38 Facts About Paul Daniels

Newton Edward Daniels, known professionally as Paul Daniels, was an English magician and television presenter.

Paul Daniels achieved international fame through his television series The Paul Daniels Magic Show, which ran on the BBC from 1979 to 1994.

Paul Daniels was awarded the "Magician of the Year" Award by the Academy of Magical Arts in 1982, the first magician from outside the United States to receive it.

Paul Daniels won the Golden Rose of Montreux in 1985.

Paul Daniels was a Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star.

Paul Daniels has been described as "The Godfather of Magic" and has been repeatedly credited with inspiring many top magicians to start in the profession.

Paul Daniels was born on 6 April 1938 in the South Bank area of Middlesbrough, the son of Handel Newton "Hughie" Paul Daniels and Nancy.

Paul Daniels's father was a cinema projectionist at the Hippodrome Theatre and a worker for ICI in Wilton, North Riding of Yorkshire.

Paul Daniels was posted to the British garrison in Hong Kong before training as an accountant in local government.

Paul Daniels later sported a wig for much of his television career.

Paul Daniels later set up his own shop, at one point a mobile shop, but eventually gave this up in favour of his growing career as a magician.

Paul Daniels began performing magic as a hobby, occasionally entertaining at parties and youth clubs and later doing shows for fellow servicemen during his national service.

Paul Daniels was a member of the Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians where he developed an act.

Paul Daniels decided to sell his grocery business and try magic as a full-time career.

Paul Daniels made his television debut on the long-running talent show Opportunity Knocks in 1970, and came second.

Paul Daniels replicated the kind of results that have impressed researchers of the paranormal and parapsychologists in a segment called Under Laboratory Conditions, thereby demonstrating his scepticism about claims made in these fields.

Paul Daniels starred in his own stage show, It's Magic, at the Prince of Wales Theatre from 10 December 1980 until 6 February 1982.

Paul Daniels had first worked with him on his summer season show in Great Yarmouth in 1979.

Also in 1987, Paul Daniels hosted a controversial Halloween live special of his magic show where he replicated a Harry Houdini escape from an iron maiden.

Paul Daniels was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1988 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel.

Paul Daniels got a piece of pizza in his eye and called in to a cottage hospital for them to rinse it out.

Paul Daniels was awarded the "Zina Bennett Trophy" from the British Ring of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in 1964 while he was known as "Ted Paul Daniels".

Paul Daniels was awarded the 'Magician of the Year' Award by the Academy of Magical Arts in 1982, becoming the first magician from outside the US to receive it.

An Easter special of The Paul Daniels Magic Show won the Golden Rose of Montreux Award at the International TV Festival in Switzerland in 1985.

Paul Daniels was awarded 'The Devant' for services to International Magic by The Magic Circle in 2007, and 'The Carlton Comedy Award' was bestowed upon him in 2012 by the same organization.

Paul Daniels was awarded the "Great Lafayette Award" by the Edinburgh International Magic Festival in 2011.

Paul Daniels was reported to have considered leaving the UK with the election of a Labour Party government at the 1997 general election.

Paul Daniels later said that his views had been misrepresented, and he would only have considered leaving if they raised income tax.

Paul Daniels stated that he had limited sympathy with the homeless because he had come from a "very poor" background and "grafted" to achieve his success.

Paul Daniels supported the hereditary system in the House of Lords, expressing the view that the aristocracy had "genetic knowledge" that others lacked.

Paul Daniels's comments were criticised by the NSPCC, and Mark Williams-Thomas, the former child protection officer who had presented the documentary that first aired the allegations against Savile, accused Daniels of "belittling" Savile's victims in one of his blog posts.

All three sons occasionally appeared on The Paul Daniels Magic Show in varying capacities.

Paul Daniels married his second wife, long-time assistant Debbie McGee, on 2 April 1988 in Buckinghamshire.

Paul Daniels said that he had a "passionate" encounter with a schoolgirl hitch-hiker in 1969 when he was aged 30, though he ejected her from the car upon realising her age.

Paul Daniels maintained a website that included personal information, a detailed blog, and podcasts.

In 2012, Paul Daniels cut off his left index finger and the tip of his ring finger in an accident with a circular saw, in the garden shed of his Wargrave home.

Paul Daniels drove himself from his home to hospital in Henley-on-Thames, where the index finger was reattached.

On 20 February 2016, Paul Daniels had a fall and was taken to hospital, where he was treated by medical staff for suspected pernicious anemia.