50 Greatest Magic Tricks
50 Greatest Magic Tricks | |
---|---|
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Genre | Clip show Documentary Entertainment |
Written by | Adam and Joe |
Presented by | Adam and Joe |
Narrated by | Adam and Joe |
Theme music composer | Mike Westergaard Hansen Bass |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Production | |
Executive producer | Andrew O'Connor |
Producer | John Godfrey |
Editor | Jeffrey May |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Production company | Objective |
Release | |
Original network | Channel 4 |
Picture format | 4:3 576p |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original release | 6 May 2002 |
External links | |
Website | |
Production website |
50 Greatest Magic Tricks is a one-off list show that was produced by Objective Productions for Channel 4. The programme counted down the fifty greatest magic tricks, as voted for by members of The Magic Circle.[1] The illusion at number one was Death Saw by David Copperfield.[2] The show was presented by British comedy duo Adam and Joe, who also wrote and narrated the programme.[3] The show was first broadcast on Channel 4 on 6 May 2002.[4]
The list was noted for including Ishamuddin Khan, an Indian street magician, with his Indian rope trick. Khan's illusion was ranked at number 20 on the list.[5]
Magic tricks[]
- David Copperfield – Death Saw (1995)
- David Blaine – Levitation
- The Pendragons – Metamorphosis
- Lance Burton – Doves (1982)
- Robert Harbin – Zig Zag Lady (1965)
- David Copperfield – Flying (1995)
- Tom Mullica – Smoking Trick (1996)
- Paul Daniels – Chop Cup (1985)
- – Linking Rings (1983)
- Hans & Helga Moretti – The Crossbow (1995)
- Penn & Teller – The Magic Bullet (1996)
- David Blaine – Card Revelation
- Harry Blackstone Jnr – Floating Lightbulb (1977)
- Lance Burton – Rollercoaster (1999)
- Simon Drake – Guillotine (1992)
- Siegfried & Roy – Vanishing & Appearing Elephant (1994)
- – Ball of String (1987)
- – Death Dive (1996)
- Derren Brown – Blair Witch Illusion (2000)
- Ishamuddin Khan – Indian Rope Trick (1999)
- Simon Drake – Swords Illusion (1990)
- Siegfried & Roy – Interlude (1994)
- David Berglas – The Human Body (1986)
- Amazing Jonathan – Knife Illusion (1996)
- Paul Daniels – TV Camera Trick (1984)
- Derren Brown – The Art Gallery (2000)
- Paul Zenon – Tax Disc (2000)
- Tommy Cooper – Multiplying Bottles (1967)
- Amazing Jonathan – The Skewer (2001)
- David Berglas – The Table (1981)
- Great Soprendo – Torn and Restored Newspaper (Crackerjack, 1982)
- Paul Daniels – Electric Chair (1989)
- Penn & Teller – Snake Trick (1991)
- James Hydrick – Telephone Pages (1980)
- Robert Gallup – Straitjacket Escape (2000)
- Lance Burton – Osmosis Illusion (1997)
- Fay Presto – Bottle Trick (1996)
- Stevie Starr – Goldfish (1992)
- Spoon Bending
- Paul Zenon – Snooker Card Trick (2000)
- Melinda Saxe – The Drill of Death (1999)
- Derren Brown – Subway Hypnosis (2001)
- – Fingertip Fantasies (1985)
- Penn & Teller – Truck Trick (1990)
- – Thumb Tie (2000)
- Harry Blackstone Jnr – Vanishing Bird Cage (1987)
- Guy Hollingworth – The Reformation (1997)
- – Sword Box (1991)
- Juan Tamariz – 4 Blue Cards (1996)
- Franz Harary – Vanishing Space Shuttle (1994)
Reception[]
In a review of the programme, magician Ian Rowland praised the production of the show, saying that its content was "almost uniformly superb" and that it was a "golden credit to its makers". He was considerably more critical of Adam and Joe's presenting, calling the pair "dismal" and their contributions "an unmitigated disaster". Rowland also questioned the final list – he bemoaned the lack of close-up magic tricks in favour of large illusions on stage.[4]
Legacy[]
The special was featured in a 2018 episode of the BBC One show Pointless Celebrities. One hundred members of the public had been given 100 seconds to name, from memory, as many magicians on the list as possible. The episode's finalists, Robert Lindsay and his daughter Sydney Stevenson, then had to name any magician who had not been listed by the 100 people. Paul Daniels, David Copperfield, Penn & Teller, David Blaine, Tommy Cooper, Derren Brown and The Great Soprendo were the only magicians to be named by the 100 people.[6]
References[]
- ^ "Fifty Greatest Magic Tricks". London: Channel 4. 2002. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 50 Greatest Magic Tricks. 6 May 2002. Channel Four Television. Channel 4.
- ^ Deans, Jason (14 February 2003). "Adam and Joe lured to BBC3". London: Guardian Media. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Rowland, Ian (May 2002). "Fifty Greatest Magic Tricks". MagicWeek. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Bhowmick, Nilanjana (4 March 2014). "The World's Largest Community of Street Performers Is About to Be Torn Apart". Time. New York City: Time Warner. ISSN 0040-781X. OCLC 1311479. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Family". Pointless Celebrities. Series 10. Episode 30. 16 September 2018. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
External links[]
- Official website
- 50 Greatest Magic Tricks at IMDb
- 50 Greatest Magic Tricks at TheTVDB
- Fifty Greatest Magic Tricks at the BFI
- 2002 British television series debuts
- 2002 British television series endings
- Channel 4 documentaries
- English-language television shows
- Magic tricks
- Television series by All3Media