"Magic of Jesus" Barry & Stuart

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TV show on Ch4 earlier this evening. Couple of horrendously obnoxious (sure, all magicians need to have that element of smugness but these two surely rank as TV's most charmless twosome) Scottish magicans (http://www.2magicians.com) did a few stunts based on the New Testament: turned water into wine (and beer, coffee and vodka & orange); made a virgin pregnant; walked on water; woke the dead, etc.

Some were shoddy and see-through - the waking the dead sketch was so poorly done that even the girl they picked to be 'spooked' looked mildly unimpressed. The 'look! it's richard e grant!' was another dullish sub-Derren skit, nothing great.

But does anyone know how they did the walking on water thing? I'm guessing the pregnant virgin skit involved a twin and a trapdoor.

All in all, it was a shit show but I'm curious about some of the tricks. Anyone care to defend Barry and Stuart? And at least D. Brown is back next week.

― Affectian (Affectian), Saturday, 31 December 2005 01:32 (twenty years ago)

I was very confused by the trailer for that show, because I was sure I heard the announcer say "make a Belgian pregnant"

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Saturday, 31 December 2005 12:09 (twenty years ago)

jesus is magic vs magic of jesus

― Masked Gazza, Saturday, 31 December 2005 12:24 (twenty years ago)

Anyone care to defend Barry and Stuart?

nope. never thought i'd get to describe something as 'sub-dick and dom' until i saw the trailer for this. even d and d are pitched bang at little kiddies so it's not so bad - these 2 are trying to cross that w/ penn and teller and it fucking blows.

boo. kick em into touch ch4. and while you're at it, why don't you stop trying to use something as culturally important as 'the iraq circus' to flog subscriptions for your digital services and screen it on terrestrial where even us proles can get to see it?

― smile when, Saturday, 31 December 2005 13:54 (twenty years ago)

haha I thought they said 'Belgian' in the trailer too.

I've never seen Dick & Dom but I'm guessing they're far less repulsive than these two guys. Yeah, it seems like they're trying for the Penn & Teller schtich and failing really fucking miserably.

How was the show introduced again? "With magic from the New Testament and styling from ... Franz Ferdinand.." Smacks. Of. Desperation.

However, I'm still puzzling over the walking on water trick (didn't Paul Daniels do this once?), is it something to do with salt?

― Affectian (Affectian), Monday, 2 January 2006 21:24 (twenty years ago)

I LOVE BARRY AND STUART!! DON'T SAY SUCH MEAN STUFF!!

I think they're really talented and not like Dick and Dom at all. Just because they're dragging magic into the 21st century, doesn't mean they should be vilified. They're intelligent, original and inventive. And I won't hear a word said against them!

Mia

― Mia Hart, Sunday, 8 January 2006 21:16 (twenty years ago)

Do they pay you to say things like that?

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Sunday, 8 January 2006 21:43 (twenty years ago)

I agree with Mia, I thought the show was great. They are making more people interested in magic and they do it in an entertaining way. So what's the problem?

Just stop trying to pick holes in every single little thing that they so and enjoy it for god sake! it's ENTERTAINMENT. Not some great intellectual show.

― dizzi, Wednesday, 11 January 2006 19:07 (twenty years ago)

No one said a word about it being intellectual or not. It failed the entertainment task by using tired old tricks done better previously by better 'magicians' on better shows. But more than that, Barry & Stuart are two of the most objectionable people I've seen since the time I interviewed that worthless indie band who'd recently read their first copy of Vice magazine.

― Affectian (Affectian), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 19:25 (twenty years ago)

I guess in the end it's all down to a matter of opinion. Personally, I don't think the show failed the entertainment task but each to their own. Maybe they used tired old tricks, but there was none that I have ever really seen before and neither will a lot of the audience who I would assume would be of the younger generation.

Also, as far as I know there isn't a lot of magic shows on television these days (not on terrestial anyway, I don't know about sky) so at least it's a bit of a change from the thousands of reality shows which have taken over television.

― dizzi1, Thursday, 12 January 2006 17:26 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

Barry and Stuart are the best magicians I have ever seen. I'd love to see these "tired old tricks done better previously by better 'magicians' on better shows" as I am yet to see any magicians do any magic that comes even close to theirs.

There are a few things I think I know how they are done but even so you cannot beat the way that they present their style of magic.

― Effie, Thursday, 6 April 2006 17:01 (twenty years ago)

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