Desert Island Tricks

A Halloween special that goes way deeper than spooky props: Dr. Larry Hass joins us to talk about what makes magic feel like real mystery instead of a clever trick. Larry is known as the Philosopher Magician and you hear it in the way he thinks about perception, theatre and why a performance should have texture, structure and emotional movement, not just a string of effects.

We also get a moving inside look at Eugene Berger’s legacy. Larry shares how Eugene secretly arranged two posthumous books and asked Larry to serve as the “medium” who would bring them to the world after he was gone. From spirit theatre and séance work to the ethics of how we treat volunteers, the conversation keeps returning to the same question: are we building puzzles or are we creating wonder?

Then we do what Desert Island Tricks does best: a full list designed to build an actual show. Borrowed-deck Out of This World. A punchy opener with a light bulb or shot glass production. Losander’s Japanese Wonder Silk. Eugene Berger’s Thought Sender. A personal storytelling piece. Al Koran’s A Word In Thousands book test with theatrical revelation. Dai Vernon’s Spellbound. Cups and balls. And, for the Halloween finale, spirit slates that bring spirit magic back to centre stage.

If you care about magic performance, mentalism, storytelling, spirit theatre and building stronger routines that audiences genuinely feel, hit play.

Larry’s Desert Island Tricks:

Welcome Package: My Way Out of This World

• Shot Glass / Bulb Production
• The Japanese Wonder Silk
• Thought Sender
• Tale of the Rabbi Magician
• A Word in Thousands
• Spellbound
• Cups and Balls
• Spirit Slates Routine

Banishment. Performance pieces that set up a participant to lose

Book. The Magic Rainbow

Item. 6 Foot Piece of White Rope

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

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:

• Swap Interchange for Spellbound
• Swap Fourth Dimensional Telepathy for Christopher Carters 3 Billet Routine
• Swap Hanging Coins for Linking Rings
• 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

• JoKing
• Bank Night
• Confusing Coins
• Four Card Trick
• Horizontal Card Rise
• PK Touch
• Paper to Money
• 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

• Cups and Balls
• The Cuba Libra
• Fast and Lose
• Haunted Inns of England
• The Tooth Fairy
• Coins Through Table
• Uncorked
• 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

• Any Drink Called For Kettle (with consumables)
• Torn and Restored Transposition
• Fire wallet
• The Rainbow
• Balloon Swallow
• Cups and Balls
• The Orange Tree Illusion
• 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:

• Switching Gemini Twins for Back View
• Switching Killer Elite Pro for Untrue Crime
• Switching Holy Moly for Touching Transposition
• Switching Hydrostatic Glass for Morphin Time
• Switching Word-o for The Secret Steps
• Switching B’Wave for Go With The Flow
• Switching Snaps for Card Number Recap
• 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

• Spoon Bending
• Howzatt
• Tiny Plunger
• Rope
• Money to Lemon / All of Doc Eason’s material
• Multiplying Bottles
• Egg Bag
• 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

• Bill Abbotts 5 card box
• Lottery Ticket Prediction Numera
• Colour Match
• Guitar Trick
• Mind reading production effect
• Drawing Duplication
• Bill to lime
• 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

• To the Max / Re-born
• Re-maxed Isolation
• Too Hot to Handle
• Isolated
• Cell
• Linking Polos / Lifesavers
• Linking Rings
• 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

A “best of” list is easy to make. A forever list is brutal. Wayne Goodman comes back to his desert island lineup and we pressure-test it like working pros: what still plays, what still feels honest and what you’d trust when the room is unpredictable. The surprise is how little he changes, because the choices are built on strong magic principles: clear visuals, spectator-in-the-hand moments and props that earn their keep night after night. If you care about close-up magic, kids show material and practical routines you can actually perform, this one is packed.

We dig into why sponge balls stay undefeated, how a thumb tip becomes a lifetime utility device and why classics like Professor’s Nightmare and die box style routines can still feel modern when your scripting and structure are tight. Wayne also talks about refining comedy magic so the jokes don’t weaken the impossibility, including an update to his own wallet-based Magician’s Insurance Card that boosts fairness and impact.

Then we hit the big banishment: magicians apologising for magic and putting other performers down in front of spectators. Wayne explains how that habit feeds bad stereotypes and steals power from your own performance. You’ll also hear his dream guest for the island, a wildly funny memory from ship work and a heartbreaking horror story that leads to a serious conversation about animals in magic and audience expectations today.

