Episode 1 Help! My School Trip Is Magic

It's term time again,

and our four magicians have left school on a brand-new mission.

But do you think you'd recognise them

if they were outside the classroom?

Do you?

Now's your chance, cos they're going deeper undercover,

with new disguises, ambitious costumes and even taller tales.

HE SINGS OPERATICALLY

This time, we're taking unsuspecting kids out of school,

piling them on coaches and sending them on school trips.

They're off to visit some amazing locations,

where they'll witness incredible magic.

I was like, "Oh, my gosh!"

And once again, we're hiding secret cameras in every corner

so you don't miss a trick on any school trip.

The magic is bigger than ever.

-Wow!

-It might be term time, but school's out.

I can't believe our teachers did that.

How long will it take before the classes shout...

Hello. It's me, Iain, and welcome to "Help! My School Trip is Magic".

Our magicians are no longer supply teachers.

They are now imitating staff in some popular attractions.

And because we know you know them, we've disguised them even more.

We've secretly filmed the results with special hidden cameras.

Today, we're visiting a science institution.

I mean, I love science, cos it's a bit like magic.

You know? Things that seem impossible suddenly become possible.

Like flight.

Mobile phones.

And even laser eye surgery.

Here's what's coming up on today's show.

James adds shocking science to his body of work.

Fergus cuts to the chase

with some sharp but safe magic in Tricks of the Trade.

You've been sending in clips of all your best magic tricks,

and later I'll be picking my favourite. It's the wannabe wizards.

And John's clearing up after dogs

while his magic assistant lies down on the job.

She's a lazy so-and-so, I'll tell you. She really is.

Do you think you'd be able to tell if your school trip was magic?

Do you?

This is James.

His deck may be empty but he's never out of ideas.

Here we go.

Whoa! Where did they come from? Great trick!

I'm a big "fan" of his work.

This is year four. They are fans of school trips.

They've never been on one like this before, though,

cos it's going to be magical.

They're going to the Royal Institution of Great Britain,

an organisation devoted to scientific education.

James will add his magical formula,

but first we need to doctor his looks.

Hot stuff.

Meanwhile, our school trip is no longer light years away.

It will be there quicker than you can say "Higgs boson".

James is in the lab cooking up how to present his trick,

but time's cracking on.

Eureka! I think he's got it.

Good job, cos the kids are here, so let's hear what they can expect.

So, today's presentation, I get to bisect a live human being

right before their very eyes. It's going to be great.

Did he say bisect?

By Jove, the kids are going to be in pieces when they see that.

But first, they need to inspect some scientific apparatus.

James is in the library, but what he's about to do isn't in any book.

The cameras are set in, the kids are sent in,

but they don't know they've been set up.

Over to you, James, you little lab rat.

Hello, everybody. My name is Dr Phil Good.

Hang on a minute. Dr Phil Good? More like Dr Feel Good at the moment.

The class haven't spotted James in scientific disguise.

Today we're here to talk about nanotechnology.

Now, does anybody know what nanotechnology is?

My nan's technology involves tea and digestive biscuits.

Nanotechnology is technology that happens

on a very, very, very, very, very, very small level. So...

Yep, my nan's very small, too.

..and our developments in this area have led us to discover

that we can use nanotechnology to regenerate organic matter.

Isn't that exciting?

And it's going to get way more exciting yet.

We're going to do two experiments today that are going to show us that.

For "experiments", read "magic tricks".

The first one, we're going to use a rose and a cooling agent.

So, this is my cooling agent

that I'm going to take and place into this flask, like so.

-There we go.

-James is trained to deal with danger.

You aren't, so don't handle pots of potentially hazardous chemicals.

Great reaction, though.

And what's happening in there

is the temperature is now very, very low,

and we're going to take the rose

and we're going to dip it into the cooling agent, like so.

That's going to be one frozen rose.

Now you should see that as the rose starts to get cold,

the vapour comes off the petals.

I'm going to leave this in there rather a long time

so it gets very, very cold. In fact, it's going to freeze.

The matter inside the petals

is just going to become very hard and very brittle.

It might be brittle, but this trick's going to be strong.

Now, the whole process of this

is to do with the reversal of the procedure,

so while that's freezing

we're just going to come over here and start some heat.

Now, careful. James and naked flames do mix,

but you should never play with fire cos it can hurt.

Now, what's happened is it's become very, very, very cold inside the rose

and the petals have become very fragile.

James is a very delicate flower.

No, I mean James is being delicate with the flower.

Just grab hold and just give it a flick.

