mostly david ephgrave

Tonight’s Mostly Comedy was one of the most surreal and exciting gigs of my life. Paul Daniels at tonight's Hitchin Mostly Comedy (photos by Gemma Poole ). I never dreamt I’d share a bill with my childhood hero Paul Daniels; least of all at my own event. I never thought I’d make him a cup of tea ( milk and sugar), share a laugh backstage with the genuinely lovely Debbie McGee – and get to interview them with my equally ecstatic double-act partner, and then watch Paul perform a trick just for our benefit. The evening was packed with pinch-yourself moments; so much so, the ten-year-old inside me didn’t know what to do with himself. Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee onstage at Hitchin Mostly Comedy (19.11.15) We’ve played host to a lot of big names at Mostly Comedy, but somehow, PD trumped them all. The atmosphere in the room when he was onstage was electric; the roar from the audience when he let a “Not a lot” slip towards the end of his set nearly took the roof...

Today was completely overshadowed by booking Glyn’s and my childhood hero Paul Daniels for November’s Hitchin Mostly Comedy. So was yesterday, to a certain extent. It was from then that we knew he might say yes (Paul). I was on tenterhooks until noon today, waiting for the confirmation email. When it came through, I didn’t know what to do with myself (other than text Glyn so we could share our excitement). It was genuinely thrilling – and a solid reminder of how much Mostly Comedy has grown since it started in 2008. Paul Daniels was one of the main reasons I decided to become a performer. That’s no exaggeration. Before I set my sights on being an actor, comedian or musician, I wanted to be a magician. I was obsessed with conjuring as a child, snapping up every book or trick I could find. While my junior school friends were busy wrestling with their Rubik’s Cubes, swapping Garbage Pail Kids cards or attempting to create some semblance of a discernib...

Today, I’ve tweeted twice about Wizbit. I don’t know why this Paul Daniels-fronted vehicle for kids' TV has been on my mind. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Perhaps I walked past something conical. I was a big fan of Wizbit as a kid (is it odd to idolize a geometric shape?). I was obsessed with magic. It all started after receiving a Paul Daniels Magic Set one Christmas. My mum actually gave it to me a couple of days before Jesus’ official birthday, to soften the blow after my pet rabbit died. I now wonder if these two events were linked. Did the Son of God have an alibi? Being omnipresent, He must at least have witnessed it. Like a drug addict switching from pot to coke, I soon craved bigger tricks. I’d use my pocket money to fund my habit, buying new effects from Davenport’s each week. I'd read all the books on the subject that I could find. I subscribed to Abracadabra Magazine and joined a local conjuring club. Whil...