Episode 3 Dynamo: Magician Impossible

BBC Radio One and this is Scot Mills.

Dynamo is here, hello.

Good afternoon.

How did that happen? There was just a pile of papers there.

How can you do that?

But we've had that box...we've had the box since Monday.

I don't know how...how could you, how would that be possible?

I'm just pulling that face, like off a fish.

-You know, with your mouth wide open?

-I don't actually know what to say. I can't get my head round it at all.

Right now, I'm going to take you on a journey into my world,

from the City of Angels...

THEY SQUEAL WITH LAUGHTER

Hey.

..to the streets where it all began.

In this episode, I leave Travis Barker stunned.

Oh, my God!

Natalie Imbruglia gets in a flap.

SHE LAUGHS

I don't know what just happened. I'm in shock.

And I make headlines with Scott Mills live on air to millions of listeners.

How...did that happen?

My name's Steven Frayne but most people call me Dynamo.

MUSIC: "Almost Grown" By Chuck Berry

There's something magical about Hollywood.

It's where the stars of the future are born.

I arrived in LA late at night and headed to Mel's famous diner

to meet up with Miss California, Mariella Hewitt,

and some of her friends.

Name the first playing card that comes into your mind.

-Queen of Hearts.

-Queen of Hearts?

You could've had any card, right? Yeah?

Look at this, I'll do this really slowly.

In my top pocket, yeah?

Do you want to reach in there and pull out what's inside?

-One card.

-You're lying to me!

-No!

-THEY SQUEAL IN DISBELIEF

-No way!

-That's so crazy.

That's so wild.

We're going to play a game.

Do you guys know the fork and spoon game?

No? All right, I'll educate you on the fork and spoon game.

It's really simple. Let's try it a few times.

So we got fork and spoon, hence the fork and spoon game!

And I'm going to go round... Who shall I start with?

We'll go with you, yeah?

I'll put these behind my back and I want you to think of one.

-Me?

-Yeah, spoon or a fork.

Look at me.

I'm going to go for this one.

-Name out loud the one you're thinking of.

-Fork.

-Oh, no.

-Oh!

I'll tell you what, watch this. You wanted a fork, right?

Take my coffee.

Do me a favour, just stir it in the coffee.

-Done.

-Oh, my God!

THEY GASP

-Did it change?!

-Oh, my gosh.

-That's weird.

-Your face!

I was like, "I proved him wrong!"

THEY LAUGH

-The spoon changed into a fork.

-In the coffee.

When I was stirring it.

Are any of you ladies single at the moment?

THEY LAUGH

-Are you single?

-Yeah.

Can you tell me the sort of qualities you look for in a guy?

Erm...funny, confident, successful, funny...magician.

THEY LAUGH

-Awesome.

-Makes things disappear.

Makes magic happen!

Right.

I think you're the perfect person, I want to try this.

-Is this your phone?

-M-hmm.

Can you open up the calculator?

-Take the calculator, you now how to work this?

-Uh-huh.

I want you to... We're going to create a random number.

It's not going to mean anything right now

but in a few minutes, it might do.

So I want you to start with... This number's got to be unique to you,

so put in your date of birth.

And then hit multiply.

Yep. And now put in any random three-digit number.

-Three digit?

-Yep.

Hit multiply.

And to finish with, put in the exact time right now,

which should be on the top of the phone right there.

923. Yeah.

And hit equals.

So right now we've generated a pretty random big number, right?

-Yeah.

-Have you got your phone?

-Yeah.

-Can you just pull it out?

You're single at the moment. I'm trying to help you out here.

-THEY LAUGH

-So we've created this number.

I want you to call this number and I'm hoping it's someone

on the end of the line that's got the qualities you're looking for.

Should I put it on speaker?

No, it's fine, you can...

-Is it ringing?

-Finding you a boyfriend!

PHONE RINGS

Is that your number?

That's my number!

Hey!

MUSIC: "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" by Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers

I'll call you later, all right?

He had me put a random number into a calculator

and multiply other random numbers and it happened to be his phone number.

It's the craziest thing.

He has my number... Well, actually, yeah, I guess I have his, too!

