The Magicians-Top 5 tricks

In January, BBC brought magic back onto our saturday night screens with the magicians. The show, in which three top magicians (Luis de Matos, Chris Korn and Barry and Stuart) taught various celebrities to perform their tricks with them, received mixed reviews for it's celebrity gimmick and lack of prize for the winners, But earned deservedly solid ratings thanks to the appeal of the (admittedly mostly B-list) celebrity guests themselves (N-Dubz! Diversity!), but above all, due to the amazing magic. He are my personal top 5 tricks during the whole series

5. Floating Butterflies (Luis De Matos + Tulisa from N-Dubz)

Some of the best magic tricks in the world are those that are simple to describe, but beautiful to watch. The floating butterflies effect is one of those, and was perfectly done by Luis and Tulisa

4. X ray interlude (Barry and Stuart + Ade Edmonson)

This was, to put it simply, a wonderful piece of shock magic made hilarious by the young, handsome and scottish version of Penn and Teller.

3. Smash and Stab (Chris Korn + Samantha Womack)

Chris Korn was the weakest of the 3 magicians, but he still did some good tricks. Notable among these was his version of the Smash and Stab trick, which utilized excellent showmanship and a real sense of suspense.

2. Red Carpet Trick (Barry and Stuart + Angela Griffin)

 Barry and Stuart added infrared cameras and hilarious jokes to a simple shadowbox trck. It's not difficult to figure out, but the showmanship is wonderful

1. Divesity from a cardboard box (Luis de Matos + Diversity)

The trick is great. The showmanship is wonderful. And Diversity are amazing dancers. This was a great performance to see and talk about, and a wonderful way of kicking the series off.