Young magician casts his spell over famous illusionist

The teenager from Bingley has been perfecting his art since the age of five when he discovered his late grandfather Derek’s flair for magic when he was bought his first magic set.

And the years of hard work have paid off, as Rhys impressed the Bradford-born magician Steven Frayne, known to his millions of fans around the world as Dynamo, when the two met recently.

Bingley Grammar School pupil Rhys, who turns 14 this week, has come on “leaps and bounds” according to his mother, Pam, 33.

“He’s doing really well and his fans love him,” she said. “I chaperone him everywhere and when I take him around the bars in Leeds to perform on a Saturday afternoon, people know him.”

Rhys is a member of the Bradford Magic Circle, a group which lays claim to having Dynamo as a former member.

“Dynamo thought Rhys was really good,” said his mother after her son met Dynamo recently. “A lot of the top magicians don’t expect much from him because of his age, but they end up being blown away.”