Wayne Goodman’s SOS Substitutions:

• Magicians Insurance Card 2 for Magicians Insurance Card 3

Banishment. Depreciation of magicians

Guest. Steve Martin

Memory. Eye Hole Sick Bag

Horror story. Accidental Death of a Pet

Show. David Copperfield

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

An elephant stands on an empty stage. No cover, no curtain, nowhere to hide. Then a flash of light and it’s gone. That’s where we start with John Bulled, internationally acclaimed illusion designer and magic consultant whose work has shaped major West End productions, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. We get into the real mechanics of theatrical illusion design: why a vanish can fail by a quarter second, how you hide method inside the language of a set and why the best magic often depends on the departments most audiences never think about.

From there, we lean into John’s “Potter is the benchmark” mindset and what it takes to keep standards high across shows, budgets and venues. We talk collaboration with lighting and sound, hiding methods in plain sight, performer subtleties you only notice once you start teaching them and the surprising ways old-school methods get stronger with modern tech. If you’re curious about stage magic, misdirection, and how theatre makes the impossible feel real, you’ll come away with a brand new lens.

We also run John through his Desert Island List: Queens To Aces, Dynamic Coins, the WOW gimmick with a personal story, the Blackstone floating light bulb, Pressure with a borrowed phone, sponge balls, Penn and Teller’s live-only misdirection piece and the unforgettable elephant vanish. We finish with something bigger than tricks: the public’s perception of magicians and how we can earn wonder back. Subscribe, share this with a theatre or magic friend and leave a review if you want more conversations like this.

Welcome Pack: Queens to Aces

• Dynamic Coins
• WOW
• Floating Lightbulb
• Pressure
• Sponge Balls
• Misdirection Trick
• Elephant Vanish
• Little Man

Banishment: Publics Perception of Magicians

Book: Tarbell

Item: Elastic Bands

John's Website: https://www.johnbulleid.com
National Theatre at Home: https://www.ntathome.com

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

A deck of cards turns into dental floss, a salt cellar melts through a table and a “Russian roulette” style routine somehow becomes a smart lesson in character and control. Tom Rolfe sends in one of the most varied Stranded with a Stranger lists we’ve had and every choice points to the same goal: close-up magic that feels like it could happen anywhere, with props that look normal until the moment they don’t.

We dig into why Gypsy Thread hits so hard when it’s framed as an everyday dental floss problem and how a simple transformation gimmick can steer the audience away from “here comes a card trick” and into something more surprising. From there we move through the workhorse power of Salt Cellar Through Table, the tension mechanics behind Hook by Eric Ross and a hard-to-find gem from Tobias Dostal that makes a lollipop look like it’s edited in real time.

The second half shifts into practical performance picks: Tenyo’s The Final Piece for a clear, self-working prediction in close-up or parlour and Contactless as a wallet-based prediction that earns its spot as a true everyday carry. We also hit two card effects that keep the magic where it belongs: in the spectator’s hands, including a torn and restored card using the M Case for an isolated, impossible ending.

Tom’s banishment sparks a real conversation about magic dealers chasing quick money, how to avoid buying tricks you’ll never use and why “bad” is sometimes just “not for me.” We wrap with a book that rewards repeat reads, Juan Tamariz’s The Magic Rainbow, plus the most on-brand non-magic item imaginable.

Please send us your Stranded with a Stranger lists to sales@alakazam.co.uk. Please include a little bio about your, your 8 tricks, their reasons, banishment, book and item!

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

The fastest way to kill your creativity is to make it easy. Tom Stone explains why he keeps raising the bar for himself, how he avoids falling into a “system” and why a little struggle is often the best sign your magic is still alive.

We also get the inside story on his hands-on magic workshops, built as an antidote to passive lectures. Instead of sitting back and consuming, participants try everything in the room and focus on the real tools of creation: structure, drama, misdirection and timing. Tom shares how that approach helps magicians at every level generate original material quickly and why learning design matters when you’re teaching experts.

Then we drop into the “desert island” list: a card effect that turns mistakes into animated miracles, “Quantum Logic” inspired by quantum mechanics and seen on Penn & Teller, an egg routine that weaponises one-ahead and one-behind and set pieces that show how to modernise classics without becoming clockwork. Along the way, Tom breaks down a sharp theory about repetition, why phase two is where you must crush suspicion and how “leapfrogging ahead” can hide method in plain sight.

It gets spicy with a banishment pick, heartfelt with a tribute to Daryl and an honest note on mental health and deeply nerdy with love for Max Maven and Jim Steinmeyer. Listen through, then subscribe, share the episode with a magician friend and leave a review.

Tom Stone’s Desert Island Tricks:

Welcome pack: Transplant (Plucking the Pip)

• Quantum Logic
• Things That go Cluck
• Benson Burner
• A Toast for Charon
• Tears of Osiris
• Cups and Balls
• Cardboard Chameleons
• Seak

Banishment. The Fitzkee Trilogy

Book. The Conjuring Anthology

Item. Chocolate

Conjuring workshops - https://magic-workshops.com/events/

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

If you’ve ever watched mentalism drag under too much procedure, Christopher Carter brings a refreshing counterpoint: move fast, stay direct and make the audience feel the mind reading before they think about the method. We talk about why attention spans are shrinking across the board, how that shift changed the college show market and what still holds up when you’re working corporate events, theatres and even cruise ships.

Christopher walks us through the core pieces of his working act, from a high-speed playing card memory demonstration to a tossed out deck that pulls the entire room onto the stage. We get into his three-billet routine built to erase explanations phase by phase, plus his take on Pegasus Page where staging and pseudo-hypnotic framing create a surprisingly intimate moment in a large venue. Then we go deep on the blindfold question and answer act, why Q and A is the “major effect” audiences expect and how structure is what makes improvisation feel confident instead of risky.

We also hit the practical tools that keep a pro show dependable: utility devices like Real Die, wallet strategies that delay the dirty work until no one is watching and “pack small, play big” thinking with Scrabble Memories and Bruce Bernstein’s Eat at Joe’s as a customisable, corporate-ready finale. Finally, Christopher explains why he’d literally bury magic apps on the island, drawing a bright ethical line around phone scraping and audience trust and he shares why a voice recorder is his most powerful non-magic weapon for capturing ideas and sharpening scripts. Subscribe, share this with a performer friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Christopher Carter’s Desert Island Tricks

Welcome package: Playing Card Memory

• Tossed Out Deck
• Three Billet Routine
• Pegasus Page
• Blindfold Q&A Act
• Real Die
• Stealth Assassin Wallet
• Scrabble Memories
• Eat at Joe’s

Banishment. Magic Apps

Book. Unreal

Item. Voice Recorder

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

A billionaire builds a Star Wars-shaped house in Portugal, hires a team to stage a “mind-reading” AI, and throws a party so convincing that guests keep asking how to buy the fake technology even after the reveal. That’s where we start with magician and consultant Pete Heat, whose career spans TV, theatre, brand campaigns, and immersive events where belief is the real special effect.

We get into the unglamorous but career-changing truth behind getting booked: people need to see you working. Pete explains why solid performance video and a real showreel beat polished photos, how his early YouTube street magic clip led to TV opportunities, and what it takes to capture magic on camera without killing the method or the moment. If you care about social media magic, television magic, or high-end corporate events, this part is pure strategy.

Then we run his “desert island” list of eight hard-hitting pieces: an ambitious card routine that builds to a full deck vanish, a lightning-fast pocket index, a ring to sealed envelope inside a zipped wallet, loops for haunted deck and PK Touches, coin under watch, a sealed drink can transformation, the Unbelievelope for stage predictions, Acidus Novus for bulletproof peeks, and a closer with Double Cross plus the tiny handling choices that make it feel impossible. Along the way, Pete banishes one habit he thinks is quietly wrecking modern magic: overconfidence about angles and flashing.

If you like practical magic theory, behind-the-scenes consulting stories, and worker-tested routines that get real reactions, you’ll want this one. Subscribe, share it with a magician friend, and leave us a review with the single strongest trick you think every performer should learn.

Pete’s Desert Island Tricks:

Welcome pack: Ambitious Card

• Cheater Index
• Item to Sealed Envelope
• Loops
• Coin Unique (with a normal 50p)
• Too Hot to Handle
• Unbelievalope
• Acidus Novus
• Double Cross

Banishment. Overconfidence in angles

Book. Art of Astonishment

Item. Magnets

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

A single moment can reboot your creativity and for Tim Ambrose, it happened in a Las Vegas hotel mall while everyone else went out for the night. He wandered into a magic shop, watched the free demos again and again and felt the same rush he’d had as a kid seeing his brother perform. That spark turned into years of collecting, performing for friends and building friendships through local magic shops, the kind of brick and mortar spaces that feel like a clubhouse for close-up magicians.

We walk through Tim’s desert island list of eight tricks, packed with practical, high-impact effects that lean into prediction magic and mentalism. From the classic “magician in trouble” charm of an Insurance Policy reveal to movie prediction routines, photo-based predictions and clean, brain-melting card mysteries, this is a blueprint for powerful reactions without complicated handling. Along the way we talk about why tactile reveals feel more “real,” how presentation does the heavy lifting and what makes an effect strong enough to become part of your core set.

Then the conversation turns to something bigger than methods: Tim’s banishment is magic egos and attitude. We dig into why the best magic communities are generous, why hands-on help matters and we challenge you with a question: what’s your reputation maker trick, the one people talk about after you leave? If you enjoy magic storytelling, practical close-up advice and thoughtful takes on the culture of magic, subscribe, share this with a friend and leave us a review.

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

Often, it feels like you have total control when performing magic. But what if everything depended on a split second? That’s where Steve Faulkner begins his desert island journey. He’s a British Close-Up Magic Champion, a working performer and the face behind Real Magic Reviews, which means he sees more new magic tricks than most of us could learn in a lifetime, then has to decide what’s actually worth doing for real people.

We put Steve on the desert island and build his essential set from the ground up, starting with a straight-up classic from Royal Road to Card Magic and moving through effects that have never stopped “storming” for him: Maxi Twist, Slidini Knotted Silks, Nate Leipzig’s cigar routine, linking rings that still fool even when the method is “known,” and billet work like Acidus Novus that delivers huge mentalism reactions when you’ve got the nerve to commit. We also get modern with Inject and the Legacy QR approach, not as a gadget flex but as a practical way to create layered miracles and leave spectators with a souvenir they’ll actually show people later.

Then we get honest about the thing Steve wants to bury: magic dogma. The rule-policing, the “no one would do that,” the opinions dressed up as laws. If you’ve ever avoided a trick you loved because someone said it was “wrong,” this conversation is your permission slip to go try it anyway.

Steve Faulkner’s Desert Island Tricks:

Welcome package. Cards Across

• Maxi-Twist
• Slydini Knotted Silks
• Nate Leipzig Cigar Routine
• Inject
• Linking Rings
• Acidus Novus
• Optix Pro
• Paper Balls Over The Head

Banishment. Dogma in magic

Book. Talk About Tricks

Item. Kennedy Half Dollar

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

A magic classic finally gets its next chapter and the creator is as thoughtful as you’d hope. We’re joined by magical royalty, Guy Hollingworth to talk about More Drawing Room Deceptions, the highly anticipated follow-up to his legendary Drawing Room Deceptions, plus the re-release of the original book with a new chapter that shows how his routines have evolved through real performance. If you care about strong plots, clean handling and material that lasts beyond the hype cycle, this conversation is packed with gold.

We also invite Guy onto the Alakazam island and talk about his eight essential pieces of magic, one book, one banishment, and one everyday item he’d still use for deception. Along the way we dig into The Reformation (his signature torn-and-restored signed card), why slowing down can make an effect feel more impossible and how he designs methods like puzzles when there are no obvious “building blocks.” Expect practical talk on cups and balls, coins across, Professor’s Nightmare rope magic, stage manipulation, linking rings, gypsy thread, and even a modern phone-light miracle.

You’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories from the Magic Circle, what Guy looks for before he’ll perform someone else’s creation and where to find the Drawing Room Grand Tour details through the publishers at Vanishing Inc and Mike Caveney’s Magic Words. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a magician friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.

Guy Hollingworth’s Desert Island Tricks

Welcome package. The Reformation

• Cups and Balls
• Half Crowns & Shell
• Professors Nightmare
• Billiard Balls
• Linking Rings
• Gypsy Thread
• Silhouette
• Luc Apers’ Chinese Silver

Banishment.Mutilated Parasol

Book. Expert Card Technique

Item. Jacket

Check out all of the details regarding his new book ‘More Drawing Room Deceptions’ here:

https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic-conventions/drawing-room-grand-tour/

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