IOL reports

Magician Paul Daniels and his wife Debbie McGee launched an attack on reality television today as they spoke of their joy at appearing on the new X Factor show.

Mr Daniels, who with his wife became the first celebrity crooners to be voted off the new X Factor show last night, said he had enjoyed a “great three weeks� of preparing as it had been “laugh, laugh, laugh all the way�.

He said: “We are professional entertainers, that is what we do for a living and our job was to go in and make that studio jump and we did, it was just sensational.�

Ms McGee said they had a “great time� and the reaction they had received had been fantastic.

She said: “We are really glad we got booted off as they put it in the papers because we got so much sympathy from everybody.�

Asked whether there were other television shows he would like to take part in, Mr Daniels said he believed reality TV programmes such as Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity were the “most boring shows on television�.

He said: “Nothing happens. I am not really interested in people getting into bed with each other because I know people do that – big deal.�

He added that such shows were just “boring TV�.

“I switched on the other night and within minutes of me channel hopping I heard some guy on about his buddies and using four letter words.

“I thought, there is no fun in this, there is no entertainment in this. This is just people being disgusting. They are the bottom end of the market. Where do they find them, you know.�

He said the comedian Joe Pasquale who appeared on I’m A Celebrity was a “great entertainer� but all he had been asked to do was appear in situations such as having a box of rats running over him.

Ms McGee, said she had heard from friends who had appeared on Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity that you do not get fed very well on such shows.

Mr Daniels said one of the big surprises on appearing on the X Factor show had been how nice Simon Cowell had been.

He added that he and Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles had also got on very well.

Mr Daniels and Ms McGee had been impressed by Mr Moyles’ performance and they said they believed he could win the show.

Mr Daniels said Mr Moyles had the tremendous back-up of appearing on Radio 1. He said the other celebrities they hoped might win were ex-Coronation actress Nikki Sanderson, and England and Bath rugby player Matt Stevens.

Mr Daniels said he believed Rebecca Loos and James Hewitt could be the next to be voted off the show.

The new version of the popular ITV1 show, which began last night, will run every night until next Monday.

To be honest I thought they weren’t too bad, Paul and Debbie certainly weren’t the worst contestants on the battle Of The Stars tonight! That prize would have to go to the old lech and young slapper (aka James Hewitt and Rebecca Loos).

But their fun performance of ‘Let Me Entertain You’ wasn’t enough to save them and tonight Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee became the first casualties of the X Factor – Battle Of The Stars series.

I felt a bit sad, as Paul looked so upset and Debbie was obviously disapponited. Even worse the result meant that some crazy people must have actually voted for Rebecca and James….are they crazy? I would be happy if these two were never seen on our TV screens again, especially the tarty one!

The X Factor – Battle of the Stars have launched their new website in the run up to the launch of the show this weekend.

Although some of the celebrity’s identities have not been officially revealed, celebritie’s that have confirmed they will be taking part are Michelle Marsh, Lucy Benjamin, Gillian McKeith, Chris Moyles, Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee.

To see the celebrity blogs, and competition details visit the all new X Factor site here!

Wikipedia Reports

Paul Daniels (born 6 April 1938 in South Bank, Middlesbrough) is a television magician in the United Kingdom.

He presented The Paul Daniels Magic Show on the BBC from 1979 until 1994. His catchphrase was “You’ll like it, not a lot, but you’ll like it.” Paul also hosted other television shows from the 1980s to the 1990s, such as the quiz shows Odd One Out, Every Second Counts and Wipeout. The Paul Daniels Easter Magic Show won the Golden Rose of Montreux Award at the International TV Festival in Switzerland in 1985.

Daniels starred in his own show, It’s Magic, at the Prince of Wales Theatre from December 10, 1980 until February 6, 1982. At that time, the show became one of the longest-running magic shows ever staged in London.

He has since retired from presenting magic shows on TV, but continues to make guest appearances on other programmes. Paul still tours with his magic show, and recently presented a show about the ‘Magic of Max Malini’.

Paul was awarded the prestigious ‘Magician of the Year’ Award by the Hollywood Academy of Magical Arts in 1983, and was the first magician from outside the US to receive it.

He married his long-time assistant Debbie McGee in 1988.

He was humiliated by Chris Morris in the 1997 media spoof TV series, Brass Eye, in a segment where he was persuaded to appeal to viewers to help a fictional East German elephant that had got its trunk stuck up its anus. This was the same year that he threatened to leave the UK if New Labour were elected — a threat he did not, in the event, carry out.

In 2004, he appeared in the Channel 5 reality TV show, The Farm.

He also trained and worked as an accountant before his career took off. He served in 1st Battalion, The Green Howards during his National Service and was posted to the British garrison in Hong Kong.

Daniels was also involved in a BBC children’s television show called Wizbit in which a magician called Wizbit and a rabbit called Woolly had adventures in a place called Puzzleopolis.