Desert Island Tricks

Alakazam Magic
  • 4.6 (14)
  • Performing Arts
  • Updated Weekly

Each week, host Jamie Daws invites one of the biggest guests in the world of magic to maroon themselves on the Alakazam Magic desert island. They are allowed to take with them 8 tricks, 1 book, 1 banishment and 1 non magic item that they use for magic! They even get a welcome package with a deck of card inside! We discuss their 'can't live without' lists and why those items were chosen. Episodes are uploaded every Friday and are available via all Podcast service providers! To find out more about the team behind Desert Island Tricks, please visit: www.alakazam.co.uk 

  1. 4d ago

    Emilio Lander

    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  JoKingBank Night Confusing Coins Four Card Trick Horizontal Card RisePK TouchPaper to MoneyInvisible DeckBanishment: 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

  2. Oct 9

    Doug Gorman

    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 LibraFast and Lose Haunted Inns of EnglandThe Tooth Fairy Coins Through TableUncorkedThe 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

  3. Oct 2

    Lee Hathaway

    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 TranspositionFire wallet The RainbowBalloon Swallow Cups and BallsThe Orange Tree IllusionSponge Bunny RabbitsBanishment. 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

  4. Sep 25 ·  Bonus

    Stranded with a Stranger: Stephen Maule

    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

  5. Sep 18

    SOS: Oliver Meech

    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 CrimeSwitching Holy Moly for Touching TranspositionSwitching Hydrostatic Glass for Morphin TimeSwitching Word-o for The Secret Steps Switching B’Wave for Go With The FlowSwitching Snaps for Card Number RecapSwitching Coin Jar for The Other Three MagiCare 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

  6. Sep 11

    Michael J Fitch

    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 HowzattTiny PlungerRopeMoney to Lemon / All of Doc Eason’s material Multiplying Bottles Egg BagCube-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

  7. Sep 4

    Chris Funk

    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 NumeraColour 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

  8. Aug 28 ·  Bonus

    Stranded with a Stranger: Luke Murray

    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

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4.6
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Each week, host Jamie Daws invites one of the biggest guests in the world of magic to maroon themselves on the Alakazam Magic desert island. They are allowed to take with them 8 tricks, 1 book, 1 banishment and 1 non magic item that they use for magic! They even get a welcome package with a deck of card inside! We discuss their 'can't live without' lists and why those items were chosen. Episodes are uploaded every Friday and are available via all Podcast service providers! To find out more about the team behind Desert Island Tricks, please visit: www.alakazam.co.uk 

Information

  • Creator
    Alakazam Magic
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    167
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Desert Island Tricks
  • Show Website
    Desert Island Tricks

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