Posted on December 24th 2024

And just like that, 2024 will soon disappear before our eyes. To say this was a big year for me would be an understatement. Not only did I rejoin the Magic Circle and reunite myself with my magic family, but I was promoted to the role of Associate of the Inner Magic Circle with Silver Star (more on that rollercoaster in the New Year), but it was also my busiest year for work. I’ve been stranded in the Channel Islands because of fog, pickpocketed the military, and even broke back into the trade show market.

I thought going for AIMC* would be the highlight of 2024, but how wrong I was. A month ago I was sitting at my desk and received a message from my friend Paul. He was putting on a show at the Tabard Theatre as his alter-ego Klaus Fantastiche. He said, “Hey Alex, my warm-up man has called in sick. You can fill 20 minutes in a theatre, can’t you? Cool. Can you be in Chiswick for 6pm?”

Sure, why not? I did the show and was introduced to a wonderful theatre space. Then, a week went by, and I received a message from the Tabard: “Hey Alex, we usually do a Christmas show here, but last year’s act couldn’t make it. You can fill 60 minutes in a theatre, can’t you?” And suddenly, I had less than a month to put on my first one-man show.

On December 17th, I starred in The Magician Who Stole Christmas. This was slap bang at the end of my busiest run of Christmas gigs yet and I was running off fumes. Magicians will know how easy it is to overload the festive period with work. Recently I've pushed myself too hard – living out of hotels, back-to-back gigs, trying to plan a Christmas show in so little time – and I had to dig deep to ensure the show went out with a festive bang. Thankfully, it did.

I want to thank Ian Rowland for introducing me and all those who came out to see the show. I plan to explore this format more in the new year. Another shoutout goes to Paul Aitchison for trusting me to warm up for him, which kickstarted this opportunity. My magic is evolving by the day and this year was a turning point for me. To reference Doctor Who, I can feel the Cheeky Trickster beginning to regenerate. He is still a big part of me and always will be, but it’s time to up the ante.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2025.

Alex Sprackling, The Cheeky Trickster