Home Counties Magical Society

Non members are welcome at this lecture, a £5.00 charge will apply to any non members attending.

February 2008 Lee Alex

Lee Alex is one of the leading authorities on quick change, and its our pleasure to have him lecture at the society this February. Lee has been influential in his field,helping to translate and publish the 'Quick Change Book' with Sven Schoppenhauer. His quick change Magic Waistcoat has been met with hugely positive reviews, and has been described by Jeff McBride as:

"Costume changes are all the rage these days, and Lee has one of the best new products on the market! The color changing vest is a flashy addition to the modern magician's wardrobe. "

Jeff McBride, Las Vegas Headliner.

This is a lecture not to be missed.

PLEASE NOTE THIS LECTURE IS CANCELLED

March 20th 2008 Dr Todd Landman - Metaphysical Magician

Dr Todd Landman provides fascinating and intriguing mystery entertainment that combines his experiences of travelling the world, his knowledge of philosophy, history, politics and science, and his deep study of the magical and mystical arts to explore the hidden realms of human existence....

His performances feature a combination of manual dexterity, linguistic artistry and psychological persuasion that comes together in a dazzling display of demonstrations, tests and experiments, that simply defy rational explanation and invite speculation about deeper forces at work.

His performances are couched in a scintillating and engaging presentational style that provoke contemplation of life’s deeper questions while being sprinkled with a healthy dose of transatlantic humour.

The society is pleased to have Dr Todd Landman lecture, co founder of the Psycrets (British Society of Mystery Entertainers) society and respected mentalist.

Non members are welcome at this lecture, a £5.00 charge will apply to any non members attending.

April 17th 2008 Mark Elsdon

'Tricks You Might Actually Do'

Mark Elsdon has been a working professional magician for over 15 years. He honed his magic skills as a Magic Bartender in Hong Kong. Mark is also known as an innovator of magic effects. To name but a few there are The one with the trivial pursuit cards, Zenner Tech, The Mind Spy Pad, Google Whacked, The Riser Deck, Chaos 2, and Before I Forget. Mark will mix card, close-up, some mentalism and some bar bets. Having many effects under his belt, this is sure to be an excellent lecture.

He will also be performing incredible blind-folded Rubik’s Cube trick that he's done on YouTube.

Mark is also offering HCMS Members the chance to book on his Seminar on 'Rubik Remembered' on the 17th,18th or 19th or April 2008

Non members are welcome at this lecture, a £5.00 charge will apply to any non members attending.

May 15th 2008 Society AGM

This meeting is the Society's Annual General Meeting, and is not open to non-members.

Please make every effort to attend as key items and decisions about the Society are discussed during this meeting

June 19th 2008 Etienne Pradier

Etienne Pradier is one of the UK's busiest and most talented close-up magicians. He won third place at magic's biggest and most prestigious magic conventions in 2003. The FISM World Championships saw Etienne represent the Magic Circle and the UK, coming third in his category of Close up/Card Magic. Etienne competed against some of the finest magicians in the world to gain the title that he will hold for three years.

This has now secured him a major magic award every year from 2000 when he was presented with first prize as the Magic Circle Close up Magician of the Year 200. In 2002, he also won the prize for the UK with the First Prize British Championships all Winners Cup Grand Prix.

Las Vegas- Paris- London- Singapore- Madrid- Zurich- Los Angeles- Milan- Hong Kong- Hollywood. Etienne works everywhere in the UK, Europe and all over the World for International Corporate and Private Clients such as hotel groups, blue chip companies, tour operators, top restaurants, clubs and venues. Etienne is also a regular at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles.

Your host for the evening will be Andrew Webb. Chris Marris and Len Allen will be greeting Members and visitors at the door. Non members are welcome at this lecture, a £8 charge will apply to any non members attending.

July 17th 2008 Zane's Magic

Zane's Magic will be presenting a dealer demonstration. Zane's Magic supplies the best in Commercial Magic Tricks and DVD's, boasting an extensive range of high quality magic products. It's a perfect time to pick up new effects, general items you need, and be tempted by things you'd not even thought about.

It is very advisable to bring extra money, wallets and mentions of payment to this evening!!

Your host for the evening will be Dan Hudson. Keith Churcher and Andrew Webb will be greeting Members and visitors at the door. Non members are welcome at this lecture, a £8 charge will apply to any non members attending.

