Touched by magic

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Magicians who used their craft to overcome social awkwardness, sexism and bullying - stories from the UK, Russia and Singapore. British illusionist and writer Derren Brown talks to Emily Webb about some of his famous stunts - like the time he hypnotised almost an entire audience at one of his shows - and how he survived a controversial Russian roulette stunt on live TV. He describes how magic has transformed his understanding of the way humans work and how he lives his own life. Gemma Cairney in conversation with Ekatarina Dobrokhotov, a Russian-born magician who learned magic from the internet and is the most watched female magician on Youtube and Adeline Ng, who incorporates elements of her Chinese culture into her show and is the only practising female magician in Singapore. Steven Frayne, aka Dynamo, isn't your usual white-gloved magician pulling rabbits out of hats. His tricks have seen him walk on water and stroll down the side of a huge building. He's one of the world's most celebrated magicians but it hasn't been an easy path to success. His entire life has been hampered by Crohn's disease, a debilitating inflammatory bowel disease. But he tells Saskia Edwards that this adversity has been the source of inspiration for some of his best tricks. Picture: Magician or illusionist is showing magic trick Credit: Getty Images