I've decided its been way too long so here is a quick post before I do a decent update over the next week..

Here are some quick photos from a recent gig in The City of London...

Photos thanks to: Jan at http://www.yankophoto.co.uk/

More soon...The Tom Rose Magic Blog:
http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

Christmas this year started early. At the end of November there was a magic convention where the who's who of magic met up to discuss all things 'Harry Potter'. On the left is a photo of a group of us discussing the finer points of magic (L-R: Noel Qualter, Dave Bonsall, Tom Rose, Rob James, John Archer).

In other magic Christmas party news, I was again performing magic down at The O2 in London for the Steve Coogan show (the people I spoke to said the show was good, but the press reviews were not so good for Steve, as this review in The Telegraph shows). I was then down at The O2 again for a very fun staff Christmas party for a modeling agency which was nice!

The first week of December was finished with corporate magic gigs; management consultants, city traders and solicitors over three nights was an interesting contrast to the models and comedy punters before. Each of the three corporate jobs had an interesting fact though, the first, for Accenture, was good as I was working with two other magicians I had arranged for the 500 guests, Don Moses and Noel Qualter (see photo right) and I also saw an old friend from my university days, Jen, nice to see you again.

At the city traders and brokers event over at exclusive private members club Maya in Mayfair I was performing with a group of ladies called "The Fuel Girls". These ladies performed a kind of burlesque fire dance which was pretty impressive in the small club. Hot stuff indeed. Photo of the Fuel Girls is shown on the left. Interestingly the girls all had a 'hardcore' stage persona but were really nice when I caught up with them in the green room after. Interestingly they were flying off to Verbier in Geneva the next day for a gig over there which reminded me of the wedding I did out in Verbier a year back.

The end of the week was completed with a gig for a solicitors firm specialising in marine law, I wonder if all the Somali pirates are keeping them busy with litigation at the moment? The magic gig was in central London overlooking Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. Did you know... "In 1952, a number 78 double-decker bus was on the bridge when it opened. Back then, the lights would change to red, the gateman would ring bells to encourage the pedestrians to move off the bridge quickly and close the gates, and the head watchman would order the bridge to lift when it was clear. On this day in December, there was a relief watchman, and something went wrong. Albert Gunton, the driver, saw that the road ahead appeared to be sinking. In fact, his bus was perched on the end of an opening bascule, which was giving the illusion of a sinking road ahead. He realised that he would not be able to stop in time to prevent going into the water, and making a split second decision, decided he would go for it. He accelerated and jumped the three feet gap, landing on the north bascule, which had not started to rise. None of his dozen passengers were seriously hurt, and he received £10 for his bravery". The wonders of Wikipedia...

More soon...The Tom Rose Magic Blog:
http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

Several people have mentioned the lack of blog action from me recently so here I am back again. The reason for the lack of blogs is that the only time I have the time to do a post or two is during a long train journey; the current Newcastle back to London trip does indeed tick that box so here I am.

Since my last post about doing magic in Dubai I have been all over the place. For example, I performed close-up magic at the drinks reception of a really nice wedding in Westminster, London where the wedding cake was actually from Star Wars, a bit different but it looked great. I have added a few photos from that wedding to my photo gallery page. Make sure you check out Tom Gold's website if you need a photographer (http://www.tomgold.co.uk/).

In other magic news, I was down at The O2 Arena in East London a lot in October, November and early December. I am the resident magician at The O2 for all the comedy events and can be seen doing my magic thing in the O2 Lounge and O2 BlueRoom bar which are exclusively for O2 customers. If you are ever down at The O2 you should take a look in these bars as there is always something going on. I have attached a very exciting photo of me outside The O2 before performing at the 5 Lee Evans events in October.

More soon...The Tom Rose Magic Blog:
http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

I have just got back from a jet-set trip to Dubai where I performed for a group of Russians on a a private yacht. Although you can't tell from the photo the seas were a little rough but my sea legs just about managed to get through the night. All the guests had a great time, especially when one lucky guest won a table of solid gold bars at the evening's gala dinner. Now that is amazing...

It was a great trip, even though I was only in Dubai for a few hours, the client was impressed too:

"I’ve been meaning to write to thank you for the fantastic entertainment you provided for our clients. The evening was a real success and we had a lot of very good feedback from everyone, particularly on how amazed they were by you! I think everyone is still trying to figure out how you do it! We were really impressed with the way in which you managed to move amongst the groups and capture their attention despite the language barriers and the unsteady floor! You definitely break all the stereotypes of the traditional magician and we loved your relaxed informal style! We would certainly recommend you to other companies in Dubai and would love to invite you back for future events that we have"

Nice.
I really need to do a 'full' update which I will do soon.... The Tom Rose Magic Blog:
http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

I think the amount of time since my last post shows how busy I have been? Writing this blog takes a surprisingly large amount of effort so apologies for the slow posts, I know my fans will be eagerly waiting the next installment so here you go Mum(!).

So, a quick summary of what I have been up to; a few interesting jobs spring to mind, for example I've performed at two Michelin starred restaurants recently, The Hinds Head Hotel in Bray run by Heston Blumenthal and also The Mallory Court Hotel in Leamington Spa which provided just the most amazing food. On a side note, it's worth mentioning the fantastic couple I worked for at Mallory Court, they had a really great intimate wedding; its always really nice to work at those kind of events, here is what they later e-mailed about my magic:

"Dennis and I both wanted to say a million thanks for a truly marvellous performance on Friday night.  You were FANTASTIC and it was an enormous pleasure to meet you. Everyone so enjoyed your tricks (and your humour) and you made a great contribution to our wonderful day. Dennis and I have heaps of fabulous memories and you can rest assured that your performance will always be part of those. Once again our sincere thanks for entertaining us in such a "magical" fashion." 
-Christine and Dennis.

Nice.

Ok, so other highlights I hear you ask? Well there was working at a fantastic birthday party for Caria Watt with a Marylin Monroe theme. Caria is not only a stunning model (see right) but also a great personality. It was a great party with some really cool guests and an even cooler ice sculpture vodka luge!

Another interesting job was at One Whitehall Place (aka The Royal Horse Guards) in London. This great old building is directly opposite the London Eye on the other side of the Thames. As a former politics student (seems a long time ago now) I didn't realise that One Whitehall Place is home to the Liberal Club. It was interesting to see the odd 'old boy' liberal wandering the corridors after (presumably) one too many rather tasty G&Ts that afternoon. Classic British history- I can only assume Charles Kennedy was trying to keep up the tradition?!

Finally, another couple of swanky venues I have been to recently are Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park (very nice setting in the Royal Park) and also the Four Seasons just off Park Lane in London, rather classy indeed.
 
