Stephen Mulhern: 'I genuinely believe that anything is possible'

TV presenter and cruise ship magician Stephen Mulhern has some book recommendations for you.

Book you always recommend to a friend

If they’ve got kids, I would recommend my own books: Max Magic, The Greatest Show on Earth and The Incredible Holiday Hideout. I wrote these as a mini autobiography. I’ve been asked to write an autobiography, but I don’t feel the time is right yet, so I decided to write it from a kid’s perspective. The books follow me growing up, working on the markets with my dad then school, where magic became incredibly helpful in building my confidence.

At the end of each book, there’s a QR code where I reveal how to do the magic tricks I learned when I was growing up. They’re brilliant tricks to learn.

If my friends don’t have kids, then my recommendation would be The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I think the man is a genius, both on screen and off.

Best book that was recommended to you

This is an easy one, I’ve still got it now. It’s Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic. He’s an incredible magician and an amazing inventor of tricks. It takes you through every stage of magic you need to learn, teaching you misdirection, sleight of hand and all the fundamentals. By the end of the book, you can build a magic act.

There is another book I’d recommend too – and yes, I’m recommending another one of my own – it’s called Unbelievable. It does much the same thing as Mark Wilson’s book, just in a more compact format, so you can get through it more quickly. It progresses in stages, starting with very easy tricks before gradually becoming more challenging.

One you still remember from your school days

Well, again, this is a very easy one! It’s really funny – I can never get the image of The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss out of my head. As a kid growing up, I just remember how cheeky the Cat was. It was the first time I realised that I liked playing practical jokes, so I think the book rubbed off on me, really, because I still play practical jokes to this day. I do a lot of them on social media too. It’s a really enjoyable book for any kid.

Read more:

• Richard Osman: ‘I’m not that smart’
• Top 5 books about Charles Dickens, chosen by lecturer and author Annie Elliot
• Top 5 magical books for kids, chosen by teacher-turned-author Paula Harrison

The book that changed the way you see the world

Parcel Arrived Safely, Tied with String by Michael Crawford. I’ve always adored him as a performer, from his days as Frank Spencer through to his work in musicals like Barnum and The Phantom of the Opera. I really connected with the way he perceives life, his journey, and how he became the person he is today. It just made me feel even more strongly about something I’ve always believed – never take things for granted. I genuinely believe that anything is possible. Dreams really can come true, and I’ve always tried to keep that as a very positive mental attitude. Because, in reality, should I be presenting a Saturday night TV show? Should I be performing on stage? Well, not really. It only happened because of determination and that mantra that anything is possible. When one door closes, I really do believe another door opens. And if you push on that locked door hard enough, eventually it will open.

The classic that lives up to its reputation

Oh, my word, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. If you’ve never read it, please do. It is out of this world. A brilliant, brilliant book that still holds up today.

What are you doing next?

Before we start filming the new series of Catchphrase, I’m going on board P&O Cruises and performing my very first one-man show at sea.

Normally, I’d have dancers and supporting acts, but this is just me in a very intimate setting. It’s got everything from audience participation to mind reading – so be careful what you’re thinking on the night you see me! There are lots of laughs, and I reveal plenty of behind-the-scenes secrets about TV shows and stars. So it really does cover everything.

Stephen Mulhern will debut his exclusive new show, Live & Unbelievable!, as part of a summer Limelight Club residency aboard P&O Cruises’ Iona; for more information or to book, visit P&O Cruises

You can buy these books from the Big Issue shop on bookshop.org, which helps to support Big Issue and independent bookshops.

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