John Archer is a British

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

magician, television writer and actor. As well as performing magic, he has also commercially released a number of his tricks through various magic suppliers.

Career

Archer was a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

in Cleveland Constabulary in the north-east of England for ten years, until 1996 when he was medically retired due to partial hearing loss, after which he began entertaining full-time. In 1998, Archer was awarded the Ken Dodd President's Trophy for Best New Magical Comedy Entertainer. In February 2000, he took part in the British Magical Championships, and was awarded British Magical Champion of Comedy. In November 2002 at The Magic Circle Awards Banquet he was promoted to Member of the Inner Magic Circle – with gold star, and was also awarded The Carlton Comedy Award for outstanding use of comedy and magic. In 2003, he was awarded the Senator Crandall Award for Comedy at Abbot's convention in the United States, and won The Magic Circle's Stage Magician of the Year competition in October 2008. He appeared on the hidden camera series ''Undercover Magic'', broadcast in the UK on

Sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

. Archer was also involved in writing for television. He regularly supports comedian

Tim Vine Timothy Mark Vine (born 4 March 1967) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and presenter best known for his one-liners and his role on the sitcom ''Not Going Out'' (2006–2014). He has released a number of stand-up comedy specials and has wr ...

on tour and also writes with him on various TV projects. In the music tour ''Plastic Elvis'', Vine pays homage to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and Archer plays Big Buddy Holly. Archer appeared on the ITV show '' Penn & Teller: Fool Us'' on 7 January 2011, hosted by Jonathan Ross. On this programme, magicians from Great Britain and around the world attempted to trick the magic greats

Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since the late 1970s. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo h ...

; if they did, the prize was to open the Penn and Teller show at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas. Archer was the first magician on the programme to successfully fool Penn & Teller.Mystery Magazine
'Exclusive Interview with John Archer'' by John Helvin and Walt Lees in Mystery Magazine (April 2011). In 2011, Archer also performed at the Edinburgh International Magic Festival. In 2012 Archer appeared in a 13-part series for CBBC called '' Help! My Supply Teacher's Magic''. A second series, ''Help My Supply Teacher is Still Magic'', aired in 2013 and won a BAFTA in the Entertainment Category at the Children's BAFTAs in November 2013 John is a devout Christian and discussed his faith in depth in his episode of The Magician's Podcast. Archer appeared on the audition stage of

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

on 25 May 2019. While he achieved four 'yeses', his appearance was criticised due to his previous professional credits. He made it to the top 3 in semi-final 3 alongside Colin Thackery & Kojo Anim. But he did not make it to the final after 3 judges voted for Kojo Anim.

Credits

* ''Help! My School Trip is Magic'' - CBBC * ''Help! My Supply Teacher is Still Magic'' - CBBC (BAFTA) * '' Help! My Supply Teacher's Magic'' - CBBC * '' Penn & Teller: Fool Us'' Series 1, Episode 1 - ITV1 * ''Undercover Magic'' - Sky1 *

Rose d'Or The Rose d'Or ('Golden Rose') is an international awards festival in entertainment broadcasting and programming. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) first acquired the Rose d’Or in 1961, when it was created by Swiss Television in the lakes ...

TV Awards 2005 - scriptwriter * '' The Impressionable Jon Culshaw'' - ITV1 (writing and appearing) * ''Claverdeek'' (short film) - BBC2 (appearing) * ''

Give Us a Clue ''Give Us a Clue'' is a British televised game show version of charades which was broadcast on ITV from 1979 to 1992. The original host was Michael Aspel from 1979 to 1984, followed by Michael Parkinson from 1984 to 1992. The show featured two ...

'' - BBC1 (appearing) * ''

The Sketch Show ''The Sketch Show'' is a British television sketch comedy programme, featuring many leading British comedians. It aired on ITV between 2001 and 2004. The show was first commissioned in 2001 and was co-produced by a company owned by Steve C ...

'' - ITV1 (BAFTA) Series 1 and 2 (writer) * ''Alter Ego'' - ITV1 (writing and appearing with Jon Cullshaw) * ''Fluke'' -

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

(writing and appearing) * ''

It's a Knockout ''It's a Knockout!'' is a British game show first broadcast in 1966. It was adapted from the French show '' Intervilles'', and was part of the international '' Jeux sans frontières'' franchise. History The series was broadcast on BBC1 from 7 ...

'' Series 2 - Channel 5 (writer) * ''It's a Knockout Christmas Show 99'' - Ch5 * ''The

Christmas Present'' - Channel 5 (writing and appearing) * ''Whittle'' - Channel 5 (writer) * '' Look North'' - BBC1 * '' Not The Jack Docherty Show'' - Channel 5 (writing and appearing) * '' Fort Boyard'' - Challenge TV (writer) * ''Fort Boyard - All around the World'' - Challenge TV (writer) * ''Stand up Live'' - LiveTV * Dutch milk advertisement - Dutch TV *

Travels in Time - (actor) *

Not Going Out ''Not Going Out'' is a British television sitcom that has aired on BBC One since 2006, and has 12 series making it the second longest running British sitcom (in series) behind the longest running sitcom worldwide, Last of the Summer Wine. It sta ...

- War (Mini Bus Driver)

Personal life

John Archer is married to Julie and lives in

Teesside Teesside () is a built-up area around the River Tees in the north of England, split between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The name was initially used as a county borough in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Historically a hub for heavy manu ...

, they have three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, John Living people Year of birth missing (living people) British comedians British magicians Britain's Got Talent contestants British police officers