Magic is a form of entertainment that’s been around for centuries but we’ve found that it’s pretty much like marmite – you either love it or you hate it. There are so many magicians out there, all trying to add their own spin on magic to make it as exciting as possible and it seems that they either get it really right or horribly wrong.

The appeal of magic is the element of surprise and the excitement that it brings to audiences. If executed well, magic can be truly awe-inspiring. We had a discussion in the 8Ball office earlier in the week and compiled a list of our 5 favourite magicians of all time.

Harry Houdini

It would be pretty much criminal to talk about our 5 favourite magicians without including the great Harry Houdini. To many, Houdini is known as the “Father of Modern Magic”, as he laid the foundations for much of the magic that we see today. A master of escapology and illusion, Houdini died in 1926, but his legacy still lives strong.

Penn and Teller

Penn and Teller have been going for some years now. They perform regularly in the world capital of magic, Las Vegas, and they’ve had several successful TV shows. They recently secured a prime time slot on ITV with “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”, which managed to pull in impressive ratings. They’ve caused controversy in the world of magic over the years by breaking the major rule of the Magic Circle; revealing how some of the tricks are done.

The duo adds a certain gruesome aspect to magic, which audiences around the world seem to love!

David Copperfield

David Copperfield has been performing magic for more than 30 years and he’s still going strong. Copperfield’s magic is all about drama and suspense and if you’ve ever seen any of his illusions, you’ll know all too well that he doesn’t do things by halves. He has a string of Guinness World Records under his belt, including ‘the most tickets sold worldwide by a solo entertainer’ and ‘the most magic shows performed in a year’. He even made the Statue of Liberty disappear! So, we thought that was justification enough for Copperfield to enter our top 5.

Tommy Cooper

You might not immediately associate Tommy Cooper with magic, but you’d be wrong. A big part of his performances involved him performing tricks ‘badly’. His tricks appeared a bit chaotic and he fumbled a great deal, but this was all totally intentional. He’d always (sometimes) come up trumps and leave his audience baffled. Cooper was a master of combining magic with humour – something that takes a great deal of skill to pull off.

Dynamo

If you’ve not heard about this guy yet, you need to get with the programme! A young guy from Bradford has burst on to the magic scene and from what we’ve seen, he takes illusion to the next level. He rose to fame through posting videos on YouTube and as his popularity grew, he started performing all over the world. By in large, Dynamo performs his tricks on the street to unsuspecting passers by and doesn’t rely on big props to leave his audiences completely confused.

Think David Blaine, but far less annoying and 10 times better!

Before you start searching for more Dynamo clips on YouTube (and we suggest you do) take a look at 8Ball’s magic tshirts. Trust 8Ball to have a tshirt for every occasion!