Dynamo: Magician Impossible - TV review

Gone are the days of simple card tricks and producing rabbits from hats, it would seem.

Bystanders are not so easily impressed, until it comes to the amazing talents of Steven Frayne, better known as Dynamo: Magician Impossible.

In the season finale of this, his second series, he doesn't disappoint. Previous episodes have included disappearing in front of our very eyes, levitation in front of the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer, and flying off the stage and over the heads of astounded revellers in a nightclub, but predicting the future, taking photos of people with his hands, solving a Rubik's Cube in one second? Just how does he do it?

We don't need to know . . . that's part of the magic. But Dynamo's stunts are so incredible that he leaves you somewhat unnerved. What could he achieve with so little effort? Is this man dangerous?

He is certainly unusual, with ice cold blue eyes in a tiny, dark face and very long, flexible fingers from which all sorts of small objects appear and disappear, and what about the cool, casual way he just performs his illusions and then simply walks away, leaving people astonished. He is remarkable.

Last night he began the show by literally turning back the hands of time by asking two ladies, both wearing wristwatches, to choose a time of the day already passed and move the hands of their watches to that time. Not only did they both choose the same time, but the public clock in the background, hundreds of feet above moved in sync to the same point in time. Mindblowing.

A family visiting an animal sanctuary were treated to a feat whereby one member signed the face of a 20p piece, which Dynamo, as you may expect, made disappear. Where was it? Inside an egg laid by a chicken in the animal pen they were standing in front of. But how?

Dynamo says: "For me magic is about making a connection. My grandad said there is no such thing as coincidence, everything happens for a reason." Logical folk would agree, but watching him in action, it is hard not to believe in magic.

A great supporter of the charity Teenage Cancer Trust, Steven Frayne's greatest achievement of the series was a donation of £10,000, earned from the placing of a bet, won by predicting the winner of the Euro 2012 final. Lucky guess? Oh, no.

Not only did he predict the winner, but the stages from the quarter finals onwards and on June 22, Frayne placed the betting slip in a sealed envelope and delivered it to the This Morning studio for the attention of host, Philip Schofield. Opening it the day after the Euro 2012 final, there it was, his prediction and a note to say that the winner would be Spain by two or more goals. Beat that.

Dynamo can count many of the rich and famous amongst his fans, including Hollywood legend, Will Smith, The Black Eyed Peas, Jay Z and Coldplay's Chris Martin from the world of music, as well as comedian Russell Brand and actress Gwyneth Paltrow. All the cool people in fact, but he remains down to earth about his talent: "I will never take the gift my grandfather gave me for granted," he said.

He set out to modernise magic and bring a whole new feel to the world of illusion. He has certainly achieved his goal.

Catch series three in the New Year.

Alison Norton