The next day, I headed down to Bar Marmont on Sunset Boulevard to

meet up with an old friend of mine - the beautiful Natalie Imbruglia.

Hello! How are you? Nice to see you.

It's been a while.

It has, yeah.

When's the last time I saw you?

I think at a party at your friend's house.

-My leaving party to go to Australia.

-Yeah, your leaving party.

But you've been, like, everywhere since then.

Yeah, I went to Aus

and did X Factor, I was a judge on the panel, which was good fun.

I want you to think of a place.

It could be anywhere in the world

-but make it somewhere that's special to you.

-OK...erm...

OK.

-Got a place in mind?

-Yep.

Can you just give me your hand?

I'm getting somewhere warm, so it's somewhere warm.

Try and picture this place.

This is easy cos you're from there,

but I'm thinking it's somewhere in Australia?

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

I'm not wanting to give anything away!

I'm kinda... At this moment, I think I'm seeing sort of mountains

or water, maybe water coming down a mountain or...

Like a river, in Australia - creeks, some sort of creek.

Just think of the name of the place.

Cu...

-Currumbin...is it Currumbin...?

-Ah!

-Is it Currumbin Creek?

-How could you possibly know that?

I could just pic... I could see it, like...

Nobody knows that place!

Tell me about it. What is it?

It's this creek that goes into the ocean,

it's called Currumbin Creek and it's absolutely divine and I can't

believe you just did that, cos nobody knows that I've been there.

Speaking of beautiful places,

this place we're in right now, I kinda like it. It's quite eccentric.

Do you think they'd notice if I took one of these?

-You want to take a butterfly?

-Yeah.

-I don't know!

-I'll put it back.

-You'll put it back?

-Yeah.

-All right.

-They're only stuck on there.

-Oh, OK.

Just put your hands together, like this.

Put them really flat, like that. Awesome, that's awesome.

See, look...

See, look, if you blow,

it almost looks like it's fluttering, like it's alive.

Blow it.

Oh! Oh-ho-ho-ho!

Watch.

OH!

Ah-ha-ha!

Hello!

Oh, my God!

Oh!

Oh, my God, that was amazing!

Hello!

Oh, wow!

Oh, my God.

I don't know what just happened, I'm in shock.

Wow.

Wow.

'I was so focusing on the one butterfly

'and next thing I know, I was just surrounded.

'That was beautiful. That was AMAZING!'

All the ones from the wall. So they all...?

I can't wrap my head around it.

The LA nightlife is crazy.

I've been invited down to a launch party

by world-famous drummer, Travis Barker,

who's performing live on stage with Beastie Boys DJ, Mix Master Mike.

I met Travis when he was over in the UK,

so it was good to catch up with him and meet some of his friends.

-Mix Master Mike.

-How are you?

Legend.

Has anybody got a quarter?

Nice one. Do you see that?

Take the quarter and then write your initials on both sides.

And then, if you want to hold that up for the camera.

Everyone see that?

Watch.

Gone. Yeah?

Sorry, sorry.

Cup your hands together.

HE CLAPS

Put them together, like this. Open them up, yeah?

I'll stand back here so as not to spray everyone.

RATTLE

Can you verify? Is that your coin?

That's it.

Can you see that underneath? Get underneath this. See that?

See his initials?

-So, we just literally met for the first time tonight, right?

-Yeah.

Do me a favour, think of a number between one and 1,000.

-Got it.

-Got it?

-Mm-hm.

Just look at me.

-574.

-Get out of here!

LAUGHTER

That's too much. That's exactly what I had.

I'm a little freaked out. For sure.

-You know when you go on stage? Right?

-Yeah.

Do you have, like, a ritual that kind of calms you down?

-Just like, warm up.

-Warm up, yeah?

-Yeah.

Cos when I perform, I like to warm down.

Sounds a bit weird, but I'll demonstrate, it's easier.

-You ever taken a pulse before?

-Pulse?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-So we're going to take it on my radial artery, yeah? Like this.

Can you feel it?

And then, if you take a drumstick and just beat out the rhythm.

I mean, his pulse completely stopped

for probably about ten seconds.

That was crazy.

-So scary.

-Wow!

-I'm not sure. I was...

-Could you really feel his pulse?

Yeah, yeah. His pulse completely stopped.

That is just crazy.

So, he basically died for ten seconds.

That was crazy.

It was time to head back to the UK,

where I had a big interview coming up with Scott Mills on Radio 1.

When I was younger, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease,

an aggressive condition that attacks the intestines.

It can make you feel weak, and I ended up being hospitalised

several times when the illness was at its worst.

But in a funny way, it actually made me stronger,

and more determined.

There was no way it was going to get the better of me.

Despite my illness, I'm a strong believer in mind over matter.

I recently headed down to meet one of the UK's top personal trainers

and ex Gladiator star, Wayne Gordon,

at a police training facility in North London.

You can bench press me, right? Do you reckon?

-Ready?

-Yeah.

-Got it. Got it. Got it.

-Easy.

-Too easy.

ALL: Five, six, seven, eight.

Can you just wipe my brow?

LAUGHTER

You can bench press me. Can you bench press that?

The weight Wayne is about to lift

is almost three times my own bodyweight.

-Right.

-Just relax, Wayne. Relax.

You good?

-On three, yeah?

-Yeah.

One, two, three. Lift it.

Stop.

Can you go any higher?

Don't think that's...

-Put the fives on.

-We'll put the, yeah, fives, yeah.

And we'll put just 7.5 on each side, yeah?

It's not a 20, is it?

Are you going to do this?

I can barely lift my feet.

-You're going to spot me, yeah?

-Yeah.

Just don't drop it, cos I'm probably not going to be much help.

You don't need help.

Go on, Wayne.

-You ready?

-Yeah.

OK. Two, three. Go.

-Press. Come on.

-Come on. Press.

-Breathe.

Go on, Wayne. Push, push.

Little bit more. Little bit more.

-Done. No more.

-No more.

-No more.

Yeah, you struggled to lift that.

So, someone of my stature, pretty impossible for me

-to lift this sort of weight.

-No way.

Call the ambulance in advance.

-Sounds like a challenge, there.

-No chance.

All right. I'm going to try it.

LAUGHTER

No special effects.

Are you ready?

OK, bring your hands here. That's it.

Go on.

All yours. All yours. All yours. All yours.

I don't think it's possible.

I don't believe it's possible.

I was watching very carefully

as that weight was pressing down on his arms, just to see

if I could see what he's doing, but...I was amazed.

He was straining, there. He was actually pushing that weight.

Amazing. Amazing.

Absolutely incredible.

Wayne was struggling.

And he did it. It's incredible.

When you see it first-hand, when you see it on TV,

you think it's edited or something.

-No, never seen anything like it.

-Doesn't seem real.

This is Scott Mills.

It's 5.20, now, on Radio 1.

Becky, have you seen this?

No, what is it, please?

We've got this box and it's been

delivered by a man called Dynamo.

You might know him. He's a magician.

It's your job to look after that box until Wednesday

when Dynamo comes in to do the trick, whatever it's going to be.

-I've got a pack of cards, here. Are they all different?

-Yeah.

-Yeah? Happy with that?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Cool.

What I am going to do is,

I'll give a third of the pack to you.

So, yeah, we'll...I'd say... That's about a third, right?

I'll give those to you.

Something like that.

Then I'll give a third of the deck to you.

I just want you, literally, to...

I'll turn away, so I can't see it, yeah?

-..Just to break one card and remember it.

-Right, OK.

I'll turn away, don't let anyone see your card.

Just break at one and remember it.

Have you done that?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Both got a card in mind?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah?

Put the cards like that in your hand,

so there's no way that I can get to them, yeah?

Perfect.

Keep thinking of your cards. Look at me.

Done.

Done.

The cards are now gone.

Just turn your back over like this and spread through.

Has your card gone?

Huh?!

-No way.

-No way!

-No way!

-No way!

-Just name your card out loud.

-Ten of hearts.

-And your card.

-Two of clubs.

-Two of clubs.

And they've definitely gone from here, right?

-Yeah.

-They've gone. Have I touched you guys?

-No.

-How the hell did you do that?

-Reach into your pockets.

Huh?!

No way did he do that!

How did he do that?

Amazing.

That's impossible, bro.

That's impossible.

That is the craziest thing I've ever seen. That's shocking.

How did he even do that?

I don't know.

How did he even do that?

Where is that guy? Where is that guy?

I don't even know where he's gone!

-What's your name?

-Si.

-Si. Dynamo.

-Nice to meet you.

And you are...

-Neha.

-Neha. Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

I get to travel. I'm quite fortunate.

I travel a lot doing my magic. I've travelled all over the world.

-Yeah? Do you travel a lot, you guys?

-Yeah.

-All the time.

OK.

Just think of a place, right now.

It might be somewhere you've been.

It might be somewhere you want to go to.

-You got a place in mind?

-Yes.

You just changed your, you changed your mind. It begins with C, right?

-Yeah.

-It's, erm...

For a second, I thought you thought of Cancun.

Yes.

But you, you changed your mind, didn't you?

Cincinnati?

That is crazy. That is actually crazy.

Bloody hell.

How did you do that?

How did you do that?

-Just read my mind.

-That's mad.

It's his eyes, that's what it is, it's his eyes. That's ridiculous.

-He was looking in.

-Amazing.

Former Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt was in town with her new band,

Her Majesty And The Wolves,

so I decided to catch up with her

at a jewellery store on London's Bond Street.

Out of all the pieces here, there's about, what, 200?

-Yeah.

-If not more.

-If not more.

I just want you to have a look around the store

-and just choose one piece.

-OK. All right.

-How about this one?

-Which one is that?

-This bracelet.

-Wow, it looks...

-Beautiful!

It looks expensive as well.

-So... £81,000.

-Yes, please.

Nice! That's the one, yeah?

-Mmmhmm.

-Watch.

What?

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

What?!

Did you guys see this?

It was crazy!

-Let's put it on.

-OK.

That's perfect.

Right, let's go.

-It's definitely real glass.

-Yeah!

Being able to reach through the glass

and grab my favourite piece in the store.

I don't know how he did it, but it was ridiculous.

-I saw just a hand go through the glass and...

-pull out a bracelet.

It makes me feel giddy, I feel like a little girl.

We just saw pure amazement. He came out here and shocked us all.

It was absolutely unbelievable.

Dynamo can do some serious sleight of hand

and steal jewels at the same time.

It was absolutely phenomenal.

303 and Katy Perry on BBC Radio 1.

Before that, Bruno Mars and Grenade.

Afternoon, this is Scott Mills. You can watch us now on the live cams

if you go to the Radio 1 website.

If you can get to a computer, then do it,

because you'll want to see this next bit.

-Dynamo is here. Hello.

-Good afternoon.

So many of our listeners have been on,

very excited that you are gracing us with your presence today, Dynamo.

Liz is from West Sussex and her husband

just rewinds your tricks all the time,

so he'll watch it and go,

"Again, again!"

"Dynamo's amazing and I love him because he makes me shout at the TV."

-You've got loads of Twitter followers.

-Quite a few.

-If you want to follow me at Dynamo Magician...

-There we are.

-And a TV show, now.

-Yeah, Magician Impossible. It's quite nuts.

I've actually... The cameras are in here today.

You know, this will probably be on the show.

If you're watching on your computer,

this is the safety deposit box that Dynamo handed to me on Monday

at Radio 1,

and we were told not to tamper with it, not to open it.

What I asked you to do, though, today was, as well as the box,

I asked you to bring in a selection of today's newspapers.

-Which I can see there's a big stack there.

-Yeah, there is.

So, can you just put the box down to the side,

but obviously, don't let it out of your sight.

-And just pick one of the newspapers.

-Any one?

-Yeah, just grab one.

All right.

-So, which one have you got?

-I've got the Metro.

Metro, so, that's one of today's papers, right?

All the papers are from today.

-Wednesday, July 20, 2011, yes.

-Awesome.

I want you to have a look through and find a positive story.

Something that's good that you can read out on the radio.

OK, well, I'll have a look through, we'll play Benny Benassi.

I have absolutely no idea what this has got to do with the box,

or anything, but I'm sure it will all become clear, won't it, Dynamo?

