Desert Island Tricks

A four-year-old “vanishes” a toy car so perfectly that a grown magician tears apart a couch looking for method. That story kicks off a return visit with Andy as we reopen his desert island list and ask the question every working performer eventually faces: what actually deserves a permanent place in your case when your standards change, your venues change and your taste gets sharper? 

We walk back through the routines that still hold up under real audience pressure, from Three Fly and ring and rope to the cups and balls as the ultimate training ground for timing, audience management and misdirection. Then the tough decisions: what gets swapped when you stop performing something, when you find a cleaner construction, or when you realise a plot deserves deeper study. Expect practical talk on Spellbound as more than a move, billet work that strips away fiddly props and why The Grail remains a brutally direct card at any number that can silence a room. 

The conversation gets opinionated in the best way when we banish an infamous comedy prop and debate the line between a quick gag and a shortcut that cheapens the magic. We also hit the personal picks: the one guest Andy would want on the island, a memory he’d replay on hard days, the horror story of being turned away for “witchcraft” and the show he wishes he could have seen live. If you care about close-up magic, stand-up magic, sleight of hand, mentalism and building a repertoire that lasts, you’ll get plenty to steal. 

Andy Smith’s SOS: 

1. Swap Interchange for Spellbound 
2. Swap Fourth Dimensional Telepathy for Christopher Carters 3 Billet Routine 
3. Swap Hanging Coins for Linking Rings 
4. Swap Invisible Palm Aces / Open Travellers for Triumph 

Care Package. Trick That Can’t Be Explained 

Banishment. Sponge Ding Dong 

Guest. Max Maven 

Memory. His toddler son accidentally making a toy cars vanish

Horror story. Being told not to perform because the spectator thought it is witchcraft 

Show.  Ricky Jay’s Show 

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

A beginner magician walks into a magic shop and gets overwhelmed fast. Now imagine he works there. Emilio joins us from the Alakazam team to build his Desert Island list: eight tricks he’d keep forever, one thing he’d banish from magic culture, plus the “book” and everyday item he’d take to keep performing anywhere.

We talk through why practical close-up magic staples still dominate in the real world. Emilio breaks down why Triumph remains a perfect crowd-pleaser, why a strong sandwich routine earns a permanent spot and why Bank Night plays so clean when everything happens in the spectator’s hands. We also get into performance structure for walk-around and restaurant gigs, including why a fast visual opener like Paper To Money can feel like a cheat code when you’re approaching a table cold.

Then we go deeper on what new magicians rarely hear: self-working magic is not a shortcut, it’s a different kind of hard. Sequencing, timing, memory and presentation are the real “moves.” Emilio shares how he practices sleights like the Elmsley Count, why recording yourself beats living in the mirror and how dyslexia shaped his preference for video tutorials and lectures over traditional magic books. We also hit the emotional side of the craft: the one miracle he refuses to learn because he wants to keep the wonder and the bold routine he’s scared to try because it feels too exposed.

If you’re building a working set of magic tricks, refining your close-up case, or figuring out what to learn next, this one will give you a clear blueprint.

Emilio’s Desert Island Tricks: 

Welcome Pack: Triumph 

1. JoKing
2. Bank Night 
3. Confusing Coins 
4. Four Card Trick 
5. Horizontal Card Rise
6. PK Touch
7. Paper to Money
8. Invisible Deck

Banishment: People who speak down about self workers 

Book: No Book - Oliver Meech’s Studio Live

Item: Close up bag

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

A lot of people think magic is something you either start as a kid or you miss your shot. Doug Gorman blows that idea up. He started at 45 after a Las Vegas moment hooked him for good, spent years performing classic close-up, then made a sharp turn into storytelling magic and bizarre magic that feels like real theatre, not just “watch me do a move.”

We talk through the turning points that shaped his style, including the influence of Ed Solomon and the late Eugene Burger and why Doug believes every effect needs a reason to exist. That single idea changes everything: it justifies strange props, strengthens misdirection and keeps you from falling into the trap he wants to banish most, trick narration. If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “now I’m going to…” you’ll know exactly what we mean.

Then we do the full magical island challenge: eight tricks (from Cups and Balls to Fast and Loose), a haunted key piece inspired by Professor BC and Doug’s own dark favourites like The Tooth Fairy and Psychic Spectacles. There’s also a hilarious coins through the table with a “portable hole” and an over-the-top coin-sucker that turns a standard plot into a cartoonish miracle. We wrap with his one-book pick, “From Beyond” by Larry Hass and where to find Doug’s creations online.

Doug’s Desert Island Tricks: 

Welcome package: Triumph 

1. Cups and Balls 
2. The Cuba Libra
3. Fast and Lose 
4. Haunted Inns of England
5. The Tooth Fairy 
6. Coins Through Table
7. Uncorked
8. The Psychic Spectacles 

Banishment. Trick narration 

Book. From Beyond 

Item. Giant Mouse Pad

Video’s Doug mentions: 

The Synchronized Cups and Balls:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=hmMstGmFE-A

Uncorked:

https://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=dWm-W6-Uy0Y

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

A Covent Garden magic stall in winter, a boat that hosts magic sessions and a career that somehow threads through it all to The Magic Circle. We sit down with Lee Hathaway and get the kind of candid, craft-obsessed conversation that only happens between people who have lived magic for decades. Along the way, Lee talks about the uncomfortable truth most working performers feel: you can “unlearn” technique when life gets busy and getting it back is less about time and more about calm, repetitive focus.

Then we maroon Lee on a desert island and make him choose. His list moves from Roy Walton’s Cannibal Cards as a mastery project, to the mythical Any Drink Called For kettle, to David Williamson’s Torn and Restored Transposition as a masterclass in structure. We also dig into practical working tools like the fire wallet as an instant visual hook, plus bigger swings like the balloon swallow and the always-evolving cups and balls. If you love close-up magic, street magic, classic plots and real-world performing choices, you’ll hear your own thinking reflected back at you.

The back half goes deeper into wonder and philosophy: Houdin’s Orange Tree illusion as Lee’s favourite piece of magic ever, sponge bunny rabbits as an underrated layperson miracle and a banishment we fully agree with: petty arguments over credit that drain the joy out of the art. Lee’s must-read pick, Juan Tamariz’s The Magic Way, ties the whole mindset together, from “clever” to truly impossible.

Lee’s Desert Island Tricks: 

Welcome pack: Cannabal Cards 

1. Any Drink Called For Kettle (with consumables) 
2. Torn and Restored Transposition
3. Fire wallet 
4. The Rainbow
5. Balloon Swallow 
6. Cups and Balls
7. The Orange Tree Illusion
8. Sponge Bunny Rabbits

Banishment. Arguments about who created what

Book. The Magic Way

Item. Utility Knife 

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

A coin vanishes three times, ends up trapped inside a phone and then bends after the spectator has been holding it. That’s how Stephen Maule chooses to open his desert island set and it instantly tells you what kind of thinker he is: practical, modular and obsessed with reactions that spread from one friend group to the next. We start with Stephen’s backstory, including the influence of classic TV magic and the way big moments like the Blackpool Magic Convention can pull people back into the craft after years away.

Then we dig into his “Stranded with a Stranger” list: Daryl’s Three Card Monte and why a challenge-style gambling routine can still feel playful, “SAM Memory” as a four-card packet trick framed like a memory test or pseudo-hypnosis, plus timeless card magic like Paul Curry’s Out of This World and the punch of Doctored Daley in the spectator’s hands. If you love close-up magic, card sleight of hand and building stronger sets, there’s a lot here to steal in principle.

The back half turns toward clean mentalism and impossible locations: Collateral OTT as an open billet technique, the Infinity Wallet as both a prediction device and a genuine safety net and Nest of Wallets as a visual closer for a signed coin or borrowed ring. Stephen’s banishment might be the most valuable takeaway: stop rushing to show a trick before you’ve practiced, tested and made it yours. 

Subscribe for more lists, share this with a magician friend and leave a review if it helps you rethink what belongs in your “only eight tricks” repertoire.

