popular pick. And a top item that only three guests chose. Season two ends with the kind of recap that every magician, mentalist, and close-up worker secretly loves: the real numbers, the real patterns, and the real reasons behind what performers actually keep in their pockets. We’re closing with the official season two rankings plus the moments that made the year. A Deck Of Cards takes the top spot, with PK Touches and Invisible Deck right behind it, followed by classics like Cups And Balls, Coins Across, and Sponge Balls. We also unpack the tied cluster of powerful “worker” effects that share the lower spots, plus what the spread teaches about originality, overexposure, and choosing material that actually suits you. We round things off with the season’s top banishment (yes, it’s ego), the most loved magic book (The Mind and Magic of David Berglass), and the surprisingly revealing “non-magic item” choices. The Season 2 Top Tricks:  1. Deck of Cards - Beau Cremer, Steve Gore, Keith Barry, Joel M, Marvin Berglas, Alan Rorrison  2. PK Touches - Vince Wilson, Jamie Daws, Christopher Taylor, Looch, Kay Dyson 3. Invisible Deck - Harry Marlin Piper, Steve Gore, Keith Barry, John Archer  4. Cups and Balls - Erik Tait, R Paul Wilson, Nikola Arkane, Michael Ammar  5. Coins Across - Erik Tait, R Paul Wilson, James Brown, Ben Williams 6. Sponge Balls - Nikola Arkane, Kay Dyson, Roddy McGhie, Mark Bennett Joint 7 & 8. Double Levitation - Harry Merlin Pipar, Rodney James Piper, Russ Stevens Fork Bending - Rodney James Piper, Neil Henry, Phill Smith Destination Box - Craig Petty, Jon Allen, Noel Qualter Multiple Selection - Tom Bolton, Ben Hanlin, Daniel Chard Double Cross - Tom Bolton, Luke Oseland, James Brown Toxic + - Tom Bolton, Jamie Daws, Harry De Cruz Card Under Box - Daniel Chard, James Brown, Neil Henry Q&A - Looch, Marc Paul, Daniel Chard TOP BANISHMENT - Ego - Tom Bolton, Ben Williams, Dave Loosley, James Brown, Leo Smetsers  TOP BOOK - The Mind and Magic of David Berglas - Rodney James Piper, Marvin Berglas, Tony Antoniou, Neil Henry TOP ITEM - MUSIC - Nikolas Mavresis, Oliver Tabor, Matthew Pomeroy / WIFE - Chris North, Michael Ammar, Jonathan Goodwin  Season 2 Stats: 355 Tricks named - 48 Banishments - 46 Books - 46 Items  Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

SOS: Dean Leavy

If you work gigs for a living, you know the quiet fear: doing the same “sure-fire” routines until you start performing on autopilot. Jamie sits down again with UK magician Dean Leavy to find out what actually makes a trick worth keeping for life and what gets cut when you’re performing corporate events, weddings, trade shows, and parties week after week. Dean walks us through the real reasons a professional close-up magician updates a working set, starting with repeat clients who want to see something new. We dig into the practical choices behind swapping Extreme Burn for a hard-hitting chop cup routine, why Ring Flight Revolution still gets reactions people talk about years later, and how a wallet can be more than a prop when you treat it like a utility device for impossible locations. We also get nerdy about routining ProMystic MD Mini as believable “psychology,” not just a reveal. Then we get into the surprisingly smart business side of magic: Liquid Forks replacing phone-based tricks when reliability matters, leaving spectators with a souvenir that keeps your name alive. Dean shares a brutal performance mistake from Phantom Cutout and what he’d do differently now, plus his banishment choice for the magic community, his dream guest, and the one show he’d rewatch forever. Dean’s Desert Island Substitutions:  1. Extreme Burn for Chop Cup 2. Digital Force Bag for Liquid Forks  3. Billiard Ball Manipulation Act for Floating Table Banishment. Magicians Ego  Guest. David Blaine  Memory. Performing at the Young Magician of the Year Horror. Revealing the wrong celebrity  Show. Showman Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Harry Merlin Piper

A 15-year-old magician walks down a street in Los Angeles and strangers pull cars over just to have a photo with him and demand a trick. That’s the level of spotlight Harry Merlin Piper is living in after placing as runner-up on Netflix Star Search! We sit down with Harry to get the real behind-the-scenes story: the Instagram message that kicked it off, the intensity of a competition TV schedule, and the nightmare scenario every illusionist fears, props delayed in transit while directors are waiting. He shares what it takes to rehearse major stage illusions on a ticking clock, how being a kid means mandatory schooling and strict set hours, and why constant live performing at the House of Illusion in Salou, Spain gives him an edge most young performers never get. Then we dive into the magical island game: Harry drafts the eight tricks he’d keep forever, from his monkey vent routine and high-energy manipulation act to double levitation, suspended animation, Invisible Deck, fire spiker and chop cup. Along the way we get a sharp take on exposure culture, why revealing methods online damages creators and audiences, and why magic matters most when it helps people forget real life for a while. Harry’s Desert Island Tricks:  1. Monkey Vent Routine 2. Manipulation Act 3. Double levitation 4. Invisible Deck 5. Suspended Animation 6. Fire Spiker Y 7. Chop Cup  8. His Dad Banishment. Magicians who Reveal Magic  Book. People around him Item. Black Velvet Material  Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk