Magician formerly known as Dynamo ‘could not have performed again without NHS’

The magician formerly known as Dynamo has said he would not have been able to return to performing if it was not for the NHS.

The 42-year-old, whose real name is Steven Frayne, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in his teens and has battled with his health in recent years, having to take a two-year break from his career after falling ill in 2017.

Speaking at Advertising Week Europe 2025 in central London on Tuesday, he said: “In 2023 I had the worst bout of illness to the point where I developed arthritis in my joints, so I couldn’t even hold a pack of cards and I felt like everything I cared about was just being taken away from me.

“But I decided in that moment that I realised the magic is actually in everybody else, in the people that lifted me up, in the NHS that helped me and I started to focus on the magic in other people.

“And then I decided that I was going to bury Dynamo and start again.”

The Bradford-born magician buried himself alive on Dynamo Is Dead, a live special show released in December 2023.

Asked about his best moments from his recent show Miracles, released on Sky in December, Frayne said: “I resonate with what the NHS does, because I would not be performing again without their help.”

Frayne then spoke about his 47-date residency which is under way at Underbelly Boulevard Soho, a 200-seat venue in central London.

“It’s the first ever show I’ve ever done as myself, not as Dynamo. And it is a very personal show to me,” he said.

“For me it’s about creating a show that showcases my magic and also incorporates the magic of other people, because a lot of the magic in the show is made up by the audience members as we go along, so the show is different every single night.

“It’s super intimate, but it allows me to really connect with people. I can see every single person’s face.

“There’s moments where every single person in the audience is part of the magic at the same time.”