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Magic gets stale when we keep reaching for the same props, the same references and the same “safe” structures. So we invited Oliver Meach back for a Desert Island Tricks SOS and he did something no one else has done yet: he replaced every trick on his original list with a completely new set, chosen to showcase how he thinks about modern card magic, close-up mentalism, and audience-first interaction.

We talk through effects built on bold starting conditions like performing with your back turned, using touch as the driving sense and hiding procedure inside familiar game logic. Oliver shares how he aims for fresh plots, streamlined methods and interesting interactions and why those three filters keep his material both creative and practical. Along the way we hear about Effervescent, the Effervescent membership, Effervescent 2, and what he brings to Alakazam Unlimited, plus the small “psychological convincers” that make an effect feel impossible even when the method is already done.

Then we go bigger with a banishment that hits a nerve: the lack of variety and diversity in magic, from overused ESP tropes to the industry habits that flatten originality. We wrap with the island extras: a care package trick, a magical guest, a career-defining memory, a horror story that still hurts, and the one show Oliver would watch forever. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share it with a magician friend who needs new fuel, and leave a review with the most “different” magic idea you want to see next.

Oliver Meech SOS: 

1. Switching Gemini Twins for Back View 
2. Switching Killer Elite Pro for Untrue Crime
3. Switching Holy Moly for Touching Transposition
4. Switching Hydrostatic Glass for Morphin Time
5. Switching Word-o for The Secret Steps 
6. Switching B’Wave for Go With The Flow
7. Switching Snaps for Card Number Recap
8. Switching Coin Jar for The Other Three Magi

Care Package. Piles of Aces

Banishment. Lack of Variety and Diversity in Magic

Guest. Liam Montier 

Memory. Vanishing Wife During Wedding 

Horror story. Glass Jar Shattering 

Show. Derren Browns First Live Show

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

He’s performed for Queen Elizabeth II, he’s a resident magician in Gordon Ramsay restaurants and he’s Vice President of The Magic Circle, but he still geeks out over the same question every working magician wrestles with: what actually works when you’re in the trenches night after night? We sit down with Michael J. Fitch for a wide-ranging, laugh-out-loud conversation that turns into a practical guide to building a set that plays for real people, not just magicians. 

Michael breaks down how a single choice, doing magic for the restaurant staff in the kitchen, sparked an 11-year run with Ramsay venues and why those behind-the-scenes moments create the biggest career leverage. We also talk Magic Circle, from conventions and tributes to what’s coming next, including the Magic Circle Awards evening, seasonal shows and a Houdini celebration at the London Hippodrome.

Then we “maroon” Michael on a magical desert island and force the hard decisions: one normal deck, eight effects, one book, one non-magic utility item, and one thing he’d happily bury forever. Expect memorised deck ambition with a modern training twist using ChatGPT, signature spoon bending with a Uri Geller story, underrated paddle magic, the tiny plunger, rope work, Doc Eason-inspired bar material, multiplying bottles, egg bag and a Cube Zag illusion tied to Wayne Dobson. We also go on a needed rant about negativity in magic and why judging a show by the audience reaction matters more than magicians expectations. 

Michael’s Desert Island Tricks: 

Welcome Pack: Memorised Deck 

1. Spoon Bending 
2. Howzatt
3. Tiny Plunger
4. Rope
5. Money to Lemon / All of Doc Eason’s material 
6. Multiplying Bottles 
7. Egg Bag
8. Cube-Zag 

Banishment. Negativity in Magic 

Book. Notes from a Fellow Traveller 

Item. Mobile Phone

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

A card rises to the top of the deck because a violin is playing and somehow that makes perfect sense by the time it’s over. That’s the kind of “how is this even happening?” thinking we love and it’s why we’ve wanted Chris Funk on for years. Chris is a touring magician known for Redefining Wonder and for bringing music into modern stage magic in a way that feels lived-in, not bolted on.

