Paul Daniels’s nephew is set to follow in his footsteps with a magic show at the Edinburgh Festival.
James Phelan was taught the trade by his uncle from an early age, conjuring his first trick when he was two.
Even in his final days, Paul was still mentoring him, performing a trick in his hospital bed.
James, 26, already has a BBC radio programme about magic and is set to hit the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with his new show, Troublemaker. And it all began with lessons from his uncle.
He said: “Paul taught me lots of tricks. I used to put on shows for mum’s friends
“When I was a teenager, we used to spend days going over routines and writing together, which was lovely.”
But Troublemaker is a tad different to Paul’s brand of magic, with “phones being destroyed and needles swallowed”.
James said: “It’s got a bit of a cheek to it. It kind of doesn’t fit in the old-school of my aunty and uncle stuff.”
James spoke of visiting Paul in hospital shortly before he died in 2016 at age 77, leaving behind wife Debbie McGee, 60.
He said: “The first trick he ever taught me was called a colour change, a card trick. He was in hospital and he wasn’t really talking much.
“But I was talking about magic and I had a pack of cards.
“He almost silently took the cards off me and did this colour change a couple of times. And then only a couple of days later, he passed away.”
Debbie, 60, said: “I’m so incredibly proud James is following in his uncle’s footsteps. Paul and he were incredibly close. It’s great to see him succeeding.”
- James Phelan: Troublemaker is on at Gilded Balloon Teviot, Edinburgh, from August 2-26 (except 14) at 6.45pm