More soon kids.... The Tom Rose Magic Blog:
http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

The other night I had a job with my good buddy Sav. We were performing at a corporate drinks event in Kensington which we do every year and is a great job. Unfortunately for me I had been ill all week but managed to recover just in time to do the event so it was kind of hard work. However, after the gig Sav had to go and perform at another job in Notting Hill. I thought it would be good to go along so I did. It was interesting to see another of London’s top magicians doing their stuff while I enjoyed a few beers at the bar- I think I had the better deal.

Looking forward over the next few weeks I have a few interesting jobs but most excitingly I will be going to the worlds largest magic convention in Blackpool. Wowza. It’s actually quite a good event and the main reason I go is to meet up with fellow professionals from all over the world. The major drawback of the event is that it is in Blackpool. No offence meant, but Blackpool in a winter’s February weekend is not a nice place to be. I often wonder what people coming from all over the world think when they come to the UK and only visit Blackpool for the convention. I only hope they realise the rest of the country isn’t made up of tattoo parlours, pregnant teenagers and underage drinking outside the once-so-grand Pier & promenade. Oh, wait a minute, it is.

I tell you what, this blog is getting politically controversial now.

Until next time. The Tom Rose Magic Blog: http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

The other week I took a night off and joined a selection of the world’s top magicians for London magician Noel Qualter’s birthday, how exciting.

It was good to meet up with a few fellow magicians to celebrate Noel turning… (does anyone know how old he was?). Anyway, the night started just off Oxford Street before moving onto Soho. The cool crew included world famous D-to-the-Y-to-the-M-n-o (in more normal circles, Dynamo), Sav, Andi Galdwin, Ben Earl and Brendan Patricks. It was great fun and the evening finished with a (very) late night pizza where we were treated to a crazy camp Italian magician doing magic at the tables. It was a great coincidence and we could barely contain ourselves as he didn’t have a clue that he was performing for some, sorry, all of the best magicians in the UK.

It was funny a few days later I found out that someone had actually reported that we had been out together on a magic news website, kind of the magic world equivalent of OK! magazine. How cool is that?!

Here is a photo of the group after one too many beers.

The Tom Rose Magic Blog: http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

People always ask me how did I get into magic and the answer is always the same (FYI the answer can be found by reading my Bio page on this very website, but if you have read that, and are still reading this, you must be a real stalker, or my mother). Anyway, a crazy maths teacher at school started it all by doing a few tricks during lessons and I wanted to get the better of him. After learning a few tricks with him he wanted to learn more skills and so set up a circus club at the school. As a founder member, along with Pete Burdis, I feel proud that the school had such a random and fun after school activity. Since then the circus club has gone from strength to strength and actually puts on shows once in a while, take a look here for a newspaper report about it. Great fun.

Anyhoo, several years later and a few tricks more in the repertoire the teacher, Andy Mollitt, asked me to perform at his weddings, which of course was a bit of an honor as old Mollitt is a bit of a legend.

It was a bit usual performing magic for my former school teachers (I wasn’t always the perfect student) and old school pals but it was great fun and the magic went down very well indeed. So well that I am hoping to get along to the annual football dinner in May to perform for all of them again; don’t worry Mr. Tate, I’ll be there. Well maybe. Here is a photo of Mollitt doing what he does best; clowning around fire juggling.

More news soon Sir. The Tom Rose Magic Blog: http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

As per usual Christmas was super busy and that clearly meant I was traveling all over which means another service station review. I am actually getting people read these and tell me about them and I can’t decide if people think I’m just sad or funny. Hummm.

Moving on, somewhat unbelievably I have never been on the M6 Toll as I have never been bothered to pay the £3.95 or whatever it is for the joy of driving on a really boring bit of motorway. However, having traveled on the M6 three times in the same week for magic gigs in Cheshire and Birmingham over Christmas I thought I would just go crazy and try the Toll; what a revelation! Because you have to pay to use the road, there is not a crap car in sight, its brilliant!

Generally speaking there are no lorries (they are saving their £3.95 for a bacon butty at the next truck stop) and no knackered old Fiestas driven by a 17-year-old who needs to save his £3.95 for his next sovereign ring, innit, (at least that’s what I think they say). As such the normal people of the world can speed along with no hold ups. Marvelous.

And that brings me to the service station review. To be fair, its already off to a cracking start as once again the car park is full of neatly parked cars of a nice nature. Its kind of a middle class service station as you can’t get there without paying the Toll. Genius.

According to good old Wikipedia the services were opened in 1994 and claimed to be “the best service area on Britain’s motorway network”, well I think this blog will be the judge of that. Seriously though (can this ridiculous feature ever be serious?!) the facilities are really decent. The car parking and landscaping are nice and there is a good offering of food outlets including Costa (in fact 3 Costa outlets in the same building), a Wimpy and a Roadchef restaurant. I actually braved ordering a mixed grill and to be fair it was actually pretty good. Its no Claridge’s but for service station food it was good. The toilets were OK too, not the best but OK.

I’m never surprised at what they sell in those shops that are in services these days, it just to be the case that you were lucky if you could get a packet of AA Batteries but now they seem to sell a crazy array of things. When I was there it was tents, children’s laser guns and power drills on offer. I can imagine that would make an interesting feature for a family in the back of the car down the M6.

All in all it was a very decent stop, earning a very respectable 8.5/10. Good work.

p.s. in my quick google search I actually found a website devoted to service stations in the UK, oh how the internet has changed the lives of thousands.

More tomorrow kids. The Tom Rose Magic Blog: http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

Its been a long old time since my last update so I am intending to backtrack a bit and fill in the gap since my last post about Dubai all that time ago in December… watch out the blog entries are going to come thick and fast over the next couple of days. I bet you can hardly contain yourself.

Ok, I won’t bore you with all my Christmas party news suffice to say I was going all over the UK performing at the usual array of corporate parties and Christmas weddings. However, there was one job that stood out from the rest in terms of sheer randomness (is that a word? who knows).

When I was performing for accenture at their Christmas bash I was lucky enough to work with, or should I say scared by, Bruce AirHead. Having never worked with Bruce before it was interesting to see his act, described on his website as: “The metamorphosis of a man and a six-foot balloon”, I agree, it sounds dodgy doesn’t it. The general premise is that Bruce blows up an enormous balloon and then goes inside it somehow and then ends with a great magical finale. It’s a brilliant street style act and got a really good reaction from the punters. As a side note I have never seen anyone lube themselves up* as much as Bruce in his act, but you should definitely check out his video on YouTube here.

Bruce is also seen in the photo here to the left.

*Now that does sound dodgy.

Don't go away, I'll be back soon. The Tom Rose Magic Blog: http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

Well, I just had a crazy couple of weeks. After performing four jobs in four corners of the UK in 5 days I was then flown out to Dubai for a swanky party outside the world famous 7-star Burj Al Arab hotel. I must say well done to the lovely ladies organising the party; Sarah, Sherry & Emma as it was a stunning set-up and all the guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Highlights included working with the ten-piece band from the UK, the Ukrainian sax player and Australian photographer; very international, there was even some representation from the USA with a life size Pamela Anderson birthday cake which was pure quality.