Is that a magic flick?

The petals actually wilt off the rose because it's so cold and brittle.

CHILDREN GASP And as you can see...

The class haven't smelt a rat,

and hopefully James comes up smelling of roses.

Now, the idea is that we can take this organic matter,

in this case the petals from the rose,

and reverse the process by rapidly heating it up. Does that make sense?

So we've rapidly cooled them in the flask

and now we're going to reverse the procedure and rapidly warm them up.

Can James restore the frozen rose to its full glory by adding heat?

I'm going to take some of the rose petals from the bottom.

Just there. Got to be very careful.

He's plucking at those petals.

Tweezy does it.

And we're going to heat them up very quickly on this candle.

Now, this happens very fast, so we'll have to go very carefully,

and I'm going to touch the petals to the flame

and hopefully... CHILDREN GASP

..restore them to their original form. Isn't that marvellous?

Whoa, let's get a rewind!

The flower is reborn. That's blooming great stuff.

The class are wowed. Do they suspect?

Can James put a lid on it before the secret formula is out?

There's no need to applaud. Really, it's just science.

But it's very exciting, isn't it?

Nice one, Doc. Great appliance of science.

The class loved it, but will they be fans of the magic coming up,

when James uses misdirection to perform a bisection?

Now Fergus is going to set you a magical challenge

in Tricks of the Trade.

If you fancy yourself as a magician,

here's a trick you can try on your mates.

Fergus will show you how to fit your entire body

through a single hole in a piece of paper.

Can you work out how to do it?

Keep watching, and you'll find out later in the show.

It's going to be incredible.

High time to return to the science institution,

where James has been doctoring the truth in his lab coat.

The rose went from dead petals to fine fettle,

but can he scare the living daylights

-out of these school trippers?

-Now, as you can see...

we can use this technology

to separate and restore far bigger pieces of organic matter,

not just roses or plants.

We can actually do humans, and that's what we're going to do now.

We're going to use Miss Line. Miss Line, if you could come and help me.

And if you'd like to just lie on the table there.

The pupils think she works here,

but Miss Line is James's magical assistant.

Now, Miss Line is positioning herself over the main sensor area,

and we're just going to put some dynamic dispersion domes on top

to activate the nanotechnology.

Obviously, when doing this you have to be very, very careful

that we put these on correctly. We don't want to put them on wrong.

This futuristic-looking device is about to house some massive illusion

and it's one that will cause mass confusion.

We're also going to take the other one for her leg.

So, Miss Line, if you could lie very still, that would be perfect.

I'm going to take this one and pop it straight on top here.

And that's good. Good.

Now, it's obviously very important

that because we're using such small technology

that we're very accurate with where we place our sensors.

I'm sensing some magic, and I bet Miss Line is sensing danger.

Alan, could you come up and help me put on the head and the ankle rest?

That would be great. If we do the feet first, that would be great.

Fergus looks like an Alan. Suits him.

So, as I said, it's very important that we're very, very accurate

with how we pinpoint our technology,

which is why it's important just to slightly restrict the movement.

Miss Line is well and truly secured in that unit. She's going nowhere.

..allowing us to be very accurate indeed.

I'm just going to be very careful there.

Is that OK for you, Miss Line?

OK. Got to move the top there.

And if we just straighten...

Science occasionally needs a human guinea pig,

but if I was her I'd be having kittens.

The thermal plates would be good now. So if we could bring those out...

Now, the thermal plates are going to allow us to bisect Miss Line here.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, did he just say bisect?

Surely he's not going to put those through her body!

This might tickle a bit, as you know.

So, we're just going to pop that in. How is that? Is that OK?

-Yes.

-Good. We'll just do that.

Oh! That made me jump.

Yes, yes, it's all very good.

And then we'll take the other plate and do the top half, like this.

The wonderful thing about this is we don't have to use any anaesthesia.

Just make sure we've got that in there.

Uh-oh, it's stuck. Good job James is a doc.

Except he isn't.

He pulled her head and it's gone in! Ouch.

The thermal plates have bisected Miss Line in the middle.

Miss Line is split by what James is calling the thermal plates,

but her body seems OK.

They're undoing the catches, and the catch is that this is magic.

So therefore we can completely separate Miss Lang.

I can't believe my eyes. I can't believe her legs.

That is one trick and a half.

Now, imagine the possibilities of this technology

once it's rolled out into hospitals all over the country.

-And are you OK, Miss Line?

-Yes.

-Fantastic.

Miss Line's OK. And you can see we temporarily bisected you,

using the same technology as the rose. Alan...?

Do you remember the rose? It was froze and then it rose again.

Can James and Fergus keep it together?

Can they put Miss Line back together?

And, Alan, if you could do the curtain, please?

A legendary trick is secured.

And do the curtain.

Fantastic. And if you could just pop your hand in there, Miss Line,

that would be great. And of course take the plate out.

The plates must come out.

The plates are out,

but have the class kept their food down

at this stomach-wrenching trick?

Let's take out the head and ankle rests,

and we'll do the head first this time, I think.

There. And we're just going to take this restraint off her head.

She's remarkably calm, and the class are breathing in.

That would be great, Alan.

Great.

Fantastic. And if we just square up...

..and release the catches on the front.

Hope she's all right.

And of course on the back.

Wonderful. And if you take the bottom half,

and I will take the top half, as it were.

Fantastic. And I'll take the top off, being very careful.

And there we go, Miss Line, everybody. Isn't she marvellous?

And just help you up. OK, up you go.

Phew, she's good as new,

and it's about time the class knew the secret.

As well as the two marvellous things we've shown you today,

we've actually got another thing to tell you.

This is very, very exciting.

Basically, my name isn't Phil Good at all. My name is James.

I'm not actually called Alan. I'm called Fergus.

And you're being secretly filmed

on cameras hidden here and here and here

for CBBC's "Help! My School Trip is Magic"!

CHEERING

The class are cheering in excitement and relief.

Has it been a great trick? Not half.

I thought that trick was amazing.

How is that? Is that OK?

James performed surgical magic that was shockingly good.

When they put the plate on her skin, it felt really scary.

Not as scary as it felt for his assistant, you'd think.

What I really liked was when they separated the lady,

and I was like, "Oh, my gosh!"

Not to worry, though, she went back together,

and opinion was most certainly not divided.

It was absolutely fantastic.

Don't know about One Direction, this was One Bisection.

This school trip had no idea James was a magician.

How long would it take for YOU to shout...

Still to come, hold your breath.

Fergus may reveal the secret in Tricks of the Trade.

Does John know the answer?

Katherine has a ball at the dogs' home

and John causes a ruckus when he raises his colleague,

but will he raise the roof?

Or will the kids realise their school trip is magic?

But first, we asked you to send in clips of yourselves

performing your best magic tricks.

We received loads of clips from all over the country.

Each week, I'll be choosing a favourite wannabe wizard

and showing them to you guys.

My wannabe wizard this time is Salmand from London,

and he's enlisted some help from home.

I've got a glass and circle platform.

Otherwise known as a blue lid.

We're going to place it on top. Nice and sealed.

-Sealed. OK.

-Yep, nothing can get in there.

Do you have a 5p coin?

-Oh, yeah.

-Perfect.

OK, what I'm going to do, I'm going to go one...

Watch that coin.

..two, three. CLINK

I heard it go.

I'm going to take it...

and I'm just going to shake it.

Oh, my...

And I just...

..giddy aunt, the coin is inside the glass!

That is amazing.

-You said it, mate.

-How did you do that?

-That is amazing.

-He said it again.

-How did you push that coin

through the neck of the glass and the bottom?

That is incredible. Can you check that coin?

-They want proof.

-Yeah, is it a real coin?

Yeah, it's a real coin OK.

Can you check the glass? I want to check the end of the glass,

cos I think maybe you pushed it through here or...

-No, that's a real glass.

-Mummy?

-Yep.

A further verification is required.

Yep. That's very good.

So good it needs a rewind.

-..one...

-The coin is outside the glass.

-..two, three.

-CLINK

-Where's it gone?

..I'm going to take it...

and I'm just going to shake it.

There it is! No wonder they're impressed.

Ta-da!

Great trick.

The great Salmando!

Big finish.

Here come magicians Katherine and John.

They're honing their ball skills,

as these will come in very handy for their next assignment.

Look, now you see it.

Now it's invisi-ball.

Nice throw. Now off you go.

This is year four clambering on the coach. Meet Grace.

Katherine's going to call on her later on to assist in the magic.

The kids have been told some big porky pies

by their parents and their teachers.

It's all for a good cause, though,

as this school trip will start normally and end magically.

They don't have a Scooby-Doo.

The one thing they do know

is they're off to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

Here they rehome dogs and cats

and teach pet owners how to be responsible.

Meanwhile, we'll be responsible for filling this lot

with some dog "bone-a fide" magic.

To throw them off the scent,

our magicians have to adopt some clever disguises.

