When it comes to card tricks, there is nothing better than watching a skilled close-up magician. They can perform the theoretically impossible right under your nose. Over the years I have been to magic conventions and seen some of the world’s greatest close-up magicians. Tony Slydini has to be my all time favourite. His close-up card routine just took my breath away!

I am therefore always interested to learn of new and exciting talents in the world of close-up magic. Until recently I had never heard of Chris Cross. It was my wife who actually saw this young magician from North East England whilst he was performing as part of a street entertainment programme. What particularly impressed her was his enthusiasm and sense of fun despite standing in the pouring rain. What is even more interesting is that he was doing escapology and contortions! It was only after she showed me some photos she took that I decided to look him up and sure enough there are rave reviews about him, especially his close-up magic act. His website http://www.chris-cross.co.uk/ lists some impressive quotes by famous people including Simon Cowell and Jimmy Carr.

So next time you are walking down the street and come across a street entertainer, don’t just pass by. There might just be a fabulous hidden talent there. Nice one Chris - you can thank my wife for this plug!

Magic, irrespective of whether it’s card magic, illusions or sleight of hand, can be very funny. In some ways, a good comedy magician can be just as funny as a stand-up comedian. No matter how verbose, sharp and quick-witted a comedian might be, you would have to go a long way to be funnier than comedy magician Tommy Cooper.

I was recently watching some tv re-runs of comedy shows from the 70’s and 80’s. Tommy Cooper was featured in one show and stand-up comedian Les Dawson in another. After watching them I realised how different they were in the way they delivered comedy and yet how similar they were in the cleverness of their delivery.

Here’s what I mean ….

More often than not Tommy Cooper would begin performing a magic trick or card trick only for it to go terribly wrong or he would simply stop half-way through because of a lack of enthusiasm with that ‘Oh I can’t be bothered’ look he delivered so well. Classic! Sometimes however he would deliver a trick perfectly with a totally unexpected and magical ending, showing in truth what an accomplished magician he really was. (Tommy was a member of the Magic Circle). Only someone with a real skill can make it look like they don’t know what they’re doing!

There’s an analogy here I think with music and this is where Les Dawson comes into the picture. Only an accomplished musician can actually play an instrument so as to deliberately make it sound out of tune. Les, whom I once had the pleasure of meeting, was a master of this on the piano; a regular feature of his tv shows would be him sat at the piano, looking very serious, and playing well for a several bars, then suddenly and radically he would start playing a semi-tone out. The comic effect was brilliant and one of the highlights of his act.

So whilst Tommy and Les might have been worlds apart in their style of comedy, it was their real skills - one with magic and one with music - that enabled them both to make people laugh.

Video: Tommy Cooper Tribute - YouTube

Video: Les Dawson Playing Piano - YouTube