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Magicians (2007 Film)
''Magicians'' is a 2007 British comedy film released on 18 May 2007. It stars comic duo Robert Webb and David Mitchell as stage magicians Karl and Harry. The two magicians compete together in a magic competition, despite their personal differences. Parts and ideas of the film have been taken to parody the 2006 film ''The Prestige'' by Christopher Nolan, though this had not been released when ''Magicians'' was filmed (though the original novel by Christopher Priest had been published in 1995). The film is directed by Andrew O'Connor and written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, who are also the writers of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Peep Show'', which stars Mitchell and Webb. Other principal cast members include Jessica Hynes, Darren Boyd, Steve Edge, Peter Capaldi, and Andrea Riseborough. Plot Harry Kane and Karl Allen are best friends who work together in a successful and popular magic double act, with Harry's wife Carol working as their assistant. After one show, however, Harry di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew O'Connor (actor)
Andrew Mark O'Connor (born 23 March 1963 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire) is an English actor, comedian, magician, television presenter and executive producer. Television career Although he enjoyed a short stint as a child actor, appearing as Tom Brill in the BBC mini-series ''The Canal Children'' in 1976, he made his mark as a children's magician, and won the Magic Circle's ''Young Magician of the Year'' prize in 1981. After appearing in a number of variety shows on television, he was invited to join the cast of London Weekend Television's '' Copy Cats'', a showcase featuring impressionists such as Bobby Davro and Gary Wilmot, in 1985. A second series, without Wilmot, followed in 1986. O'Connor received a writing credit for each series. His own children's show, ''Andrew O'Connor's Joke Machine'' soon followed, in which he told jokes and performed magic tricks and invited children to do the same. In 1986, he began appearing in ITV's popular Saturday morning children's series, '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peep Show (British TV Series)
''Peep Show'' is a British television sitcom starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. It was written by Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb, among others. It was broadcast on Channel 4 from 2003 until 2015. In 2010, it became the longest-running comedy in Channel 4 history in terms of years on air. ''Peep Show'' follows the lives of Mark Corrigan (Mitchell) and Jeremy "Jez" Usbourne (Webb), two very different, dysfunctional best friends who share a flat in Croydon, South London. Mark is a socially awkward and despondent loan manager, while Jeremy is a childish slacker and unemployed musician who lives in Mark's spare room. Stylistically, the show uses point of view shots—giving the programme its title—with the thoughts of main characters Mark and Jeremy audible as voice-overs. The show is also noted for its veristic portrayal of human life through a general lack of conventional character development in Mark and Jeremy, and their p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miranda Hart
Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972) is an English actress and writer. Following drama training at the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Hart began writing material for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and making appearances in various British sitcoms, including '' Hyperdrive'' (2006–2007) and '' Not Going Out'' (2006–2009). Hart reached a wider audience with her self-driven semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom '' Miranda'', which is based on her earlier BBC Radio 2 radio series ''Miranda Hart's Joke Shop'' (2008). The television sitcom ran for three series and several Christmas specials from 2009 to 2015, and earned her three Royal Television Society awards, four British Comedy Awards and four BAFTA nominations. From 2012 to 2015, she appeared as Camilla "Chummy" Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne in the BBC drama series '' Call the Midwife''. She made her Hollywood debut in the action comedy film '' Spy'' (2015). Hart has also written four books: ''Is It Just Me?'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarah Hadland
Sarah Hadland is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Stevie Sutton in the BBC One BAFTA-nominated comedy television series '' Miranda'' (2009–2015) and Trish in '' The Job Lot'' (2013–2015). Hadland appeared as the Ocean Sky receptionist in the 2008 ''James Bond'' film '' Quantum of Solace''. Her other movie roles include '' Magicians'' (2007), ''Leap Year'' (2010) and ''Learners'' (2007). Hadland appeared in the comedy-drama television series ''Moving Wallpaper'' (2008–2009) as script writer Gillian McGovern, and had roles in the British comedy TV shows '' That Mitchell and Webb Look'' (2008–2010), '' Horrible Histories'' (2009, 2012–2013, 2015), '' The Job Lot'' (2013–2015) and '' Brotherhood'' (2015). She appeared in the BBC miniseries '' The Moonstone'' (2016). Early life and education Sarah Hadland was born on May 15 and trained in dance from the age of three. During her schooling at Wilmslow High School in Cheshire, she became involved in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mediumship
Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spirit channelling, including séance tables, trance, and ouija. Belief in psychic ability is widespread despite the absence of objective evidence for its existence. Scientific researchers have attempted to ascertain the validity of claims of mediumship. An experiment undertaken by the British Psychological Society led to the conclusion that the test subjects demonstrated no mediumistic ability. Mediumship gained popularity during the nineteenth century, when ouija boards were used as a source of entertainment. Investigations during this period revealed widespread fraud—with some practitioners employing techniques used by stage magicians—and the practice began to lose credibility.Ruth Brandon. (1983). ''The Spiritualists: The Passion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the largest of the Channel Islands and is from the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. The Bailiwick consists of the main island of Jersey and some surrounding uninhabited islands and rocks including Les Dirouilles, Les Écréhous, Les Minquiers, and Les Pierres de Lecq. Jersey was part of the Duchy of Normandy, whose dukes became kings of England from 1066. After Normandy was lost by the kings of England in the 13th century, and the ducal title surrendered to France, Jersey remained loyal to the English Crown, though it never became part of the Kingdom of England. Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derren Brown
Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English mentalist, illusionist, painter, and author. He began performing in 1992, making his television debut with ''Derren Brown: Mind Control'' in 2000, and has since produced several more shows for stage and television. His 2006 show ''Something Wicked This Way Comes'' and his 2012 show ''Svengali'' won him two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment. He made his Broadway debut with his 2019 stage show ''Secret''. He has also written books for both magicians and the general public. Brown does not claim to possess any supernatural powers; conversely, his acts are often designed to expose the methods of those who do assert such claims, such as faith healers and mediums. He often begins live performances by stating that his results are achieved through "magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection, and showmanship". Early life Derren Brown was born in the Croydon area of London on 27 February 1971, the son of Chris and Bob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilkinson (shop)
Wilko Ltd., formerly Wilkinson Cash Stores (1930–1941) and Wilkinson Hardware Stores (1941–2014), is a British high-street retail chain which sells homewares and household goods. The company was founded in Leicester by James Kemsey Wilkinson in 1930, and remains in the ownership of the founding family. The founder's son, Tony Wilkinson, joined the company as a branch manager in 1960 and succeeded his father as chairman in 1972, retiring in June 2005. He was succeeded by his daughter, Lisa Wilkinson, and his niece, Karin Swann. In 2014, Karin Swann sold her family's 50% holding in the business to Lisa Wilkinson. Product range The Wilko product range concentrates on household essentials, including homewares, textiles, DIY, cleaning products, health and beauty lines, stationery, confectionery, pet products and kitchen and bathroom goods. Wilko sells seasonal lines such as gardening products in the summer, as well as Christmas decorations and an expanded toys and games range f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guillotine
A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at the bottom of the frame, positioning the neck directly below the blade. The blade is then released, swiftly and forcefully decapitating the victim with a single, clean pass so that the head falls into a basket or other receptacle below. The guillotine is best known for its use in France, particularly during the French Revolution, where the revolution's supporters celebrated it as the people's avenger and the revolution's opponents vilified it as the pre-eminent symbol of the violence of the Reign of Terror. While the name "guillotine" itself dates from this period, similar devices had been in use elsewhere in Europe over several centuries. The use of an oblique blade and the stocks set this type of guillotine apart from others. The display ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Act
A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act. Pairings are typically long-term, in some cases for the artists' entire careers. Double acts perform on the stage, television and film. The format is particularly popular in the UK where successful acts have included Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (Cook’s deadpan delivery contrasted with Moore’s buffoonery), Morecambe and Wise and ''The Two Ronnies''. The tradition is also present in the US with acts like Wheeler and Woolsey, Abbott and Costello, Gallagher and Shean, Burns and Allen, and Lyons and Yosco. The British-American comedy double act Laurel and Hardy has been described as the most popular in the world. Format Humor is often derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin, and profession but drastically different in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, films, music and show business to a global audience. As well as breaking news, in-depth features, reviews and editorial explainers, the site also features the DS Forum. History digiNews (1999) In early January 1999, Iain Chapman launched the digiNEWS website, providing news, rumours and information on Sky's new digital satellite platform SkyDigital. At the same time, Chris Butcher launched the ONfaq website, offering similar news and information on the UK's new digital terrestrial platform ONdigital. Both sites proved to be popular, attracting a lot of attention from visitors eager for more news about these rapidly developing TV platforms. Very soon Chapman and Butcher discussed the idea of a merger of the two sites, to create the dig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrea Riseborough
Andrea Louise Riseborough (born 20 November 1981) is an English actress and producer. She made her film debut with a small part in ''Venus'' (2006), and has since appeared in more prominent roles in '' Happy-Go-Lucky'' (2008), '' Never Let Me Go'', '' Brighton Rock'', ''Made in Dagenham'' (all 2010), '' W.E.'' (2011), '' Shadow Dancer'', '' Disconnect'' (both 2012), ''Welcome to the Punch'', '' Oblivion'' (both 2013), '' Birdman'' (2014), '' Nocturnal Animals'' (2016), ''Battle of the Sexes'', '' The Death of Stalin'' (both 2017), '' Mandy'', '' Nancy'' (both 2018), '' The Grudge'' and '' Possessor'' (both 2020). Outside of film, Riseborough received a BAFTA nomination for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the television film '' The Long Walk to Finchley'' (2008), and won critical acclaim for her performances in the Channel 4 miniseries '' The Devil's Whore'' (2008) and '' National Treasure'' (2016), as well as the BBC One miniseries ''The Witness for the Prosecution'' (2016 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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