Since the home opened over 150 years ago,

they've taken in more than three million dogs and cats,

and this class are about to be taken in

by John and Katherine's shaggy dog story.

In my trick today, I'm hoping John doesn't interrupt me,

because he does that a lot...

And I think you'll find that when you say that I interrupt...

See?

No, I... I thought there was a gap.

Interruption's a little clue as to what might happen with the magic,

but right now, the kids have arrived

and they're keen to see some cute canines.

And our canny conjurers are getting into character.

It's time for walkies.

Hard to know which furry fellow is walking who, eh?

John hates walking.

At least the class are more in control of the dogs

than John and Katherine.

Katherine's playing a highly disciplined dog trainer,

so she's going to have to dig deep with her acting skills.

John's going to play a cameo later. The class are nearby.

Remember Grace? She's going to have a supporting role too.

Incoming! This dog magic's going to be a treat.

-Good morning, boys and girls. ALL:

-Good morning.

My name is Fiona Decat, but you can call me Fi.

What's her name? Fi Decat?

That's just the beginning of her shaggy dog story.

This is my colleague, Sarah,

and her lovely dog Maple we've got here to join us today.

Her name really is Sarah and the dog IS called Maple.

The other facts may well stray.

Can anyone tell me what you think are the type of things

we need to do to look after dogs?

-Yes?

-Exercise?

Excellent. Well done. We need to exercise them, don't we?

Now, here, when we exercise the dogs, we often play with the dogs,

so I'm going to show you something.

Who would like to come up and help me? What's your name?

-It's Grace.

-Grace.

-Told you.

-Come along, Grace.

-Whoa, Katherine's really bossy as a dog trainer.

And if you could pick up the bowl for me.

That's perfect. And stand here. You can stand in front of Maple.

That's all right.

Now, this is the toy, the dog toy, that we love to use here.

-Not true.

-It's absolutely ideal. It's called dog toys in a can.

Would you like to see what's inside?

Here comes some canny magic.

Now we're just going to open up the can here.

I'll pop that in there.

And you can see inside we've got the ideal dog toy.

Can anyone tell me what this is? Yes?

-Tennis ball.

-It's a tennis ball. Very good.

There's no fooling them.

Or is there?

Now, this is the perfect dog toy, because it lasts for ages

and it doesn't make those irritating squeaky sounds.

Oh, wouldn't want to irritate Katherine while she's in character.

-Scary.

-We'll pop that down there.

Obviously, here we often take more than one dog out at a time,

so if we have two dogs that we need to play with,

this is a great toy, because you can see, you can just take out

another tennis ball as well.

And we can place that into the dog bowl also.

OK, so two tennis balls have come out of the can.

That's feasible.

We often take out more than two dogs at once.

Sometimes we may even take out a third dog.

And if that's the case, then it's ideal, this toy,

because then we have a third tennis ball as well.

Hmm, three tennis balls in one can. Surely that doesn't add up.

It's ideal for playing with the dog.

We'll pop that one in there.

"Perplexed" is how I'd sum up her expression.

What do you think we'd do if we had a fourth dog to play with?

Well, you'd get another can, wouldn't you?

You'd need a fourth tennis ball, wouldn't you? Very good.

Erm, here we go.

It can't be, can it?

So, you'd need a fourth tennis ball, like that.

Four tennis balls in one can? That's ridiculous.

And they can't get their head round this tall tale either.

And of course sometimes we have even more than four dogs out playing

with one keeper, so...

That's it, surely. Katherine must be barking.

What do you think we need? Yes?

-A fifth tennis ball.

-Absolutely. Good boy.

We need a fifth tennis ball, don't we?

So here we go. And this is our fifth tennis ball.

There. Lovely.

Five tennis balls, one can? She cannot be serious.

Katherine's been toying with these canine-loving kids.

So you'd need a fourth tennis ball, like that.

Her dog toy in a can produced not ONE ball, not TWO balls...

Well, you get the picture. There was five balls.

And from that tiny can. It was incredible.

Now that logic has gone walkies, it's time for Grace to sit,

but it's not over yet.

-Excuse me, miss.

-Yes?

Katherine is rudely interrupted by John,

and it's not just his moustache that's surprising.

Now it's time for Fergus to reveal the secret in Tricks of the Trade.

Fergus will show you how to fit your entire body

through a single hole in a piece of paper.

Can you work it out?

Do you breathe in tight?

Nah. Do you do it through a massive piece of paper?

You could do, but that wouldn't be very impressive, would it?

Here's how. Pay close attention.

First, you fold the piece of paper in half.

