Britatin's Greatest Magician: Paul Daniels - Channel 5

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published
Saturday 7th July
(Image credit: Cliff Kent LPA/REX/Shutterstock)

A look back at the highlights of Paul Daniels' decades-long career as a TV magician, via interviews with his celebrity fans, friends and family

A fond, fun tribute to an irrepressible one-off entertainer.

Imagine a magic show running for 15 years on prime Saturday night TV these days.

But that’s what Paul Daniels managed between 1979 and 1994.

PAUL DANIELS SHOW - 1981

Paul performing in 1981

This welcome reshowing of a 2017 documentary tells us how a shy Middlesbrough lad became Britain’s most popular magician, starting back in 1949 on a family holiday where an 11-year-old Paul was first bitten by the bug.

His wife Debbie McGee, Paul’s sons and fellow wand wavers David Copperfield, Penn and Teller and Stephen Mulhern are among those stepping up to praise a much missed entertainer in this well-made tribute.

Paul pops up again, alongside the likes of Dynamo, Derren Brown and David Blaine in TV’s 50 Greatest Magic Tricks (Channel 5, 9pm).

TV Times rating: ****

Mandy Cooper
Mandy Cooper
TV Times Highlights Editor

As TV Times Highlights Editor I get to hear about all the latest TV shows coming soon. Here at TVT HQ we are in the privileged position of selecting the best programmes from across all the channels and streaming platforms. Our mission is to make it easier for our readers to decide what to watch - and give them lots of choice of genres - all the latest shows, plus some nostalgic choices we call hidden gems, too. My career began with a postgraduate degree in periodical journalism (ahem, yes old school!) in 1991 and I’ve worked in TV media since 2000.