Latest news with #StevenFrayne
Sky News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
King 'flabbergasted' by magician Steven Frayne's money trick as he and the Queen visit Bradford
The King was "flabbergasted" after a magician turned pieces of newspaper into £20 notes as he and the Queen visited Bradford in West Yorkshire. The monarch met Steven Frayne as the royal couple toured the UK City of Culture. Frayne, who used to be known as Dynamo, was born in Bradford, and got his big break when the royal's trust awarded him a grant. The entertainer produced a handful of note-sized pieces of paper and told him "I've got some newspaper clippings but I've been trying to take any bad news and turn it into good news". And as he tapped the paper pile, it turned into £20 notes and the King held the money to verify it. The classic "pick a card" trick with a twist followed and the monarch's apt selection of "King of Hearts" became the new name for a string of wifi hotspots in the Bradford Live venue when the King named his card. The royal burst into laughter and Frayne said later: "I've been fortunate to visit him in the royal estate, but it's nice to bring him back to my hood, to my estate - from council estate to royal estate. "He's created an opportunity for someone (who felt) I'm invisible, there was no hope. It's almost come full circle as now he's back in Bradford, 2025 we're the capital of culture and he's once again inspiring hope and he's inspiring his own type of magic in all these incredible people." Asked about the King's reaction to the magic, the entertainer replied: "He just said it was absolutely phenomenal and a lot of amazing words that made my magic sound incredible, he said keep going, and said he was flabbergasted." Frayne told the royal he "wouldn't be doing magic today without the support you gave me". The King replied: "But it was your determination - you studied." Frayne was one of a group of people who the King supported through his King's Trust who met him at a refurbished venue which will play a key role during Bradford's cultural year. The King also recognised another of the city's famous sons, painter David Hockney, while the Queen visited the nearby home of the Bronte sisters.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Watch: King marvels at Dynamo magic trick
The King has marvelled at an 'extraordinary' trick performed by the magician Dynamo during a day out in Bradford. His Majesty, 76, reunited with the magician, now known by his real name Steven Frayne, as he performed an elaborate card trick for the monarch. The King told Mr Frayne he was getting 'better and better'. 'It's extraordinary,' the monarch said as he watched the magician at work. The Bradford-born magician, 42, started his career with a grant from the King's Trust, formerly the Prince's Trust, in 2003. The Trust has helped more than one million young people since being founded in 1976. During Thursday's visit, Mr Frayne hailed the monarch for his early support in his career. 'I wouldn't be doing magic today without the support you gave me,' he told the King, adding that the pair 'go way back'. Mr Frayne also revealed he is part of the world's most famous magic society alongside the King himself. When Charles asked if he was a member of the Magic Circle, the magician replied: 'Yes. I think we're in the top level now. There's only a select few. I believe you're in there as well?' The monarch laughed and recalled being granted honorary membership of the elite magicians' club in 1975 after performing a trick where balls appear and disappear under upside down cups. He said: 'Yes, a cup and balls thing. It's impossible.' The King then hailed the famous magician's 'gift of the gab', his 'remarkable determination' and his 'incredible amounts of practice'. 'It's the gift of the gab,' he told Mr Frayne. 'You go on talking so people don't know what you're doing.' 'The best moments happen in silence' Mr Frayne explained that sometimes 'the best moments happen in the silence,' saying that training as a magician is similar to being an athlete. 'It's almost like training like an athlete, because obviously 2003 when we first met, to get to here now – that's a lot of magic I've got to come up with and I've got to keep reinventing myself, keep coming up with new ideas,' he added. When asked where he got his ideas, Mr Frayne told the King: 'A lot of them come from experiences travelling around, and sometimes I have to lock myself away in my magic cage. I've got a magic headquarters. And I have to lock myself away in there and see what magic comes out.' Mr Frayne then went on to delight the King with some card tricks. Instead of guessing Charles's choice from a deck of cards by making it reappear in a pocket, as he did with other volunteers, he turned to the King and said: 'But your card, I'm going to try it a bit differently. 