Magic entertainment comes to Channel 4
Fridays 10.30pm

Expect bloody mayhem, cunning stunts, twisted fun, a hatful of celebrities and the world’s top magicians in the first studio-based magic show for ten years.

As well as Stephen Fry, who was the voice of an owl in episode one, celebrity voiceovers include Jo Brand (as a pug), Bez (as a lemur), Nick Frost (as a monkey), Peep Show's David Mitchell (as a penguin) and June Whitfield as a Persian cat.

Double-act Barry & Stuart are joined by the devilishly charming Pete Firman, who uses maggots, cigarettes, skewers and a cuddly mouse to psyche out female celebrities. Each week Pete teams up with pal Alistair Cook to 'magically' cure members of the studio audience of their phobias.

Then there's escapologist Jonathan Goodwin who enlists the help of his dad to set up and film home-made videos of extreme escapes. Also on location are Evil Hypnotist Rajan and his sidekick dwarf Binde, whose idea of fun is to turn the public's dream into its worst nightmare.

Dirty Tricks also features variety acts from all over the world in stunts never seen on British television before, including Penn & Teller with their notorious deadly bullet catch trick, Las Vegas act Kevin James with the most shocking sawing in half ever seen and the veteran Tom Noddy, who makes miraculous shapes out of soap bubbles.