Episodes 149
Avg. Duration 1h 2m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.6 (14)
Since Feb 2024
Latest Episode Jun 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
99%
Hosting
rss.buzzsprout.com

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About This Podcast

Each week we invite one of the biggest guests in the world of magic to maroon themselves on a desert island. They are allowed to take with them 8 tricks, 1 book, 1 banishment and 1 non magic item that they use for magic! We discuss their 'can't live without' lists and why those items were chosen. 

Episodes are uploaded every Friday and are available via all Podcast service providers! 

To find out more about the team behind Desert Island Tricks, please visit: www.alakazam.co.uk 

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Recent Episodes

S3E5 Oscar Leonard

Jun 12, 2026 1h 28m Transcript

A cruise ship theatre looks glamorous from the outside but the work is brutally practical: your show has to reset fast, pack down smaller than you want and still hit like a full-scale stage…

S3E4 Michael Vincent

Jun 05, 2026 1h 31m Transcript

Your magic can be technically flawless and still feel forgettable. This conversation with Michael Vincent hit us like a wake-up call: the real goal is the experience you leave with the spectator, not…

S1E31 Stranded with a Stranger: David Rhodes

May 29, 2026 24m Bonus Transcript

A lot of magic advice lives in theory. David Rhodes brings something better: a working performer’s list of eight routines he’d keep if everything else disappeared, plus one book, one non-magic…

S3E3 Jean Luc Bertrand

May 22, 2026 1h 42m Transcript

The magic that stays with you isn’t always the trick you can describe, it’s the feeling you can’t shake. That’s where our conversation with French magician, creator, hypnotist and theatre performer…

S1E5 SOS: Harry Nardi

May 15, 2026 59m Transcript

We’re drawing a line in the sand: self-working tricks are not a guilty pleasure. If the audience can’t backtrack the method and the moment feels impossible, it’s real magic where it counts.We bring…

S3E2 Marc Lavelle

May 08, 2026 1h 12m Transcript

A great magic set isn’t the one with the fanciest props. It’s the one you can do when the pockets are empty, the room is loud and someone says, “Go on then, show us something” with zero warning.…

S3E1 Damien O'Brien

May 01, 2026 57m Transcript

A great magic set isn’t about having the fanciest props. It’s about having material that survives real-world conditions: bad lighting, tough angles, quiet tables, camera pressure, and the sudden…

S1E30 Stranded with a Stranger: John France

Apr 24, 2026 22m Bonus Transcript

You can learn a lot about a magician by the eight tricks they refuse to live without, and John France’s list is built for the real world: restaurant tables, family events, and close-up sets where you…

S2E53 End of Season 2 Special with Peter Nardi

Apr 17, 2026 1h 18m Transcript

355 different tricks. Only six people sharing the single most popular pick. And a top item that only three guests chose. Season two ends with the kind of recap that every magician, mentalist, and…

S1E4 SOS: Dean Leavy

Apr 10, 2026 51m Bonus Transcript

If you work gigs for a living, you know the quiet fear: doing the same “sure-fire” routines until you start performing on autopilot. Jamie sits down again with UK magician Dean Leavy to find out what…

S2E52 Harry Merlin Piper

Apr 03, 2026 1h 11m Transcript

A 15-year-old magician walks down a street in Los Angeles and strangers pull cars over just to have a photo with him and demand a trick. That’s the level of spotlight Harry Merlin Piper is living in…

S2E51 Rodney James Piper

Mar 27, 2026 1h 7m Transcript

Magic gets weaker the moment it feels like a “performance mode” you turn on and off. Rodney James Piper joins us with a profound, refreshing belief: if you’re a magician, you live it everywhere you…

S1E3 SOS: Adam Dadswell

Mar 20, 2026 45m Transcript

This week Adam Dadswell returns to rebuild his list years after his first visit to the island. Some picks stay because they still hit hard in real shows, others get replaced by newer pieces that fit…

S1E29 Stranded with a Stranger: Jim Aitken

Mar 13, 2026 24m Bonus Transcript

This week we sit down with Jim Aitken, an Aberdeen magician, longtime club member, and retired paramedic, to explore eight effects that balance practicality, heart, and lasting impact. From a…

S2E50 Chris Webb

Mar 06, 2026 1h 7m Transcript

A brass cap on a table. A ring hovering between hands. A deck that turns to glass. From a childhood trip to Hamleys to late‑night jams at Blackpool, we sit down with Chris Webb to map the eight…

S2E49 Vince Wilson

Feb 27, 2026 1h 26m Transcript

What makes a trick live past the applause? We say it’s story, meaning that travels with people when real life hits them in the face outside the venue. With Vince Wilson, we unpack the craft of…

S2E48 Erik Tait

Feb 20, 2026 1h 21m Transcript

What makes a close-up set survive bars, restaurants, conventions, and The Magic Castle without breaking stride? We chase that answer with Erik Tait, who lays out eight pieces that hit fast, reset…

S1E28 Stranded with a Stranger: Mark Piazza

Feb 13, 2026 20m Transcript

Eight tricks, one book, one banishment and a lifetime of lessons packed into a single, fast-moving session with performer and author Mark Piazza. We trace his arc from 25 years of kids’ shows to a…

S2E47 Craig Petty

Feb 06, 2026 1h 42m Transcript

If you’ve ever been told to perfect five tricks and repeat them forever, prepare to toss that rule out. Craig Petty joins us to make a fearless case for evolving your set, testing ideas in the wild,…

S1E2 SOS: Peter Nardi

Jan 30, 2026 1h 12m Transcript

A sliced finger, a kiwi, and a lesson in checking your props, our cold open sets the pace for a no-fluff, real-world rethink of the “eight tricks for life” challenge. Two years on, Peter Nardi…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Desert Island Tricks have?

Desert Island Tricks has published 149 episodes since February 2024, covering topics in Arts, Hobbies.

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Desert Island Tricks is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 1h 2m.

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