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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 ... [...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, and television producer. Television career Although O'Connor 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, O'Connor began appearing in ITV's popular Saturday morning children's series, '' No. 73'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peep Show (British TV Series)
''Peep Show'' is a British television sitcom starring David Mitchell (comedian), David Mitchell and Robert Webb, and created by Andrew O'Connor (actor), Andrew O'Connor, Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain. The series was written by Armstrong and Bain, with additional material by Mitchell and Webb, among others. It was broadcast on Channel 4 from 19 September 2003 to 16 December 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), dysfunctional best friends who share a flat in Croydon, South London. Mark is a pessimistic, socially awkward loan manager who dreams of being an intellectual, while Jeremy is a perpetually unemployed layabout who lives in Mark's spare room and who dreams of becoming a famous musician. The show uses point of view shots—giving the programme its title—with the thoughts of main characters Mark and Jeremy audible as voice ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miranda Hart
Miranda Katherine Hart Dyke (born 14 December 1972) is an English actress, comedian and writer. She has won three Royal Television Society awards, four British Comedy Awards, and four BAFTA nominations for her self-driven semi-autobiographical BBC sitcom '' Miranda'' (2009–2015). Before her own series was commissioned, Hart made appearances in various BBC sitcoms, including '' Hyperdrive'' (2006–2007) and ''Not Going Out'' (2006–2009). She appeared as Camilla "Chummy" Fortescue-Cholmondeley-Browne in the BBC drama series ''Call the Midwife'' (2012–2015) and made her Hollywood debut in the action comedy film '' Spy'' (2015). Hart has written five books: ''Is It Just Me?'' (2012), ''The Best of Miranda'' (2014), ''Peggy and Me'' (2016), ''Miranda Hart's Daily Dose of Such Fun!'' (2017), and ''I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You'' (2024). In 2017, Hart presented the Royal Variety Performance in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, making her the first s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarah Hadland
Sarah Hadland (born 15 May 1971) is an English actress. She is best known for her role as Stevie Sutton in BBC One's 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 Hadland was born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, on 15 May 1971. During her schooling at Wilmslow High School in Cheshire, she became invol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mediumship
Mediumship is the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or ghost, spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spirit conduit (channeling), channelling, including table-turning, séance tables, trance, and ouija. The practice is associated with Spiritualism (movement), spiritualism and Kardecist spiritism, spiritism. A similar New Age practice is known as Channeling (New Age), channeling. Belief in psychic ability is widespread despite the absence of empirical evidence for its existence. Scientific researchers have attempted to ascertain the validity of claims of mediumship for more than one hundred years and have consistently failed to confirm them. As late as 2005, an experiment undertaken by the British Psychological Society reaffirmed that test subjects who self-identified as mediums demonstrated no mediumistic ability. Mediumship gained popu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jersey
Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and government institutions, so qualifies as a small nation or island country. Located in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of north-west France, it is the largest of the Channel Islands and is from Normandy's Cotentin Peninsula. 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. At the end of the Napoleonic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derren Brown
Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English mentalist, illusionist, and writer. He is a self-described "psychological illusionist" whose acts are often designed to expose the methods of those who claim to possess supernatural powers, such as faith healers and mediums. His live performances, which incorporate audience participation and comedy, often include statements describing how his results are achieved through a combination of psychology, showmanship, magic, misdirection, and suggestion. Brown began performing in 1992, making his television debut with '' Mind Control'' (2000). He has since starred in several more shows for stage and television, including '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' (2006) and '' Svengali'' (2012) which won him two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment, as well as '' The Experiments'' (2011) which won him a BAFTA for Best Entertainment Programme at the 2012 awards. Brown made his Broadway debut with his 2019 stage show ''Sec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilkinson (shop)
Wilko.com Limited (trading as Wilko) is a British variety retailer. It was founded as Wilkinson by James Kemsey Wilkinson and Mary Cooper in 1930 as a hardware retailer, opening its first store in Leicester. In 1972, Tony Wilkinson succeeded his father as chairman, leading the retailer through rapid expansion. By the end of the 1980s, the chain had 78 stores, and by the end of the 1990s, it had grown to 152 stores. In June 2005, Lisa Wilkinson and Karin Swann succeeded their father and uncle, refocusing the stores from hardware to variety retail, and from 2012 onwards, rebranded the chain to Wilko. In August 2023, Wilko Limited collapsed into administration, with the final stores closing on 8 October. CDS Superstores purchased the Wilko intellectual property, re-launching Wilko.com on 12 October, and opening new physical stores from December 2023 onwards. History The first Wilkinson store was opened by James Kemsey Wilkinson and his fiancee Mary Cooper at 151 Charnwood ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guillotine
A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, 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 a pillory at the bottom of the frame, holding the position of the neck directly below the blade. The blade is then released, swiftly and forcefully decapitating the victim with a single, clean pass; 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" dates from this period, similar devices had been in use elsewhere in Europe over several centuries. Use of an oblique blade and the pillory-like restraint device set this type of gui ... [...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, often highlighting differences in their characters' personalities. 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), Flanagan and Allen, Morecambe and Wise, ''The Two Ronnies'', and French and Saunders. 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 par ... [...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 initial 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 Internet forum, Forum. History (1999) In early January 1999, Iain Chapman launched the website, providing news, rumours and information on Sky's new digital satellite platform Sky (UK and Ireland), SkyDigital. At the same time, Chris Butcher launched the ONfaq website, offering similar news and information on the UK's new digital terrestrial platform ITV Digital, ONdigital. Both sites proved to be popular, attracting many visitors eager for more news about these rapidly developing TV platforms. Chapman and Butcher discussed the idea of a merger of the two sites, to cre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrea Riseborough
Andrea Louise Riseborough (born 20 November 1981) is an English actress. She made her film debut with a small part in ''Venus'' (2006), and has since appeared in more prominent roles in '' Brighton Rock'' (2010), '' W.E.'' (2011), '' Shadow Dancer'' (2012), '' Oblivion'' (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). For playing an alcoholic in '' To Leslie'' (2022), she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Riseborough was nominated for a BAFTA TV for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the television film '' The Long Walk to Finchley'' (2008). She 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). Her stage credits include '' Miss Julie'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