I’ve attached a selection of photos from the event below.

More news next week.

The Tom Rose Magic Blog: http://www.trmagic.com/tom_rose_blog.php

Happy guests

The Venue on the beach

Paul Ross, brother of Jonathan doing a 'This is your life' set for the birthday boy.



Me in full white theme...


More happy guests

Swanky party venue...

The super sax player


Photos thanks to: www.djphotography.net

I’ve had so many calls recently from clients booking Christmas parties, office parties and general end of year celebrations asking how to book a top magician. In every case the answer is the same; corporate Christmas office parties are all about relaxing after a tough year and having fun, although my office party (just me!) is never all that exciting. Therefore, you need a magician who is entertaining, fun, informal and relaxed. The last thing you want is some old chap in top hat and tails pulling a rabbit out of his rather less-than-magical hat.

I perform magic that is informal and engaging; I get the guests laughing while also thoroughly baffling them; which is exactly what you need at an office party, I have regularly been described as a magician who is contemporary, modern and based in London (those Christmas events & parties in the West End & Soho are always fun).

Interestingly I do still have a couple of dates left in the diary for the Christmas season, so do get in touch and get me along to your party. If I am already booked I can suggest one of my colleagues who will be available therefore ensuring you have a quality and professional magician at your Christmas party rather than someone who you cannot trust or are unsure of their quality.

More news from Tom ‘Santa’ Rose next time….

p.s. The Christmas season takes me back to last year when I saw hundreds of roller skating Santas in Soho. Very strange. You can see a video here...

www.trmagic.com

In terms of magic news I have been doing some serious gallivanting recently. The other week I was down in London doing magic at an exhibition where my job was to impress delegates to get them to my stand, I even had a board with my name on it; I felt so special I got a photo (see left).

Following on from this I was whizzed up to Edinburgh for a rather nice trip to the Rugby World Cup, as part of the trip I got to see Scotland Vs New Zealand at Murrayfield which was really good. Traveling in stages back to London I had a couple of jobs in the North, doing some magic at a wedding in Matfen Hall (which has a great golf course) and also a repeat booking in Sunderland for some really nice people I worked for back in March.

Incidentally, for any southerners, especially Londoners reading this, you should really check out Northumberland for a weekend away, the North isn’t all smog you know. Just ask Jeff Stelling of Sky Sports News (this rant was in reply to the TV Show "Location Location Location" which said Middlesbrough was the worst place to live in the UK. Click here to see the clip on YouTube -Brilliant stuff).

In other magic news I was doing the usual table magic and mix and mingle magic at events in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester all in the same week and I ended all the traveling on Saturday with a mega day of work; firstly performing magic at a wedding Darlington and then flying down to London to perform at a leaving party in Wapping all in the space of a few hours. It just goes to show that close up magic is so versatile; one day a corporate event, the next a wedding, the next minute a leaving party.

In between all this work I found time to shoot to Germany for a weekend at the rather large and semi-famous Freimarket in Bremen (http://www.freimarkt.de/index.php?CHANGElang=en&PHPSESSID=6b4f7cdd71c49f271ac308984a7850a4), and also to have a drink with my good pal, and top magician, Sav in North London.

More news next time...

www.trmagic.com

Don’t worry kids, I’m back.

This week I had a letter from John, aged 23 from Keighley. John was disappointed not to see any more service station reviews recently, as John writes, “I do a lot of driving so they are important”. Therefore I have bowed to the pressures of fan mail and here is the next instalment. I should make a book.

This week during a trip to Manchester for a magic show, gig, job – whatever I should cal it, I stopped in at Moto Hilton Park Services, between junctions 10a and 11 of the M6. I think there is a certain irony that the word “Hilton” appears in the title as this site is definitely more Hi-Di-Hi than Hilton quality. Looking that the building it looks like the bridge of a 1980s cargo ship (see photo) and then when you get inside it maintains the nautical theme by being so empty its like the Mary Celeste. That said it does have a decent offering of facilities including an M&S Simply Food, which is always a good sign. One place which was buzzing was the spacious arcade / gambling area into which the local Staffordshire yobs were placing their pennies at a scarily rapid rate.

Doing some research (if you are going to do something you might as well do it properly), it seems that this was the busiest service station in the UK in 1998, what a prestigious title. In addition they spent £2.1million refurbishing it in 1999; I’m at a loss to see where that cash went. It even has its own Wiki page though: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilton_Park_services

On the plus side it had wireless internet which meant I could check my e-mails for the bargain price of £5 per hour, on the downside they had the smallest sinks I have ever seen in a toilet; the poor lorry driver with huge hands never had a chance.

Overall a rather uninspiring pit stop, 5/10

If you wanted proof that Tom is one of the top magicians in the country, just look at what a couple of recent clients have said...

"What can I say? We had the most truly magical wedding day.
You exceeded my expectations. I knew that you would be fantastic, the guests were bowled over by you and you were truly a hit with both the children and adults alike.
Tony was particularly impressed, and only wishes that I had  asked you to entertain the evening guests also. If my daughters have a party to celebrate their 18th (all be-it in 4 years time ) I would hope you could be  top of the bill, they havnt stopped talking about the day and your magic, and as for my family, now they ARE hard to impress, yet we have had nothing but praise about your talents they were truly in awe of you. My brother is still trying to work out how his wedding ring which was on his hand ended up in your wallet on a key fob in your back pocket!!!!!( & had not noticed his ring was missing)."
-Fiona & Tony- Informal Magic at Wedding


"The magic went down brilliantly on the day - thank you so much. Loads of people have commented to us how much they enjoyed it and one of our friends who is particularly cynical and hard to please was pretty blown away when you made a card appear in his top pocket! ...We were thrilled to have you there and I would certainly recommend you to any of my friends."
Megan & Mike - Magic at wedding in Northumberland


"I just wanted to say a huge thank you for entertaining our guests at the Rose Launch on Monday. The event was a huge success and all of us at ABCC are delighted you were part of it... everyone I have spoken to since has said how fantastic you are your tricks were... thanks again and I really hope we are able to work with you again in the future"
Kaite - ABCC

The other night I was down to the River Thames to perform at an event with a sprinkling of famous people. Well, the usual Big Brother contingent was there, but along with them was A-lister and uber-rich Simon Cowell and B(?)-Lister Danielle Lloyd.

