Quentin Reynolds’s Psychic Game Show

Quentin Reynolds comes from Dublin, now lives in Manchester and has performed magic all over the world, including Las Vegas. The mixture of conjuring, mentalism and comedy that is the Psychic Game Show, presented in Quentin’s gentle, engaging style, makes an hour and 20 minutes or so disappear in what seems like less than half that.

Two years ago, I saw the Psychic Game Show in Fallowfield, south Manchester, and was extremely impressed. This time, it’s in a private room above the Lass O’Gowrie pub in central Manchester. There’s a lot of new material and, if anything, the show is even better than it was in 2007.

Having written a book called ‘Intuition, Your Secret Power’ (which I much enjoyed), Quentin knows about psychology and he uses this to great advantage in the show. By this I mean both that he treats the audience with respect and kindness - making us feel safe and thus happy to get involved - and that the show is presented as an exploration of how perceptions of reality can be manipulated by the performer.

Of course, the manipulation of perceived reality is inherently what all magic is about. The difference is that Quentin makes the process explicit and offers a ‘psychic’ explanation, in similar (though much quieter) terms to the way Derren Brown ‘explains’ some of his own feats.

In my interview with Quentin Reynolds, he made the point that those who believe in psychic powers can enjoy his show on that level, while sceptics can view what he does as ‘tricks’ and enjoy it just as much.

As a magician myself, I fall in the latter category, although I was struck (and slightly unnerved) by the extent to which Quentin could read my personality from a picture I’d drawn. He hardly knows me and yet he could tell several things that only my family and friends are aware of.

If this sounds scary, it’s not. Quentin would never embarrass or insult a spectator – I’m telling you about this reading just because it was so clever. It’s a very cheerful, uplifting and inspiring show and I recommend it to everybody.


The Psychic Game Show is on again at the Lass O’Gowrie in Manchester on Monday 30th November at 8pm. This is your last chance to see the show for some time, so don’t miss it!

Simon Drake's House of Magic

Simon Drake’s House of Magic is an experience not to be missed. After six months of looking forward to it, I finally got inside last Friday for the Hallowe’en Special and, nearly a week later, I’m still buzzing.

From the moment I stepped over the threshold of the secret location, just south of the river in London, the atmosphere enveloped me and I felt as if I were in a magical world, dreamlike and lovely. I had been a little bit apprehensive about it all being scary but it wasn’t like that at all; getting cheap laughs from frightening the guests isn’t Simon Drake’s style.

To reach the House, you walk through the enchanted garden, full of low-lying mist, twinkling lights, skulls and tombstones. Inside, the converted pub is a Victorian mansion with lacy cobwebs, bizarre collector’s items of the magick of yore and pictures that appear to be a portrait of Great-Aunt Maud, until you look again and it’s her skeleton.

Before and after the excellent buffet supper, there is plenty of time to look around and enjoy just being in the House of Magic. This is a top-class establishment, where everything runs like clockwork and the staff are friendly and right on the ball. I have rarely felt so well looked after.

Throughout the evening, close-up magicians circulate. We were lucky to have Richard McDougall there on Friday, whose effortless sleight of hand is a joy to behold. He is also a really nice man and he came back to us several times, even though he didn’t have to, because we enjoyed his magic so much.

Every ten minutes or so, Rafe, the cheeky butler, gives a tour of The Haunted Cellar, packed with clever effects and ghostly goings on. Rafe is a fabulous character – I’ve no idea who he is in real life but he is terrific.

You can also sit on the mysterious Whispering Chair and have your fortune told. This is uncannily accurate, so be warned!

At 10 o’clock, it’s showtime. After the warm-up, the Master, the omnipotent Simon Drake, descends to the stage in a cloud of dry ice to perform a series of electrifying feats of the manifestly impossible. Some are gentle and aesthetic, others are gory and weird, but all are executed with an elegant panache that surpasses everything you might have seen before.

From Faust through the Addams Family to the Rocky Horror Show, the world has always been fascinated by the magic of the sexy dark side. At Simon Drake’s House of Magic, you will experience this at its absolute best. The spell it cast on me is still making me smile and drawing me to go back at the first opportunity.