Then, using a pair of scissors, safely cut it equal increments.

Yeah, big old word, "increments".

Cut it equal increments along the paper all the way to the edge,

but no more.

Get a boring grown-up to help you if you need.

Turn the paper over and repeat the cuts along the card in the gaps.

Finally, open the card flat...

..and cut along the middle.

Don't cut all the way to the very end, though.

Once done, open up and climb through.

Did you get it? Are you amazing already?

Great trick, Fergus.

Back to the dogs' home, where Katherine's been playing

with the perceptions of these obedient pupils.

This school trip is about to take an unexpected turn,

when even more magic is unleashed.

She's hopeless. She really is.

So, here at the dogs' home we also do other things to look after dogs.

What might that be? Any ideas?

Who are these dodgy-looking characters in the background?

Brush their hair. Excellent. Well done.

-Excuse me?

-Yes?

-Would you mind keeping it down a bit, please?

I'm in the middle of something. Thank you.

We've just got to clean up a little bit. I mean, you're a bit late.

Actually, I think you'll find I'm right on time, thank you.

Katherine needs to keep her hair on...

as does John. Nice wig, mate.

Right, as I was saying, children, this is how you groom a dog, OK?

Keep your eyes on John and his kennel-cleaning colleague.

So, as you can see, all you do is take the brush like this,

and you have to make sure you groom the dog in the direction of the hair.

Katherine's keeping up appearances with her dog-grooming chat,

but John's a bit of a wag, and he's got magic on his mind.

You'll notice Maple has long hair on her ears.

Can you see that? So sometimes ears can get matted

if she gets taken out for some exercise, or to play,

-and it's very important...

-John's whistling while he works.

I don't think Katherine's strict character will put up with that.

..we just brush her ears like that.

-Excuse me, miss.

-Yes?

-Yeah, I've got a bit of a problem.

I've got to clean this dog bowl here, right?

And my colleague has fallen asleep.

I have to say, you're being quite a problem.

The class don't know what to make of this little set-to.

I was wondering whether you could keep an eye on her while I...

SHE SIGHS All right. I do apologise, children.

This one here, she's stood on it and gone to sleep.

She's very sleepy, my partner, she nods off like that.

Look at her. Spark out. I can't do a thing about it.

She does appear to be asleep on that broomstick.

..get hold of that dog bowl, you see? And...

Whoa, John's body is levitating. The class can't believe it.

Then what I can do, you see, I can...

They can't work it out. There's nothing under her.

-Well, except John.

-I can clean this bowl out, you see?

I mean, she can be like that for hours on end sometimes.

She's a lazy so-and-so, I'll tell you, she really is.

It's normally only witches that can fly on broomsticks.

They weren't expecting this. John's off his cleaning trolley.

His partner's off the broom and the magic's off the hook.

You've done a lovely job.

You've really... You've put a bit of weight on since Christmas.

Thank you very much, madam. Lovely. Thank you very much.

-You all right? You went spark out there.

-Can you believe that?

Katherine's been leading them on

but she's about to let them in on the big secret.

Well, everyone, I have a confession to make.

My name isn't really Fi Decat.

Actually, my name is Katherine, and...

..I'm John.

And we're magicians.

They did spot the dog, but they didn't spot Katherine

or those hidden cameras.

And you've all been set up by your parents and your teachers

and you're all being filmed right now.

There's a camera over there,

there's a camera over there and there's a camera over there,

and you're going to be on CBBC's "Help! My School Trip Is Magic"!

CHEERING

That trick on a broomstick was sick, but who let John out of his cage?

I don't believe what I just saw.

Well, you better believe it.

I "can" explain. First Katherine had a magical can.

Here we go. This is our fifth tennis ball.

When she took the tennis balls out I was really shocked,

cos I didn't know how five tennis balls

could fit in a really small can.

Next up, Katherine was rudely interrupted by John

posing as a kennel cleaner.

I was wondering whether you could keep an eye on her while I...

SHE SIGHS All right.

I thought she was going to get cross with him when she walked over.

John wanted Katherine to help him levitate his mate.

She's a lazy so-and-so, I'll tell you, she really is.

When he lifted her up under the broom,

I was thinking, "How is that possible?"

Magic. That's how.

I thought I was dreaming. She was just in the air.

In the air!

With no-one holding her.

The trick was certainly held in high esteem.

This school trip never saw it coming,

and they'll never forget the time they shouted...

See you later, but until then, if you're on a school trip

and you think something magic's going on,

maybe you'll find yourself shouting, "Help! My school trip is magic!"