I was actually really surprised with Simon, I have always had respect for him as he speaks his mind and doesn’t mess people around, which can only be a good thing. At the event he seemed really very nice indeed. Unfortunately for him it was basically a photo shoot with everyone wanting a picture with the big man* so I thought it would be almost rude not to get involved (see photo). In these circumstances I have sometimes thought a max-work of the celebrity would be just as good as they really only ever do seem to have a succession of photos taken of them. Hummm.. maybe a business idea. Or is this the reason for look-a-likes- I think so.

Also at the event was a very beautiful Danielle Lloyd. Again I was surprised by how nice she was and it kind of confirmed my view that most of the things you hear in the media about these people is just complete fabrication. She seemed very sharp when it came to the magic and you can see a photo of ‘her card’ below (to be added soon as I have lost the card somewhere!). I enjoyed the evening and talking to Simon and Danielle was really interesting.

*I say big man but I actually mean little man as in real life he is really quite short.

I was chatting to an old friend the other day, actually someone I used to work with when I was a bar man back in North Yorkshire (see my biography page for details). We got chatting about our respective jobs and sometimes I forget how cool being a magician is- no need to get up every morning to do the daily commute if I didn’t want to, getting to go to interesting parties & events and generally getting to have a rather nice lifestyle.

However, my fried is a pilot and I thought how brilliant is that?! Getting to travel all over the world everyday (this is slightly more than me- just) and getting to eat ‘plane food’ for every meal. Wowza the life of a pilot. Being a pilot is something I would love to have done and I am actually going to start flying lessons soon. I think its always important to test yourself and push your limits in terms of learning. I recently finished my ‘day skipper’ (see link) course in sailing and I am now starting Chinese lessons (they love magic over there).

There are so many interesting things that people do I always think it is crazy that we, as in society, don’t do that much anymore. Maybe this is why the kids on the street are bored? Oh dear, this blog is getting very serious all of a sudden. I must start talking more about celebrity gossip type things… which leads me on to…. (see above blog post).

I’m moving house and what a nightmare that is. Rather than keeping things easy and moving straight into a new flat (a flat because trying to buy anything bigger than a cupboard in London is slightly beyond the means of a lowly magician- or, in fact anyone with a bonus less than £100k!) we are actually having to wait a fortnight before we can get into a new place, therefore all my stuff, magic tricks included, are off to the self storage. Isn’t packing all your belongings, lugging them down three flights of stairs and into your car fun? Especially when you have to do it again only 2 weeks later. I think not.

Due to the move it has been almost impossible to do any gigs so once again I have been referring work around the excitingly named ‘rapid magic team’. When all my stuff is in storage and I am living out of a box (see the photo for ‘a box’) its really not easy. However, I have been busy with lots of things coming up in the next few months including some international gigs, the long awaited tr:magic video and some PR type stuff*.

*PR sounds exciting doesn’t it? I can quite confidently say that its not that exciting from my end of things.

I’m not really a football geek, but fantasy football is unbelievably additive; especially when you create a league with your friends. After many hours of pre-season research I have put together a team of mis-fits which I believe can do the job for me this season. See below for ‘Team Magic’. Eat your heart out Jose Mourinho.

I’m already thinking of a few transfers; if you have any suggestions feel free to let me know at footy@trmagic.com

Its been a while hasn’t it?

It has been a really crazy August. After the robbery I’ve been replacing a lot of my props and strangely the other stuff that got stolen… for example new contact lenses which meant an eye test to prove that even in my tender years my eyesight is pretty average.

I have also had the chance to take some time out in August which is nice. To have a weekend in the summer when I am not working at a wedding is really strange, in fact, it’s probably one of the first times in the summer when I have taken a weekend off. Crazy.

In terms of magic news I have been booking out a lot of other top magicians for events I cannot do, this is not an entertainment agency thing (as they are usually more hassle than they are worth) its more of a kind of close network of trusted magicians I work with who I can pass on work to. I’ll have a new website up and running for this soon.

One of the main things I have been working on this week, other than my chop cup routine (made famous by Paul Daniels- see You Tube link), is my squash skills (see link for UK Squash). Keeping fit is very important when you spend your life travelling to gigs and eating Ginsters pies from petrol stations (a phenomenon which I discussed with a band I worked with once) so if anyone plays and ever wants a game let me know.

I got two really nice thank you letters the other day from a couple of weddings I worked at recently. I really love the fact that my close up magic at weddings really does make a big difference to their big day.

"Our official thanks for providing such entertainment on our wedding day. I think the combination of cider and your expertise led to much bafflement! The smiling faces in our wedding photos are certainly down to you. Thank you so much for helping to make our guests relax and have fun- you were a real hit.
-Suzy & Martin


"Just wanted to say thanks Tom, you were amazing, it was lovely to know our guests had something to keep them occupied whilst we were having our photo's taken, we've had loads of people talking about you, and I think most of the local shops sold out of kiwi fruit the next day, as people tryed to work out how on earth you go £20 notes out of them!
I would have no hesitations about recommending you in the future, I think half of our guests are counting on us renewing our vows in the near future, just so they get to see you again! And thanks for the card with the message on, these little touches are so important on such a special day
Thanks again!"
-Michelle & David.

Quick post. Here is a photo of my new 'magic case' the day after becoming a victim of crime and 5 minutes after popping to John Lewis for a new briefcase. Notice the distinct lack of anything in it. Altogether now.... awwww.

It's mid way through wedding season and I'm featured in a wedding magazine again! Wahoo. I have to be honest; I really do seem to be the leading wedding magician in the UK at the moment. The wedding press keep getting in touch and I'm being invited to some really great weddings. The latest press coverage is a feature in national magazine 'Wedding'. The article is about the best forms of entertainment you can get at the wedding; they picked the top suppliers (about 6 of us) from a vast range of markets to bring togeter the best in the business. I was featured as the magician. You can see some photos of the magazine and article here.

So, the other week I had the worst show-biz day of my business life. On route to two magic shows I went to the gym for a quick workout, us magicians need to keep fit you know. While I was at the gym my car was broken into and all my magic 'props', suit, bag, shoes etc etc was stolen. Even my glasses went! The little toe rags have nothing worth any money in terms of resale value but it is very difficult to locate and replace some of my 'magic items'. What made it even more of a nightmare was that I couldn't make it to my two jobs that afternoon and evening. Luckily I was able to arrange two quality magicians to cover the events for me to make sure I didn't let down the client. A big thank you to good friends of mine Noel Qualter and David Penn for stepping in and saving the day.

In terms of the little buggers / druggies who broke into my car and stole a load of valuable (to me) but worthless stuff (to them). Unlucky. When the police catch up with you one day I hope you have fun cleaning graffiti from playground walls and picking up rubbish in the park. (This is based on the assumption that no one actually gets sent tp prison these days). If anyone does know who did it, or if you even read this (they stole my business cards too) please return the items.

Here are some photos of me performing at a recent wedding in Cirencester, I think you'll agree that everyone seems to be enjoying the magic!