'So I take my phone and let me see how you've got the WiFi in the area, I want you to focus on your card and just name it out loud.' The King confirmed his card was the king of hearts, to which Mr Frayne revealed that not only had the magician's mobile phone changed the network to show the name king of hearts, but so had all the mobile phones in the room. It came during a day of engagements for the King and Queen in Bradford to celebrate the people and heritage of the current UK City of Culture. Their Majesties were welcomed on Thursday morning by a performance from Paraorchestra, an ensemble of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians, and a gathered crowd. The King later received a hug from Imran Khan, a tailor whom he previously met in 2022 and had subsequently sent him a specially-made jacket. Mr Khan, who runs IK Collections, received a letter from Buckingham Palace thanking him for the 'wonderful' jacket. On Thursday, the pair reunited in Bradford during a visit to Impact Hub Yorkshire, which provides support to businesses finding sustainable solutions to social challenges. The King and Queen visit set the seal on the year-long celebrations after Bradford was chosen as the UK City of Culture over 20 other bids in May 2022 by the Government to showcase its best music, arts and heritage. Bradford 2025 is taking place throughout Bradford district, an area of 141 square miles across West Yorkshire. It features performances, exhibitions, events and activities inspired by the variety in the landscape, from the city's historic centre to the surrounding countryside, with a focus on the people of Bradford, from local artists to the diverse communities who call the city home.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Charles ‘flabbergasted' by magician during visit to Bradford
The King was 'flabbergasted' by magician Steven Frayne, who turned newspaper into £20 notes, during a royal visit to celebrate Bradford's status as the UK City of Culture. Bradford-born Frayne impressed Charles at the start of his tour of the Yorkshire city where he recognised another famous son, painter David Hockney, while the Queen visited the nearby home of the Bronte sisters. Teenager Florence McGrellis surprised the King with an impromptu hug when he toured the Hockney Gallery at Cartwright Hall. Florence, 15, who has Down's Syndrome, said afterwards it was 'awesome' adding, 'I'm friendly and I'm very helpful, and I'm a hugger', and the King seemed to enjoy the gesture, smiling and patting her on the back. The magic maestro, formerly known as Dynamo, showed the King new tricks he had been working on like an 'athlete' training, when Charles met a group supported by his King's Trust at a refurbished venue which will play a key role during Bradford's cultural year. He told the King he had just finished a run of 50 shows and was making a TV programme and joked 'you should come on it, we've got to tell our story, we go way back'. The entertainer, whose big break came after he was awarded a grant by Charles' trust, added: 'I wouldn't be doing magic today without the support you gave me.' The King replied: 'But it was your determination – you studied.' He produced a handful of note-sized pieces of paper and told the King 'I've got some newspaper clippings but I've been trying to take any bad news and turn it into good news', and as he tapped the paper pile it turned into £20 notes and Charles held the money to verify it. The classic 'pick a card' trick with a twist followed and Charles' apt selection of 'King of Hearts' became the new name for a string of wifi hotspots in the Bradford Live venue when the King named his card. Charles burst into laughter and Frayne said later: 'I've been fortunate to visit him in the royal estate, but it's nice to bring him back to my hood, to my estate – from council estate to royal estate. 'He's created an opportunity for someone (who felt) I'm invisible, there was no hope. It's almost come full circle as now he's back in Bradford, 2025 we're the capital of culture and he's once again inspiring hope and he's inspiring his own type of magic in all these incredible people.' Asked about the King's reaction to the magic, the entertainer replied: 'He just said it was absolutely phenomenal and a lot of amazing words that made my magic sound incredible, he said keep going, and said he was flabbergasted.' Earlier, Charles and Camilla met representatives from a range of heritage, arts and culture organisations in the Bradford Live venue who are all benefiting from the spotlight being shone on the city. And they watched a workshop featuring schoolchildren performing alongside professional singers and dancers for a show which will be staged in June. The Opera North, Northern Ballet and Royal Ballet and Opera production called Sing Dance Leap was commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. As they left to attend separate events in the city the couple went on a brief meet and greet with the public, shaking well-wishers' hands and Camilla chatted to Jackie Heron, 87, who wore a tiara and said of the Queen: 'She liked my regalia.' Camilla later visited the Bradford branch of the National Literary Trust, which she supports as patron, toured a school bus converted into a mobile centre promoting reading and writing, met volunteer literacy champions and local poets, and saw children taking part in a poetry session.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Charles amazed by magician during visit to Bradford
The King was astonished by magician Steven Frayne, who turned newspaper into £20 notes, during a royal visit to celebrate Bradford's status as the UK City of Culture. He produced a handful of note-sized pieces of paper and told the King 'I've got some newspaper clippings but I've been trying to take any bad news and turn it into good news', and as he tapped the paper pile it turned into £20 notes and Charles held the money to verify it.