August 21st 2008 Club Night - Children's Magic and Balloons

This is a Society Club Night. An excellent opportunity to perform that new effect, old classic, or work in progress. Tonight we are concentrating on Childrens Magic and Balloons. Please bring at least one effect in this area.

All members are welcome to bring along an effect or short routine that they wish to perform.

Please let the host for the evening know if you are intending to perform, and for everyone else..

Enjoy the free show!

Your host for the evening will be Dan Hudson

September 18th 2008 To Be Announced

This event is to be arranged

October 16th 2008 Mini Lecturette

Brian Dodridge and Robin Maddy have kindly agreed to provide an evening of small 'lecturettes'.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn and watch two of our very experienced and talented Members.

November 20th 2008 Geoffrey Durham

The Home Counties Magical Society is extremely proud to announce that Geoffrey Durham will be presenting a new lecture. Geoffrey Durham is one of the most experienced and versatile magicians in the world. With his unique combination of charm, wit and astonishing sleight of hand. His new book 'Professional Secrets: A Life in Magic' has received excellent reviews and feedback since it's launch and has just gone for a second print following the demand for this ..."a must in your library volume".

Geoffrey is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, holds The Maskelyne, The Magic Circle’s highest award, The David Berglas Award for his outstanding contribution to magic, and recently The Murray Award, which is presented each year to honor the recipient for outstanding service and distinguished dedication to the art of magic.

Geoffrey Durham has performed for clients including members of the Royal Family, cabinet ministers, captains of industry and the aristocracy. He has performed in two Children’s Royal Variety Performances. In thirty years as a cabaret artist his unique presentations have been featured in every hotel on London’s Park Lane, as well as in many of the most prestigious venues in the world. In the corporate field, he has toured Australia for the Ford Motor Company, created over 100 special performances for Seat Cars and worked for a host of organisations from Kellogg’s to IBM. In the West End of London, he has appeared at the London Palladium, Dominion, Duchess and Apollo Victoria theatres and he has performed in over two hundred other playhouses nationwide.

He has hosted two series of Thames Television’s The Best of Magic, and was featured on The Fifty Greatest Magic Tricks of All Time on Channel 4 (where his expert performance of the Newspaper Trick came in at number 31!). In all, he has made over 700 appearances on British television - covering children’s shows, chat, quizzes and variety galas. But he is probably best known for his many years on the cult Channel 4 word game Countdown, where he has performed over 160 close-up tricks as well as displaying unsuspected skills as a wordsmith. He also appears regularly as a panellist and presenter on BBC Radio 4.

He frequently works as an illusion adviser for stage and television. In the West End of London, he has devised effects for Oliver! (London Palladium), Jesus Christ Superstar (Lyceum Theatre), the Reeves and Mortimer/Fast Show double bill (Labatt’s Apollo), The League Of Gentlemen (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Peter Pan (Royal Festival Hall), Privates on Parade (Donmar Warehouse), and The Mystery of Charles Dickens with Simon Callow (Duke of York’s). He was also the Magic Director of the critically acclaimed West End show about Tommy Cooper, Jus’ Like That!, which later toured nationwide. On television, he devised effects for Dr Who in the now classic episode The Greatest Show in the Galaxy starring Sylvester McCoy.

The Society is very pleased to announce this outstanding lecture, non-members wishing to attend should contact Dan Hudson ( 07966 036 928 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) as there is limited space at the venue and we expect high attendance.

Your host for the evening will be Simon Williams. Len Allen and Keith Churcher will be greeting Members and visitors at the door. Non members are welcome at this lecture, a £8 charge will apply to any non members attending.

December Friday 5th 2008 

The December meeting will take place on Friday 5th December 2008 and will be our closing meeting for the year, as such we are planning a bit more of a social and 'fun' evening. Confirmed details will follow soon. Please note this meeting is the 1st Friday in December.

Which of your magical heroes would you like to see lecturing at our Society? Would you like to host or run an event yourself?

Contact DAN HUDSON with suggestions for future events. Telephone: 0118 931 0981 Mobile: 07966 036 928 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Non members are welcome at our lectures unless otherwise stated, a £8 charge will apply to any non members attending. Please let our Programme Secretary (Dan Hudson) know if you need information on attending.

Please note: Many of the lecturers who share their skills with us at HCMS are full-time professional entertainers lecturing to us at significantly below their commercial rates. Although the above events have been provisionally confirmed, lecturers do reserve the right to cancel their engagements.