Notice how in photo one I am 'mid-trick' with everyone watching very closely. Then as I finish the trick (in photo two) the entire table bursts into cheers and applause... Sounds like you should get me along to your wedding, party or any event really doesn't it?!

The chap on the left looks rather impressed doesn't he...a great example of some contemporary table magic

It's rare that I take a holiday in summer, after all that is prime wedding magic season, but this year I flew off to mexico for a sly break before getting back down to a long summer of magic. A couple of days after I got back I was working with a magician called Bruce Munton at a corporate dinner in Lincolnshire. It's Bruce's territory up there but it was nice to get out of London and work with another award winning magician.

Other mildly interesting events involved a trip to the Belfry where I love performing (see photo) as I usually get to chill out in the spa before the magic! The event was really good fun and the audience was really cool, I have some photos to follow. They also had a murder mystery party which was great fun and the host for the evening comes highly recommended. Get in touch if you want a murder mystery party and I can send you in the right direction.

It's a rare day when I do a public show- 99% of my close up magic work is private parties, VIP events, weddings and corporate events. However, this month I was asked to go along to 'The Late Shows' which was an event hosted by the museums in Newcastle http://www.thelateshows.org.uk. Basically I performed walkaround magic while people looked around the Discovery Museum in Newcastle late at night; keeping in theme with the evening they also screened the film 'A Night at the Museum' with Ben Stiller, not a classic but certainly a fairly decent family comedy. So that was fun.

A few days later it was back to London for table magic at a corporate dinner in Kensington. The evening was a great success and the client was especially happy to be involved in a trick which they was able to show to their whole table; very much interactive magic. In fact, the client was so pleased that the directors of the company and I went out for drinks late into the night in Soho; a definite perk of the job I think.

Later in the week I was over in Cirencester for a wedding. The venue was not exactly easy to find, but it was a cracker. Very quaint. This was the first true 'summer' wedding of the season and I am now running all over the country performing at weddings from London to Leeds in the next few weeks.

The week was topped off by a wedding in scorching heat in York and then a university graduation ball in Newcastle. The student gigs are always fun, the venue in this occasion was left pretty tidy though as Gordon Brown was giving a speech the next day. I wonder if there were any drunk students still lingering around the next morning to witness GB's speech on terror laws? Hummm...

P.S This month I also got to go and watch the England cricket test match at Headingly in Leeds, great fun and a win for England. Even if you don't like cricket you should go and check out a match for the fantastic atmosphere.

It's been a little while since my last post so this is the first of a few entries so you can once again get your fix of the world famous Tom Rose Magician Blog. Hummm...

So, I had a bit of a nightmare at the start of the month. I had a corporate gig in Chester, the kind of event where there is lots of table magic and mix and mingle close up magic during the drinks reception, but before I had even left London some crazy fool crashed into my car meaning I had to hire a car at the last minute to get to the show. The problems didn't stop there as the motorway was shut in not one, but two places meaning I was stuck in traffic most of the day. Why tell you this I hear you say? Well, as a professional magician I always allow plenty of time for problems like this which means I always arrive on time- I've heard plenty of horror stories about entertainers not turning up with bad excuses such as this.

Anyway, on with the show review. The event was excellent; all the guests loved my brand of contemporary close-up magic and they also had the joy of other entertainment too. The event was a Grand Prix theme so there were video games, a massive scalectrix, life size Formula 1 cars to race in, motorbikes to ride on, and, one of the more interesting features; the pit girls! See below for a couple of photos (Photo on left!)

Hello to all the regular readers. What’s new I hear you say? Well, the last couple of weeks have seen more corporate work and a light sprinkling of private parties.

At the start of the week I was working as what the client called a “corporate entertainer”- sounds posh doesn’t it. It was another ‘team magic’ affair with myself, and magicians Noel Qualter and Sav. The event was held at an exclusive London private members club in the West End. Not only was it a private members bar, but we were also performing in the VIP area towards the back of the venue. Snazzy. Apart from the dark lighting; I think Sav mentioned people would need a torch to see the magic at one point! the event was great fun and all the clients left with a smile on their face.

Another evening of corporate entertainment was seen at the Waldorf Hilton in the theatre district of London. I was working for Pricewaterhouse Coopers at a partnership event they were holding with Unilever (check out the wikipedia link as I was performing for the top man Rudy Markham as seen on the company information page). The event was a great success, which brings me to the question; as a client how do you book a professional corporate entertainer ?

Many performers state they are the top corporate entertainer, but you need to be sure the magician will provide an excellent service; after all, your clients deserve the best. The most important thing is to speak to the entertainer, make sure they have a long client list and strong positive feedback from other companies. I am proud to say I have a huge list of satisfied customers and I even have a snazzy brochure (wowza). If I can’t make an event because I am already booked, I am always happy to recommend another top magician. There is nothing worse than a poor performer at a crucial client hospitality event.

Until next time….

Its been an interesting time in the corporate entertainment world. I recently had a call from a snazzy banking client who wanted a handful of magicians to perform table magic at an event in London, and then events across the UK and Ireland. Unfortunately I was already booked up, but being the nice man I am I managed to book a veritable A-list of close-up magicians for the events (clearly it wasn't perfect because I wasn't there, but hey). The team consisted of Jon Allen, James Brown, Don Moses and Brendan Patricks. You could almost call it Team Magic. Because we did such a great job, I have been asked to get another team of magicians together for the next event.... So, if you ever have a large event where you need more than one magician, give me a call and I will be happy to help.

At the end of March I did a massive amount of miles with magic gigs all over the UK. A good example of where my travels have taken me is performing table magic in the Lake District followed by magic at a corporate event in London and then back up north for walk around magic at 50th birthday party in Sunderland, all in the space of a weekend. So, with the massive amount of miles I did that weekend, and back by popular demand (you know who you are) its the return of 'Rate the Service Station' feature.

This weeks choice is Corley Welcome Break (photo above left).
+Plus points Based on the M6 these services are a great British 'wee stop'. Outside there were two old gents collecting for the local Round Table and there was a good selection of motorway eats (KFC, Welcome Break Cafe and even a half decent Starbucks). Unlike the last service station review, there were no crazy people which is always a plus point.
-Down points However, there was evidence of the favourite past time of kids these days, theft and vandalism. I found it mildly amusing that the police signs asking motorists to keep their valuables safe and secure was placed next to the large service station sign which had clearly been stolen by the local yobs (hard to see, but the photo is below right). Also, if you ever go to these services watch out for the huge metal bollards at the entrance to the car park. When you are flying off the motorway at 70mph its not ideal to have a tiny narrow entrance with bollards in which you must perform a Jenson Button style maneuver to avoid. Apparently a few motorists haven't heard to Jenson Button and so have driven straight into them. Great stuff.

