Sometimes, all it takes to make it in showbiz is the right book at the right age.
For 30-year-old Adam Patel from Dewsbury, it was a well-picked Christmas present in 1997 that sparked an interest in magic so unstoppable that it quickly became an ‘obsession’.
His hocus pocus focus has meant that he now has a blossoming career as a TV magician with an exciting series ‘Adam Patel: Real Magic’ in the works.
Adam said: “I was given a book about card tricks. I ended up learning every trick in the book and the rest is history.”
Comparisons to Bradford magician Steven Frayne – who is currently midway through a national tour of major arenas – have cropped up but Adam has the unique gift of being a mind reader too.
When asked if anyone can be a mind reader or whether it takes special magical powers and intuition, Adam’s reply was refreshingly honest.
“I don’t know if anyone can mind read,” he said. “There is a skill to it. It can be learnt, I learnt it.
“A lot of people tell me they couldn’t do what I do but I think that with years and years of practice, they probably could. In my head, you can do it, but it takes dedication and it won’t happen overnight.”
When Adam gave up his day job as a pharmacist, he didn’t really know if he would make it.
He said: “You just have to risk it. It wasn’t something I was comfortable about at the time but I knew I had this opportunity and I had to give it a go. If I didn’t take the plunge, I knew I would regret it later.”
As the child of Asian parents, Adam’s change in career from pharmacist to performer was seen as an unusual move.
He said that his family found it really difficult to support him at first because ‘performing arts just isn’t the done thing’.
However, when you possess raw talent like Adam it always shines through and as the Patel family watched a TV demo of him in action they realised he was ‘pretty good and changed their tune’.
Adam isn’t a member of the magic circle yet but he’s ‘working on it’.
“You have to pass an exam and be vouched for by two existing members. It takes two years.”
The upcoming four-part series, titled ‘Adam Patel: Real Magic’, will feature Adam performing magic in locations across the UK and will begin filming in April before fans can expect the show to hit their TV screens later in the year.
