LIFESTYLE
Pete is currently touring the UK in Pete Firman
And The Amazing TBC. Catch him at The
Forum, Northallerton on April 29 or the Arc,
Stockton on April 30. Tickets available from
petefirman.co.uk
WORKING LIFE
My greatest achievement so far is…A personal highlight was doing Tonight At The London
Palladium which was a great TV gig to get. The Palladium has historically been the home of
comedy and variety and a lot of huge stars over the years have played there, so to stand on
that stage and play in that auditorium was a real moment for me.
My biggest disappointment was…I wish I’d taken few more chances career-wise when I was
younger. There’ve been a couple of points when I could have taken a leap of faith but I played
it safe. As you get older you realise opportunities don’t necessarily come round twice. I’m still
to have The Pete Firman Magic Show on BBC1. Disappointed that hasn’t happened yet, but
there’s still time!
My business mantra is…It’s that clichéd poster that people have on their walls – work hard
and be nice to people.
The alternative career I might have had is…An actor. I gave myself six months to pursue
magic as a career and if it hadn’t worked out I was going to do a postgraduate acting diploma.
LIFE’S LOVES
The book I love is…Born Standing Up by
Steve Martin. It’s an amazing account of his
life as a stand-up comedian, his rise to fame
and the work involved in crafting a comedy
career. It’s really inspiring, plus he’s an
amateur magician too!
A TV programme I love is…I’m quite a
nostalgic person so if Only Fools And Horses
is on Gold then I’m going to watch it.
The song I love is… Move On Up by Curtis
Mayfield. It’s been my walk-on music for
my shows for the last seven or eight years.
It’s a very uplifting, positive, feel-good
song which is what you want at the start
of a show. It gets everyone going and puts
everyone in the right mood.
My favourite holiday destination is…To
be honest I don’t go on holiday that much
because I’m a bit of a workaholic. I went
to the Canary Islands last year which was
lovely and I’ve been to America a few times,
but what I really love is North Yorkshire and
staying somewhere out near Helmsley for a
nice long weekend.
I like to spend most of my time with…My
cockapoo, Stanley.
The biggest influence on my career has
been…My friend Geoffrey Durham who
was an actor and magician and worked
as The Great Soprendo on shows like
Crackerjack. In the last 12 or 13 years he has
become a mentor, a source of inspiration
and a brilliant friend.
The people who inspire me are…As a
young magician there were a few people
who took me under their wing at the
Middlesbrough Circle of Magicians, the
Middlesbrough equivalent of the Magic
Circle. We’d meet every fortnight and they
really helped and encouraged me. Then
there was Paul Daniels, of course. The circle
had a ruby anniversary at The Ladle near
Stewart Park and Paul came and gave a bit
of a talk. I remember being really starstruck
– ooh, it’s someone off the telly! These days
I’m inspired by people like Penn and Teller
whose magic is witty and a bit dark.
The people who make me laugh are…My
family.
The people who make me angry are… The
people who are in two minds about coming
to see me at the Arc – just get on with it
and buy a ticket! Seriously, it’s always lovely
to come back home. I can throw in local
references and the crowd are tuned into my
accent, plus I just enjoy playing up here – it’s
home turf!
tees-life.co.uk
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