February is the quiet month for magicians, after the christmas party rush and before the wedding season so I went on holiday. Cork was the first stop, for anyone who hasn't been it's well worth a visit. Nice people and a great night out. On the night out mention, I saw an amusing magic related kebab shop on the high street, as it had a magic connection I thought it worthy of inclusion here ('Abrakebabra' kebab shop- Brilliant. see left).

After Cork there was New York. What a great city. There is so much to see and do its just mind boggling (the same as some of my tricks then). I didn't get to see any magic when I was out there, but some highlights include Ellis Island and Grand Central Terminal- both are a must see. If you like shopping, Abercrombie and Fitch is interesting, full of 'live models' which are certainly very interesting. I also spent some time in my native Yorkshire and the Lake District. Us magicians don't get time off in the summer, its just too busy, altogether now.... awww....

It's been released! That's right you can now see my smiling face sprawlled across 3 pages of the UK's leading wedding magazine "For The Bride". Wowza. This is the second time in a year a major national magazine has picked up on my status as the UK's leading wedding magician; very few if any magicians have actually been interviewed by a major national magazine, so to have this twice in a year is a real achivement. By the way, there are a few shrewd magicians who pay for adverts in magazines, but hey, mine was free! They just wanted to interview me. Marvellous.

More news next week...

Front page of "For the Bride" wedding magazine and the 3-page interview feature with Tom Rose.

It has been a while hasn't it? Well, I've travelled to some really cool places all the UK over since my last post. OK, I haven't been to the Middle East for example, but I'm working out in New York at the end of February- how exciting- surely thats more impressive?

So, its been the usual array of corporate gigs and weddings since December, here are some photos of where I have been:

Here's the list: 1. Table magician at a wedding in London (Drapers Hall). 2. Drinks mix and mingle magic then table magic at corporate event with a James Bond 007 theme in Birmingham (Crown Plaza Hotel)

3. Close-up magic in Chelsea at a corporate after show party (The Kensington Bar) 4. Then I was a Wedding Magician in Yorkshire during the reception (at very classy Rudding Park hotel and country club)

5. Magician in London as above (Drapers Hall 2) 6. I was also performing as a wedding magician in Cumbria (Linthwaite House Hotel)

7...and finally I was doing some more wedding magic, this time in County Durham (Bannatyne Hotel)

So there are just a few places I have been. The most exciting news I have at the moment is my forthcoming interview in a national wedding magazine. In fact, here is a sneak preview of the story in this months issue (first bullet point- main story for next month). I am also going out to perform close up magic in New York at the end of the month, although more of this in the next blog post. I wouldn't want to get all you 'magic bunnies' too excited just yet.

As a final note, I often get asked why I recently moved to London. Well the answer is simple- its not the exciting and varied work I now get, its not for the trendy night life or London attractions either. The answer is for the kind of experience I had today. I met a world class, A-list top of the shop celebrity couple. That's right, I sat next to Chantelle and Preston at lunch in Selfridges on Oxford Street- it was special.

When I look at other magicians websites, I just get so jealous, they have quotes from famous celebrity type people like Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, Dean Gafney and Trisha. Well now I can add a quote too. Colin Jackson, the world record holder for the hurdles and more recently of Strictly Come Dancing fame. Colin said my magic was "Fantastic- what the...how?!!". Seriously though, he was a great chap and he really loved the magic. At the event there was also a front bench MP and lots of people with CBEs, MBEs and and other letters behind their names. I was on my best behaviour.

Other noteworthy news was a gig I performed at with magicians Don Moses and Pete Firman, together we really were the A-Team of magicians and the guests were lucky to have such professional, famous and generally top magicians at their event. People always comment on my modesty you know.

Oh, almost forgot, as a random side note, when I was in Piccadilly Circus last weekend, I saw hundreds and hundreds of people dressed as Santa rollerblading down the street. I thought it was quite amusing so I made a quick video on my mobile, which you can see here.

So, its Christmas time, mistletoe and wine...etc etc etc.

I have been super super busy over the last few weeks, the usual corporate christmas parties and even a few winter weddings. Highlights include performing at the Sony Ericsson Christmas bash over in Newbury- this was the party for the big boys and what an event. Set in a massive teepee I was part of very impressive entertainment list; including a platinum record selling band, two famous DJ's and did I mention me?

The very next evening I was back in London, performing table top magic at a huge dinner on Park Lane. A rather rubbish photo is to the right. A great night was had by all and my magic was complemented by a comedy performance supplied by Jongleurs, Stephen K Amos was very funny indeed.

Then, the next night I was in Chiddingford in Surrey, performing at a fantastic wedding. The bride and groom really were a fantastic couple and I know there are some great photos from the wedding I'll be adding soon. How exciting?!

Well, then the next night... OK OK, if I go on like this I'll just be regurgitating my diary, which isn't terribly exciting so I best be off for now...

Where is the mistletoe?

So, last week I was at the International Magic Convention, basically this is an event for magicians to hang out and talk about magic. How cool is that? No?- OK, its not cool, but its great to get together with other magicians and it was nice to see some pals again. A few you may have spotted my pals on such sites as corporatemagicians.com and your favourite search engine, some name dropping...Noel Qualter, Alan Hudson, Rob James, Don Moses and Pete Firman to name but a few.

The magic was great and there was lots of socialising too, which is all the more difficult when you are suffering from extreme man flu- man flu I hear some of you say? Yes it really does exist according to a new poll for Nuts magazine. If the readers of that magazine says it exists, well, heck they must be right.

I also popped down to the Comedy Store in Central London, not only were there a load of magicians there, (the magicians in London do seem to get around a lot!) but there was some great comedy on offer- Andrew Maxwell was simply superb, so so funny. Pure genius, you must go and see him.

This week has seen a selection of super-duper snazzy gigs. Some of the highlights included some table magic at a fantastic 20th wedding aniversary all the way up in Perthshire, Scotland. Set on a stunning Scotish estate, the marquee was one of the best decorated I have seen, so well done Alex and Simon. Desipte the Scotish winds trying to blow the marqueee away, the magic went down a storm (see what I did there?!- oh dear). Notes have to go to the band, "Crazy Ape", who were great and are well worth a look if you are arranging a party, and the fantasic B&B which is well worth a visit! See photo (right) for the great view.

Later in the week I was back performing magic in central London working at en exclusive party for Universal Pictures, (the film company you know). It was a great bash in the centre of theatre land- maybe I'll get a staring role in a magic film now? Maybe not. Another classy party was the Six Senses Resorts & Spas corporate evening. They used magic to get all the guests chatting and create a really informal atmosphere for everyone to let their hair down. These nice people provide the most amazing holidays, more than a holiday they are described as 'retreats'. Fantastic.