We talk through his desert island list of essential routines, from Bill Abbott’s Five Card Box as a killer opener to a lottery ticket prediction he’s preparing to release (Numera), plus a colour match that ends with a guitar reveal. Chris breaks down what makes multi-phase magic routines work: theme and variation, raising the stakes, and scripting that sounds like a real human instead of “instructions on a page.” We also get into a wild guitar-and-looping piece where a moving power plug changes the music and why audiences sometimes need you to say the thought they’re already thinking.

Then we go backstage into the real touring magician life: cramped travel, questionable hotels, missing luggage, TSA surprises and why “utility props” and redundancies matter if you want a professional show that survives the worst day. Chris shares a kid-led drawing duplication built around trust and confidence, his spicy banishments (including the phrase “Do me a favour”), the classic book he’d take to a desert island (Royal Road to Card Magic) and the tech that runs his show via QLab and a DAW.

Chris’ Desert Island List: 

Welcome: Violin Card Rise 

1. Bill Abbotts 5 card box 
2. Lottery Ticket Prediction Numera
3. Colour Match 
4. Guitar Trick 
5. Mind reading production effect 
6. Drawing Duplication 
7. Bill to lime 
8. Impossible Instrument Balance 

Banishment. Do me a favour / The Floating Table 

Book. Royal Road to Card Magic 

Item. Laptop 

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

Luke Murray sends in his desert island list and it is an incredible working mentalism set: strong openings, clean mid-show impossibilities and a closer with competition-winning impact. We also owe Luke a bit of an apology for the “hidden prize” runaround, so yes, that gets addressed too. 

We dig into why Andy Nyman’s “Dead of Night” is such a compelling multi-phase routine, then head deeper into practical mind reading with Banachek’s “Loco Logo” and Peter Nardi’s “ES Perfect” for that devastating blank-ending punch. From there, Luke gets clever with structure by combining Darren Brown’s number transfer idea with PK Touches, then leans into “psychological” presentation with Steve Dimmer’s “Screen Test,” where the framing feels like you’re catching tiny tells in someone’s voice. 

On the bigger-stage side, we talk about Mark Shortland’s Amaze Box as a clean tool for Q&A, why Nyman’s “The Code” works as a utility deck and how Hugo Shelley’s “The Sixth Sense” can anchor an entire performance with a direct, hard-to-beat effect. We wrap with Luke’s banishment, his book pick, his non-magic item and a quick sponsor message for custom-printed playing cards. 

If you enjoy mentalism, predictions, ESP routines, Q&A acts and practical working magic, you’ll get plenty of takeaways here. 

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk

The easiest way to spot a real magician isn’t the trick, it’s what happens when something goes wrong. Kieron Johnson joins us to talk about the skills you can’t fake: audience management, timing, trust and the grind of making strong material work night after night. Kieron has been at the top of modern close-up creation for years and he’s also performing in the West End production “Come Alive, The Greatest Showman,” where he runs multiple sets across parlour, stage, close-up and an eye-melting bubble show.

We get into the thinking behind his signature “impossible object” magic, including fire-to-ice production (To The Max / Reborn), signed card to ice (Re-Maxed Isolation) and why he believes Too Hot To Handle becomes vastly stronger when the can is genuinely hot. Along the way, Kieron breaks down how he prototypes effects like an engineer, how he chooses material based on the audience in front of him and why souvenirs and nostalgia props can turn a trick into a lifelong memory.

Then we hit the hot debate: phone magic and electronic magic. Kieron argues that technology can weaken fundamentals and that “convenient” methods often come with a hidden cost when they fail. Whether you agree or disagree, you’ll leave with a sharper sense of what makes close-up magic feel real, what defines professional performance and how to build a set that can survive any room. 

Kieron’s Desert Island Tricks: 

Welcome package. Estimation Aces 

1. To the Max / Re-born
2. Re-maxed Isolation 
3. Too Hot to Handle 
4. Isolated 
5. Cell 
6. Linking Polos / Lifesavers 
7. Linking Rings 
8. Card to chocolate bar 

Banishment. Phone / Electronic Magic 

Book. Simply Harkey 

Item. Bubbles 

Find out more about the creators of this Podcast at www.alakazam.co.uk