The Magician's Assistant

Product Information

Tenable All Stars Christmas Special Episode 1". Press Centre . Retrieved 31 March 2020. [ permanent dead link] McGee attended Our Lady Immaculate RC Primary School in Tolworth, followed by Tolworth Girls' School, a secondary school also in Tolworth. At the age of 16 McGee auditioned for and won a place at the Royal Ballet School. After graduating, she joined the Iranian National Ballet Company in Tehran. Aged 19, she became part of the Corps de Ballet and later a soloist, but her ballet career was brought to an abrupt halt by the Iranian Revolution. She was forced to flee the country and returned to the UK with little in the way of money and possessions. Seeking new work she auditioned for the Bernard Delfont Organisation, which was responsible for a number of big summer resort shows and touring productions. [5] [6] [7] As the assistant in a comedy magic show, the constant direct engagement with the audience and use of audience volunteers was a total departure from my previous experience as an actor. I learned through trial and error to develop a sense of who might play along if invited on stage.

Brandreth, Gyles (11 December 2001). "Something weird about Louis". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 26 March 2016. When I first started working as a magician’s assistant in a late-night cabaret show in a small central-London theatre, I couldn’t have anticipated just how much it would change my performing life. Stage magic and illusion had not, unsurprisingly, been part of my training at university and drama school, but they opened up a whole new world of stagecraft, audience interaction, pacing and physicality that helped me unlearn and relearn ways to be and communicate on stage, as well as to direct and focus the attention of audiences.She later joined Dougie Squires's Second Generation troupe as a dancer, which involved touring Europe with acts including Chris de Burgh and James Last. After winter work in pantomime, McGee joined Daniels again for his 1980 summer season in Bournemouth. She then performed in his London stage show It's Magic, which opened on 10 December 1980 and which, by the time it closed 14 months later, had become the longest running magic show ever to play in the West End. [5] [ unreliable source?]

Fort, Hugh (16 January 2014). "Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee provide voices Thames Hospicecare "Woofs and Wellies" video". Get Reading . Retrieved 17 November 2015. Marriages England and Wales 1984–2005". Findmypast.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009 . Retrieved 18 February 2012. In 2017, McGee appeared alongside Nigel Havers, Simon Callow and Lorraine Chase in Barging Loving Celebs.She took part in Celebrity MasterChef in 2017. In August 2017, it was announced that McGee would be appearing as a contestant on the fifteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing where her professional dance partner was Giovanni Pernice. The couple reached the final but were beaten by Joe McFadden and Katya Jones. [25] Brennan, Andrew. "The Magic Circle Maskelyne Award". Themagiccircle.co.uk. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021 . Retrieved 19 December 2017.

a b c Tyrrel, Rebecca (August 2000). "Deb's delight". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 25 December 2007 . Retrieved 18 November 2007. In 2004 McGee presented Box Jumpers, a two-part radio documentary about magician's assistants for BBC Radio 4. [10] [17] She works as a presenter for BBC Radio Berkshire, where, since 8 June 2008, she has hosted a regular Sunday morning show from 9am to noon. [18] Debbie McGee signs up to new role on Loose Women after Strictly Come Dancing success". 22 January 2018 – via Daily Express.

Smiles, Mieka (13 October 2014). " 'I wasn't a millionaire when I married Debbie McGee', says Paul Daniels as he debunks famous Mrs Merton one-liner". Teesside Gazette. Who is Debbie McGee? Celebrity MasterChef contestant profile". Radiotimes.com . Retrieved 23 September 2017. Delfont found her a job performing on stage with magician Paul Daniels in his 1979 summer show at the Britannia Pier Theatre in Great Yarmouth. She met Daniels on 23 May 1979 at rehearsals for the show, which were held at a church hall in London. [4] [7] [8] How female magicians broke through the Magic Circle's boys' club". Newsweek.com. 29 September 2016 . Retrieved 16 December 2017. a b c d Lane, Harriet (2 July 2000). "Spellbound". The Guardian. London . Retrieved 4 December 2013.