The week was rounded up by an exlcusive birthday party at a private house in Chelsea; stunning location, beatiful wine, great entertainment, and of course, fantastic guests meant the party was a huge sucess. Hello to the two Giles' and Luke and of couse Lorna, Lucy and the rest of the hens. Happy birthday Hannah! Now they have all had a mention on the webiste I bet they feel really special.

Thats it for this week. Don't forget: Don't play with fireworks kids, and remember to hold the sparklers the right way or you won't be able to pick any more cards from the magician.

So, I now officially live in the big smoke, I'm truely a real London Magician. After being a northern boy all my years, I am now based in the international hub that is North East London, or to be more precise, uber trendy Hoxton. Moving house is just strees stress stress so I took some time off to help the move, but I've still squeezed in plenty of magic:

I was performing at a civil ceremony in Brighton early in the month; while I was there I spotted this snazzy looking boat for sale (see photo)- a few (thousand) more magic shows and I might be able to buy one! Unless anyone fancies buying me one?! The civil partnership was great fun and I seem to be one of the leading London magicians for this type of event. Other magic news consists of a wedding magic show at The Bleeding Heart Restaurant in the City of London where I performed table magic during the wedding breakfast. What a fantastic venue and the food was sublime, after some research it seems to be one of the top ten restaurants in London. Tasty.

As a note, although I now live in London, I still perform all over the UK (and internationally), for example I have events coming up in Carlisle, Scotland, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Surrey to name a few places, so feel free to get in touch where ever you need a magician! Don't forget to stay tuned to read about the exciting goings on of a top UK magician (the only people who read this seem to be other magicians, my mum and the computer spellchecker mind!)

So, some jet-set news. This weekend I was flown out by a client to perform at a wedding in snazzy Swiss ski resort Vebier. All very nice. I don't think I would ever visit a ski resort in the summer had it not been for this gig, and I'm very glad I did. The scenery was stunning, the Alps in summer are well worth a visit.

The wedding was a very nice affair indeed- reception in a little Restaurant perched on the top of a mountain, fondu for main course and lashings of local Swiss wine. All very nice. All the guests loved the magic and I'm looking forward to visiting Verbier again- a great town. Here are some photos (excuse the dodgy quality- they were taken on my phone)

Above is my all conquering VW Fox hire car! (not very cool, but a great little car!)

For all my huge fan base here is what I've been up to....

The other week I went to the Stockton Arc with good magician pal and comedy guru, Don Moses, to see Mark Watson and his show. Was very amusing and I have promised myself that I'll get up to the Edinburgh Festival this year. Well, I'll try.

Last weekend I was in Leeds a lot. Saturday night I was working at a very classy and fun Hen Party: 17 beautiful ladies, in a nice venue, performing magic- there surely can't be a better job on nights like that! Sampled the nightlife of Leeds after work with my good buddy Tommy Wheldon.

Sunday was a great day: went to see the England Cricket Test Match at Headingly. The weather was hot, the beer was cold and we bowled them all out in a the day- great.

Well, along with the hottest July on record in the UK, its been my record busiest month! Shows all over the UK- wedding magic in Wakefield, mix-and-mingle magic in Manchester, corporate magic in Cheshire and lively magic in Leeds! Basically, I've been really busy which has been really great, apart from the red hot heat which is never helpful in a suit!

One of the interesting jobs this month was over in Salford working at the BG International Triathlon Union World Cup- I was performing mix and mingle and close-up magic to the elite athletes, how anyone can do a 1500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run in under 2 hours is almost untrue, but Brad Kahlefeldt from Australia did just that to win the race. Crazy. But he liked the magic trick I performed for him! Some of the athletes were great fun, big shout out to Lucie Zelenkova and Anna from the Czech Republic, Terenzo Bozzone from New Zealand, Marko Albert from Estonia and the guys from Hungary to name but a few.

On another note, I found an interesting photo (on the left) from a wedding I performed at a couple of weeks ago...Looks like I had some happy spectators that night? Magic with cards and cash... sounds good to me.
(Triathlon photo from http://www.triathlon.org/- check out the great sport!)

This week I have been mostly performing, wedding magic. Just for a change.

I was over at Headlam Hall in North Yorkshire for a wedding which was full of southerners, which was a tad surprising, I also worked out some maths at this wedding: 120 nice people + 1 nice venue x lots of booze ÷ 1 ace magician = 1 flipping good wedding!

I was over at Newsham, near Barnhard Castle in County Durham for a charity do for the Children's Society, check them out and make a donation! Another good night was had by all despite the misery of England going out of the Wold Cup on the same day. The less said about that the better. Penalties...again.

Since then I've performed on a Steam Boat in the lake district for a wedding with 60 Geordies (photo on the left of me beside lake before show), always great fun! Gone over to the Yorkshire Dales for a wedding near Hawes at a great private venue called Simonside Hall, well worth a visit, and performed at a wedding at Solberge Hall, again. Very popular with my bookings at the moment there.

Yesterday was interesting- I was invited back to my old school at Richmond to give a speech, hand out some awards and generally be the guest of honor- something I don't exactly do everyday. It was good to see the old school and some of my old teachers, including Mr Mollitt who started me off on my magic career, well, thats what he claims and one day he may receive his 1% commission, or maybe not!

After performing a trick for the 250 kids, there were some interesting theories on how it was done, if anyone who was there wants to know how the trick was done, just ask Miss Adamson or Miss Elvidge, I'm sure they will point you in the right direction, well, possibly. I have to admit my speech was quite good, I think the kids thought it was more exciting than the usual ceremony with the Mayor!, so it was a good experience all round...a quick note of thanks to Steph for holding the kiwi, very well done, and no, it wasn't a fake £20 note kids!

So, the last couple of weeks I've mostly been performing table top magic and mix and mingle magic at weddings, and civil ceremonies, here are just a few snaps from the events I have been to...

First up...a Civil ceremony in Surrey....
This was a really great event with some really cool guests, and I must say thanks for the Hog Roast sandwich, very nice indeed! Photos by a great, great photographer, Ralph Hodgson, http://www.ralphhodgson.co.uk/ --Check out his website for his work, really impressive stuff.











Here a snap from a wedding in Shropshire,
I'm certainly no kids magician, but even I have to say that the young boy looks excited! Check out the 6 of Spades, good timing on the photo!




















Finally, here are some photos from wedding magic I performed in York

These photos were taken by the husband and wife team at Studio 25, http://www.studio-25.co.uk/- so thanks to Debbie & Gareth!

With my mammoth 630 mile drive yesterday, I was bored, very bored driving up the M25 /M1 so I came up with a new feature for the blog, and so my "Rate The Service Station" begins. Believe me, at 1am, these ideas sound good.