The Independent
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Gavin And Stacey, Andrew Flintoff and The Traitors up for RTS awards
The end of the sitcom Gavin And Stacey, Andrew 'Freddie' Flintoff's documentary and the game show The Traitors are up for 2025 Royal Television Society (RTS) awards. Christmas special Gavin And Stacey: The Finale will compete against the BBC comedy Things You Should Have Done, and Channel 4's sitcom We Are Lady Parts, in the scripted comedy category. More than 19 million watched Neil 'Smithy' Smith, played by co-creator James Corden, finally decide to marry Vanessa 'Nessa' Jenkins, portrayed by co-creator Ruth Jones, in the emotional farewell to the beloved BBC show. Comedian Tom Allen will host the RTS ceremony on March 25 at JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The BBC leads the way with 45 nominations across the 29 categories, with its shows Freddie Flintoff's Field Of Dreams On Tour up for formatted popular factual section, and The Traitors up for the entertainment gong and entertainment performance for host Claudia Winkleman. The third series of the popular reality show, in which the 'traitors' get rid of the 'faithful' contestants to grasp a prize pot, will face the last edition of ITV's Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway before it went on a break, and BBC reality show RuPaul's Drag Race UK. Channel 4 received 14 nominations for 2025, with the broadcaster's coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympics recognised in both the sports presenter for Rose Ayling-Ellis and Clare Balding, and sports programme categories. Strictly Come Dancing co-presenter Winkleman, 53, will face Geordie duo Declan Donnelly and Anthony McPartlin for their variety show, and Steven Frayne, and Steven Frayne's Sky Max special Miracles after the magician said goodbye to the name Dynamo. For the drama series award, hit banking show Industry and period drama Wolf Hall: The Mirror And The Light, both from the BBC, will compete against Netflix superhero programme Supacell. British writer Peter Straughan, who won a Bafta and Oscar for writing the screenplay of papal drama Conclave, is also nominated for writing the final series of Wolf Hall, about King Henry VIII's adviser Thomas Cromwell. Also receiving nods in the same section is British writer Will Smith for Apple TV+ series Slow Horses, about failed spies, and the Disney+ adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper's novel Rivals . Leading actress is a competition between Ambika Mod for Netflix hit romantic show One Day, Anna Maxwell Martin for ITV crime series Until I Kill You, and Monica Dolan for ITV's true story drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office. The drama about the scandal of subpostmasters who were blamed for accounting errors is also up for the award for limited series and single drama, against the BBC's Birmingham-set This Town, and ITV medical drama Breathtaking about the Covid-19 pandemic. British actor Adeel Akhtar is up for the leading actor gong for legal drama Showtrial, alongside Lennie James for the BBC's Mr Loverman, based on the Bernardine Evaristo novel of the same name, and Paddington star Ben Whishaw for Netflix thriller Black Doves. In the female supporting actor category, Dolan is nominated for her role in James Graham-drama Sherwood, against The IT Crowd star Katherine Parkinson for the 1980s' romp Rivals, and Yorkshire-born actress Jessica Gunning for Netflix hit series Baby Reindeer. Gunning has previously picked up an Emmy, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award and Golden Globe for playing Martha Scott, who stalks Richard Gadd's failed comedian and barman character Donny Dunn in Baby Reindeer. Baby Reindeer has faced controversy since being aired on Netflix last year, after a woman claiming to be the 'real' Martha brought a lawsuit against the streaming company. RTS also nominated former EastEnders actor Danny Dyer for Rivals, US star McKinley Belcher III for Netflix show Eric, and Liverpudlian Sonny Walker for mystery thriller The Gathering, in the supporting actor category. The BBC's coverage of Coldplay at Glastonbury and D Day 80: Tribute To The Fallen, is up for the live event gong, along with ITV's The Martin Lewis Money Show Live – Budget Special. The RTS awards will be held on Tuesday March 25.
