Cook's recipe for real magic

MAGIC'S not what it was. Gone are men in corrugated shirts and smoking jackets tugging yards of coloured hankies from a baffled punter's pocket. In their place are a new breed whose brand of illusion is fast, funky and fun.

One of the young guys now storming the magic circle began his conjuring career at clubs and private parties in North Yorkshire. Today, Alistair Cook has an audience of millions - with four TV series in the pipeline.

Two are being broadcast during the next few days on Five. Tonight you can see him on Secrets Of The Psychics: Revealed, and on Sunday he is one of the gang in the modestly-titled The Greatest Magic Tricks In The Universe... Ever.

These shows are some distance from either the cheeky chappy style which made Paul Daniels a star, or the camp melodrama of American David Copperfield. But another US influence is easy to detect.

"Magic has become popular again and it's down to David Blaine," says Alistair.

"When he came out of America, he was so refreshing. The show wasn't about how clever he was, the show was about a real cross-section of people out on the street being freaked out."

Blaine created a new school of magic in the same way as alternative stand-ups developed a new style of comedy in the 1980s. But, although Alistair is inspired by the American's illusions, he is not keen to follow him into the suspended box game.

"I like his street magic, but I'm not sure about the stunts. That's to get publicity. I'm not against it, just indifferent to it, it doesn't really tickle me."

That's not to suggest he has no sense of humour. Alistair includes an element of stand-up in his act, and a previous television hit, Monkey Magic, included comic sketches between close-up magic and escapology.

That led to the ground-breaking series being compared with the crazy stunt shows Jackass and Trigger-Happy TV. The four-strong team of magicians in Monkey Magic have been reunited for The Greatest Magic Tricks In The Universe... Ever, and they are still coming up with some surreal stuff.

One trick involves a goldfish which can, seemingly, predict the future. But to prove nothing is entirely new in magic, Alistair revealed this trick came from a book "printed in something like 1898". Another idea was to do a card trick with the deck replaced by a loaf of bread.

It is not easy coming up with new illusions, and Alistair regularly consults his collection of 500 books on magic for inspiration. He began reading about illusions while growing up in Harrogate. "My mum has always had an interest in anything to do with the new age - a collective term for all these things like meditation and tarot cards - and I would read some of her books from time to time."

Although at pains to point out he was interested in "the usual things" like sport as a youngster, Alistair was soon learning magic tricks and trying them out on his mates at Harrogate Grammar School. He would pick their pockets and swipe their watches without them noticing - always owning up afterwards, of course.

Amazingly, he never got roughed up for his trouble. But he did nearly come a cropper when he was practising his art on older members of the public. "In my early days, I got caught a couple of times, when a middle-aged woman didn't know whether I was a thief or a magician."

Getting it right becomes an obsession. "To become good at magic you have to obsess: every day do it again and again and again. To be honest it drives you nuts. Sometimes the last thing in the world you want to do is more magic, but you have to keep doing it and doing it and doing it."

As he improved, word of mouth got round, and Alistair's skills were soon in demand. He ended up doing several nights a week performing at corporate and private events in York, Harrogate, Leeds and Manchester.

At just 21 years old, Alistair turned professional and began his television career. His first appearance was on comedian Jerry Sadowitz's pilot TV show, Jerry@Trick Show, and he was given a guest slot on the show's second series on Five. That ultimately led to Monkey Magic.

He has always been turned off by traditional cabaret magicians, "some old man in top hat and tails with his glamorous assistant doing private parties. The world has really changed since then."

However, Alistair, 28, remembers Paul Daniels' television magic show with admiration. "He was on TV for 15 years. His show was more successful than most light entertainment programmes.

"The thing with Paul Daniels is he was good at the time, but then was a bit over-exposed."

One of Alistair's main fascinations is human psychology and its role in sustaining an illusion. Understanding how your audience thinks is the key to a great response to a trick, not the sleight of hand, he says.

"I don't think everyone's gullible. The magician's job is to find out how each individual is amazed.

"The truth is, you can make people think things through psychology and hypnosis." In his Friday night TV series he uses his knowledge of these techniques to expose the "psychics" who use them.

Although his parents still live in North Yorkshire, Alistair now lives in London. He has a girlfriend who likes magic but draws the line at becoming his glamorous assistant.

His television work allows him little chance to return to live performance. It is a side of the job he misses. He has toured Spain and Italy, and even played at the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, where David Copperfield made his name.

But what about using his magic in real life, to get his own back on a bad driver or rude shop assistant?

"I have never done that, but you've got me thinking there," he muses.

"That's a really good idea for a show. If you have got an annoying relative, contact us, we can stitch them up..."

So if your watch goes missing in a few months' time, think on.

It may not be carelessness.

It may be Alistair Cook.

Sorry about that.

Secrets Of The Psychics: Revealed is on Five at 8.30pm tonight. The Greatest Magic Tricks In The Universe... Ever is on Five at 8pm on Sunday

Updated: 10:25 Friday, September 19, 2003