Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed is a series of television shows in which the methods behind magic tricks and illusions are explained. In its original incarnation there were four shows in 1997–1998 and a special in 2002 broadcast on the Fox network in the United States, and on Sky and ITV in the United Kingdom. In 2008–2009, a new series of thirteen shows was broadcast by MyNetworkTV in the United States and ITV4 in the United Kingdom. On May 1, 2012, reruns of the first season began airing on BIO in the United States.
This show contains tropes of:
- Bait-and-Switch:
- Central to many illusions. For example, the magician will take great lengths to show that a cloth is ordinary, to draw attention away from a trickier object.
- One such moment comes in the presentation of the show itself, just before the "haunted house" illusion. A close-up is seen of the house, lit up by a flash of lightning; and suddenly, a giant magician's head appears, showing the house to be the size of a doll's house.
- Bullet Catch: One of the illusions shown, with the narrator repeatedly stating the danger of the trick.
- Buried Alive: The magician demonstrates Houdini's escape from being buried alive.
- Deadpan Snarker: The narrator, in spades.Narrator: He goes into a room complete with fresh air, and a light. What, no TV?
- Disappearing Box: Several variations of this are shown throughout, along with all the possible methods in which this is done.
- Do Not Try This at Home: Stated at the beginning of most episodes by the narrator, with particularly dangerous illusions (such as the bullet catch mentioned above) earning an additional warning by the narrator at the start of the illusion.
- Dramatic Curtain Toss: A curtain is often used to obscure the action while the "magic" takes place, and the result of the trick revealed with the curtain being dramatically dropped. Occasionally a curtain is used simply for a dramatic reveal: the daggers of death are revealed from under a cloth.
- Dramatic Unmask: At the end of the fourth special, the Masked Magician unmasked himself before giving an explanation on why he did this show.
- Escape Artist: Usually one of the larger stunts shown in the specials.
- Knife-Throwing Act: One of the illusions demonstrated. The narrator also points out that the trick is sometimes shown in carnivals or otherwise.
- Laborious Laces: The narrator comments that the Masked Magician looks scruffy with untied shoelaces; before the Magician ties them by magic, and reveals how this trick is done.
- Law of Conservation of Detail: Most of the tricks involve a pretty bare set with both the Masked Magician and his assistants wearing bland costumes. Any detail beyond this is guaranteed to be part of the trick. Magician wearing a flowing, hooded robe? He needs to switch places with a Body Double. Assistant wearing a poofy dress? It's concealing a prop or gimmick. Assistant that we haven't seen before? This trick needed an identical twin. Extraneous scenery? Someone is hiding behind it.
- Levitating a Lady: This series has the Masked Magician do this trick to female assistants many times, both with and without the blanket.
- Lovely Assistant: Oooh, yes, as frequently commented on by the narrator.
- Magic Wand: Mostly averted, with a wand only appearing in some illusions that can be bought at any magic shop.
- Menacing Mask: The Masked Magician, who specialises in revealing the secrets of well-known illusions, wears a full-face mask to hide his identity, which is often referred to as "that spooky mask". This often does make the more dangerous illusions seem even more sinister.
- Ms. Fanservice: The Masked Magician's many lovely assistants as exemplified in the top image.
- Pull a Rabbit out of My Hat: This is demonstrated at one point, with the explanation given as to why rabbits are used for this particular trick. note
- Saw a Woman in Half: One episode has the magician do this: sometimes with a manual saw, sometimes with a much scarier rotary saw.
- Spikes of Doom: Many illusions involve escaping from being impaled by spikes, often with reference to becoming "a human shishkebab". One such illusion is mentioned as dating all the way back to the nineteenth century, originally called "the death of Cora".
- Unreveal Angle: This is the key to many illusions, especially when doors are involved. For example, the doors of a cabinet are opened, giving a clear view of the interior. But what is happening outside the cabinet, behind the doors which are now open?
- Walk on Water: The Magician demonstrates walking on an outdoor swimming pool, with swimmers passing underneath him.Narrator: Now the magician will attempt a miracle of biblical proportions.