-It will.

-All right, then. This is Radio 1.

What are you going to go for?

I don't know. Hang on.

-So, a good news story.

-Yeah.

This one's all right. It's about the Olympics.

Benny Benassi and Cinema on BBC Radio 1.

-This is Scott Mills and Dynamo's here. Hi.

-Hi.

So, Scott, you picked the story.

-Do you want to read it out?

-OK.

It's about a record-breaking mountaineer called Kenton Cool,

and it's just a nice story about him and the Olympics, really.

What is the headline of the story?

The headline is, "We've a lot to be proud of."

Now, would you agree that it would be impossible for somebody

to know before today that you would read that story out on-air?

Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Cos, I've actually got to head back up to Bradford very soon,

so I won't be able to stick around for the whole interview,

but I did say I would leave you a gift before I go,

which is right here. I'm going to leave that with you

and it's been awesome coming on the show.

-Thanks.

-Thanks for having me.

-Thanks, Dynamo.

-I hope you enjoy the gift.

And he's off.

Wow!

Open it!

Do we have to wait for him to leave? I'm just going to open it.

-Open it now.

-We allowed to open it now?

Yeah, do it.

Hang on, this is going to take a while.

There's quite a lot of

tape to get off. Hang on.

I need to get the tape off before I open it. Hang on.

-Ha-ha-ha!

-Bear with me, everybody.

This is Radio 1. OK, let's open the box.

I'm scared of opening it. Hang on.

Is this the right key?

Yeah! I'm in. OK.

Envelope inside.

What's this?

Er, OK.

So, it is a drawing of exactly the same page

of the Metro

-that I just picked out.

-Let's have a look.

Let me show this to the camera now.

-Oh, my God. He's drawn the man and everything.

-Actually drawn the man.

In the red... He's got a red top on in the picture and he's drawn it

in a red...

And the headline is, "We've a lot to be proud of. London 2012."

-And the bottom picture's the same, as well.

-"Torch relay."

How did that happen?

How did that happen?

And even, like... There's kind of, like, little stories underneath about...

And it says, "An inspiring pair,"

and then he's put "Inspire" and various words

that are on the original paper.

Really freaked me out.

Just pulling that face like off a fish.

You know, with your mouth wide open.

I don't know what to say. I can't get my head round that at all.

But we've had the box all... We've had that box...

Well, the paper was only printed today.

We've had the box since Monday.

OK, good,

let's play a song and let me just try and get my head round this.

I have absolutely no idea how you would do that. I don't know.

It's, er...

It kind of just dawned on me that actually, we've had that box

since Monday, so, how would you do that? Because it's today's paper.

It clearly says the date on the top,

so I have absolutely no idea how he did that.

And I like it how he just disappeared afterwards and went, "Bye.

"Leave you to work that one out."

I don't know how that happened, and there are a lot of people saying,

well, it's obviously a different box, but I promise you...

that box hasn't been out of my sight.

I tell you why, also,

because I didn't believe that he wasn't going to swap the box,

so in the top left-hand, I'm such a loser, in the top left-hand corner,

we drew a little black dot, so that I'd know

if it was the same box afterwards,

and it exactly is, because it's there, look.

Yeah, it's still there.

As I reach the end of the road, I'll never forget the people I've met along the way.

There really is no such thing as an ordinary person.

Everybody has the power to be extraordinary,

no matter where they come from or what their circumstance.

It's just a matter of belief.

Some people think it's impossible to change the future.

But in reality, the future is only what you make it.

That photo doesn't even exist!

-He moved your tanline.

-How did he do that?

Wow!

God knows

where you've come from.

Dynamo.

I don't know how he did it, but it was ridiculous.

Frightening.

Oh, my God!

Oh, my God!

That was the best thing I've ever seen.

Fully, fully baffed.

Man walking on water.

Like a modern-day Houdini, or something like that.

NEAR FOG HORN

DISTANT FOG HORN

Get out of here.

Oh, my God!

How did that happen?

How...did that happen?

-Hello?

-It's me, Nan.

-Who is it?

-Steven. Let me in.

Come on. Just open the door.

You going to let me in, or what?