So, come 1am I was knackered and decided to stop to have a coffee and judge service station number 1. Its Moto Donnington Park Services, Junction 23a of the M1. A classic new style services.
+Plus points were wide selection of offerings, including Marks & Spencer's Simply Food, a great addition to any motorway stop, Burger King, and the most surprising feature was the coffee on offer. It was self service as it was late night, but the large, clean mug was filled with strong, fresh tasty coffee for £1.99, great value for services and very tasty.
-Down points, Donnington suffers from a selection of crazy people. Even at 1am there was a mad-man screaming from the balcony, never ideal for a peaceful late evening coffee break. Other than that, toilets suffered from an array of drunk teenagers, but this is a hazard found in any of the UK's toilets. Overall, very good service and surprisingly good coffee, only let down by a selection of mad people. 8/10.

Oh, as a final point. Just a quick warning to let you know if you are planning to hold an event while England are playing in the world cup- don't do it! Unfortunately everyone just wants to watch the footy and the day can be significantly disrupted!

So, its hot hot hot and the weddings are coming thick and fast. I was performing at a Premiership Footballer's wedding last Sunday, a very classy event at a great venue (Crathorn Hall- see right), and a nice guy too!. Then it was off to Doncaster for the second wedding of the day, some great guests and I give the BBQ top marks, very nice burgers!

Friday I was in York for a wedding at the 14th Century Merchant Tailors Hall, very nice- traffic in York was less nice. Saturday I decided to have a marathon drive, performing near Shrewsbury at a wedding and then on to Epsom, Surrey for a Civil Ceremony- altogether a 630 mile round trip for me. Radio 2 was my saviour.


Have you ever wondered what a magician does before he gets his cards out? Well, here is a picture of me chilling out in the sun before performing in Shrewsbury, very nice day indeed!

Other news this week, interesting negotiations on gigs in Dubai, Scotland and London, with a side-helping of sunbathing and BBQs in the garden. Oh yeah, and I've been watching something called the World Cup, although I did miss the England game due to work. Gutted.

So, its Bank Holiday Monday, and I've given myself the day off.

Weddings has been the order of the month as the summer season gets underway. I've been trying to think how to liven up the blog, so my new feature is adding random photos of the gigs I've been to recently, so I've added a photo of the bar I performed at in Shanghai, China, in April below, and also a photo of the famous 'Spy Golf Balls' of RAF Menworth (left) from a wedding I performed at just outside Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

So, I was performing in Harrogate, then moved on to filming the TV 'Street Magic' in Sunderland later in the week, filming went OK, apart from the location seemed deserted of any people to show any tricks to, always a problem for a magic show. Maybe I'll add some clips to the website, maybe. The weekend brought another wedding, this time just down the road for me in North Yorkshire...beautiful weather so it was a great day.

Saturday evening was a great night, performing (again) for the Fairbridge Charity at a black-tie event. They are a great charity and aim to get young people off drink/drugs/crime etc, kind of the people before the Princes Trust in the food-chain I think. A really great cause, check them out at http://www.fairbridge.org.uk/

More filming later in the week, then I finished off May with gigs in Nottingham, Sheffield and Birmingham, lots of traveling, but thats always fun.

June is going to be crazy, weddings, weddings and more weddings. I love them!

P.S. For the really keen regular visitors to the site you will notice that I have completely over-hauled the site, new text, images and content. All very geeky.

Hello again. Its been a busy month. March ended on a 'geeky note' as I went to a magic convention near Newcastle, all very informative. There are generally two kinds of people at magic conventions. The people who sit down for hours trying to perfect 'the killer move', and then there are the normal people who go to have (many!) drinks and chat about magic, pick up tips and generally socialise. This is very much what I like to do!

April started off with a gig for the Naval Cadets of Manchester University then moving on to a wedding at Solberge Hall near Northallerton. This is the first of a marathon of weddings I have booked at Solberge Hall this summer, a popular intimate venue.

I haven't done many gigs this month as I have just returned from a few weeks in China, definitely a holiday, but once I was there I had a few impromptu performances at popular ex-pat haunts, such as the "Blue Frog" & "Captains" in Shanghai and "Cavern" when I moved onto Hong Kong. Performing for ex-pats is great fun as they always seem happy to see a fellow Brit!

Exciting next few weeks as I start filming a pilot 30-minute TV show, I'll be doing some street magic on the streets of the North East, so I'll be adding some clips to the website when its all done. How exciting. Fame at last.

*Excuse the patio heater in the middle of the photo! Shanghai has, without doubt, one of the most amazing skylines at night in the world. Amazing. More news soon.

Now that the paparazzi hunt my every move, (or maybe not) I have uploaded a couple of my many(!) recent interviews... Now don't get too excited at all my 'local-paper' fame. I'm sure you will be able to cope with my celebrity status when you meet me! Just Kidding.

oh, and not forgetting my interview in the National Bridal Magazine, "Bliss for Brides"...(More news soon.)

So, where have I been this week? I performed Close up Magic in Cheshire at The Belle Epoque Restaurant, described as "Knutsford's flagship restaurant". What a great venue. Wasn't sure if I was going to make it on the evening though as the snow was really coming down and there was the usual array of cars doing stupid things on the M62!

I've also been over to Derby County FCs stadium for the East Midlands Development Agency "Oscars Night for Business Champions". It was the usual Corporate Table Magic show, but it was a really great night with some fun guests and a great initiative with local businesses supporting the regeneration of the Derbyshire and Nottingham areas. If any of the guests are reading, who stole my kiwi knife that night?!!? Oh, and it rained all the way to Derby, driving in the rain is never fun.

I've got a really, really busy week next week, but keep looking back for some exciting news about me performing some 'international magic' in April. More news soon.

Not really keeping very up to date, but I had a truly crazy week last week. Back in North Yorkshire for a formal black-tie function on the Friday evening, then down to London for my first performance at a civil ceremony on Saturday morning, which was great fun, before flying to Edinburgh on Saturday night for a 21st Birthday party. On Sunday I had chance to sit down. On Tuesday I was interviewed by the Northern Echo Newspaper for an article on my magic career, which is being published on Monday 20th February (Click here to read the article). Last night (Thursday) I performed at York Racecourse at another Black Tie dinner with three other great magicians, Alan Hudson, John Danbury and James Ashford.
Next week I'll be exhibiting at the Harrogate Yorkshire Brides Wedding Fair, Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of February.
I'll post again when I can muster the energy. More news soon.

Tom has had a crazy summer performing at the usual array of weddings, garden parties and corporate functions. Some of the many highlights include performing for all the 'top-dogs' at the recent Virgin Holidays Dubai Bash, performing (again) at the Newcastle University Medical Society Ball- which is always great fun! Being featured in the February/March 06 issue of National Bridal Magazine 'Bliss for Brides', being asked to perform on New Years Eve at Newcastle's Exclusive Restaurant The Fishermans Lodge for the second year running and performing at the world famous Belfry Golf Club. Just a snap-shot of yet another crazy year of a top UK magician. More news soon.