Wayne Dobson (born 5 July 1957,
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
, England) is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
magician, who became well-known through various television appearances in the late 1980s and 1990s. At the height of his fame he had his own television series ''Wayne Dobson - A Kind of Magic''. More recently he has become known as a campaigner for
multiple sclerosis
Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
charities.
Early life and magic career
Dobson was born in Leicester and developed an interest in magic at an early age. He has attributed the start of this interest to experiences including seeing an entertainer at a children's party and watching television programmes such as the
David Nixon show. When he was nine his parents gave him a David Nixon Magic set as a Christmas present and thereafter he became a dedicated performer always seeking to learn new tricks. During a school trip to London to visit the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
he stumbled upon the Davenports magic shop, to which he would return often during his teens as he sought to learn more about professional magic. At Davenports he met magician
Pat Page who became a mentor and lifelong friend. Other influences cited by Dobson include Roy Johnson, Ken Brooke and
Dai Vernon
Dai Vernon (pronounced alternatively as "DIE" or as "DAY" as in David; June 11, 1894 – August 21, 1992), a.k.a. The Professor, was a Canadian magician. His sleight of hand technique and knowledge, particularly with card tricks and close- ...
, who was revered among magicians for his close-up magic.
[ and ]
At the age of 16, Dobson became the youngest ever member of the Leicester Magic Circle. He also started to pick up work on a semi-professional basis at local clubs. In 1977 he won joint first prize in the close-up competition at the
International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is an organization for both professional and amateur close-up and stage magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St. Charles, Missouri. There are over 300 lo ...
British Ring Convention. This led to his television debut on the
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
show ''
Blue Peter
''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...
''. Encouraged by this success Dobson decided at the age of 21 to become a full-time professional magician.
Dobson had developed a style of magic based around fast-talking patter and one-liner humour. It won him work as an opening act on tours with top UK performers such as
Freddie Starr
Freddie Starr (born Frederick Leslie Fowell; 9 January 1943 – 9 May 2019) was an English stand up comedian, impressionist, singer and actor. Starr was the lead singer of Merseybeat rock and roll group the Midniters during the early 1960s, an ...
,
Dame Shirley Bassey
Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey (; born 8 January 1937) is a Welsh singer. Best known for her career longevity, powerful voice and recording the theme songs to three James Bond films, Bassey is widely regarded as one of the most popular vocalists ...
and
The Shadows
The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
. He also began getting guest slots on television shows. In 1988 he was hired as a support act for
Engelbert Humperdinck on a tour of America, where he won positive attention and got experience of major entertainment centres such as
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
Back in the UK he was asked to perform in the 1989
Royal Variety Show
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal f ...
at the
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...
, where he scored a great success with an act in which he was assisted by boxer
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno, (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He had a highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out of the ring. The pinnacle of Bruno's boxing career was winning ...
and sports commentator
Harry Carpenter
Harry Leonard Carpenter, OBE (17 October 1925 – 20 March 2010) was a British BBC sports commentator broadcasting from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1994. His speciality was boxing. He was presenter of programmes such as ''Sportsnig ...
. Later that year he made regular guest appearances on the
Joe Longthorne
Joseph Patrick Daniel Longthorne (31 May 1955 – 3 August 2019) was an English singer and Impressionist (entertainment), impressionist. He performed on stage and television, and released three music recording sales certification, platinum al ...
television show. This led to him to him being offered his own TV series called ''Wayne Dobson - A Kind of Magic''. The series was aired nationally in the early 1990s on the
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
network with this Saturday night magic show featuring
Linda Lusardi
Linda Frances Elide Lusardi (born 18 September 1958) is an English actress, television presenter and former glamour model.
Career Modelling
Lusardi was born in Wood Green, London to Lilian (née Glassman, b. 1933) and Nello Lusardi (1930–2017 ...
as his assistant and reaching audiences of 11 million. In total, three series were commissioned by ITV,
with a special called ''Wayne Dobson Close-up'' being produced by
Celador
CPL Productions (formerly Celador) is a British entertainment company originally formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 as an independent television production company. It created and produced a number of popular light entertainment shows and is ...
for post-1992 London franchise owner Carlton in 1995.
Multiple sclerosis
Dobson was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1988. Although he knew this would eventually come to limit his mobility he determined to carry on working to his fullest potential. He also became an ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre (MSRC) charity.
Later career
Having reduced his performing work because of the advance of his MS, Dobson has continued with a successful career in magic. Being highly regarded among fellow professionals he found himself in demand as a lecturer at societies and conferences. He runs DTRIK, a business developing and marketing magic tricks.
In 2018, he was interviewed by BBC Studios for their TV countdown series ''
Top of the Box'', which was commissioned by Channel 5 and shown on the channel under a number of titles including ''Greatest TV Moments of the 1980s''. He appeared in the 1989 episode on 27 May 2018, talking about ''The Royal Variety Performance'', his own television special and health issues.
In 2022, Wayne announced his return to live performance with a new theatre show at Haslemere Hall in Surrey.
References
External links
Official websiteThe Magic of Wayne DobsonWayne Dobson in German Magic Pedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobson, Wayne
English entertainers
English magicians
Living people
1957 births