‘Exposing trick’ spells trouble for Lincolnshire magician banned from Magic Circle

A Lincolnshire magician who has entertained people including King Charles III and Joanna Lumley has been banned from The Magic Circle, because they claim he “clearly and deliberately revealed the workings of a trick” in a video.

Scott Perry started his business as a professional magician in Lincoln back in 2011 and is now based near Sleaford. He spent the first few years working at events in and around Lincoln before later “moving on to entertaining global businesses, celebrities and royalty”.

Scott posted a video on YouTube entitled ‘The Fall by Noel Qualter’ criticising the trick of a fellow magician in which he tells people that it is a “complete waste of time for a number of reasons”, while also exposing the workings of the trick.

The video attracted over 3,700 views and some in the comments praised Scott for his honesty, but it also landed him in hot water with The Magic Circle.

The Magic Circle told The Lincolnite it had previously accepted Scott’s application to join its Apprenticeship scheme.

However, after recent events and receiving ‘several complaints’ about the video, The Magic Circle suspended him from the Apprenticeship scheme, but said this may be limited to six months should he “remove the offending videos and offer suitable apologies.”

In an email he received from The Magic Circle on February 14, Scott was told that the he was immediately suspended for a minimum of six months and, if he doesn’t remove all ‘exposure videos” from his social media channel within 10 days the suspension would become permanent.

The email added that if “two apologies are not forthcoming within four weeks of this note being sent, then the six-month suspension will become permanent.”

Scott told The Lincolnite: “I review lots of magic tricks to help magicians make informed purchases. I hadn’t done anything different in this video than I’d done in the hundred videos that came before it.

“As such, it was very strange to receive such backlash over a simple review of a magic trick. It was very disappointing to see magicians I admired as a child act unapologetically disrespectful to my personal and professional life.

“Even more surprising to have an organisation as prestigious as The Magic Circle blackmail me to bend the knee. This isn’t how the world works anymore. Times are changing.

“I think it’s silly and small minded of The Magic Circle to give someone a lifetime ban for something as simple as a review of a product. They said I have exposed the method and workings of the trick, but that’s simply not true. They’re just being precious.

“No-one can guess the actual method or working from my video and they can’t recreate the trick either. This is why I keep an arms length from the magic community. It’s full of a lot of very odd and slightly deranged individuals. There are some great people dotted around but they’re rare.”

When asked what he plans to do about the ban, he added: “Nothing. I’m clearly not welcome in The Magic Circle. I will continue to provide professional event services to clients and be “bad boy” of magic, like Penn & Teller.”

Katherine Rhodes, the Vice-President of The Magic Circle, said: “Scott Perry is not and has never been a member of The Magic Circle, which is a private members club. Recently we accepted his application to join our Apprenticeship scheme, which is a route we offer to those aspiring to join our prestigious society.

“All Apprentices agree to abide by the rules of the society, one of which is not to deliberately reveal or expose secrets of magic tricks. Recently we received several complaints about a video Mr Perry had posted on YouTube, which clearly and deliberately revealed the workings of a trick.

“In this case, the trick was a new creation by a seasoned Member of The Magic Circle. The complaints triggered our internal review process, which concluded that Mr Perry had deliberately exposed the workings of the trick and broke the rules he had previously agreed to abide by.

“The sanction imposed by The Magic Circle is a suspension from the Apprenticeship scheme, which may be limited to six months should he remove the offending videos and offer suitable apologies. To that extent, the future of Mr Perry’s relationship with The Magic Circle is in his own hands.”

She added: “On a related note, Mr Perry has subsequently claimed that The Magic Circle is ‘pale, stale and male’. This has come as surprise to me, and will be news to our President, Megan Swann who is a 31-year-old female magician who specialises in environmental magic.

“We have over 1,500 members worldwide and while we are not a secretive organisation – please visit our website magiccircle.co.uk and book to see a show at our London headquarters – we do like to keep secrets.”

In response, Scott said: “Jacinda Arden was the president of New Zealand but resigned. Nicola Sturgeon was PM of Scotland but resigned. The percentage of female leaders in the world is a small percentage of males.

“Voting to elect a female president of The Magic Circle provides them with the political ability to deny any such suspicion or accusation. This is how the stale, pale, male leaders of the world operate.

“Also, The Magic Circle states ‘over 75%’ voted to allow women in the club. The majority, but still a healthy opposition. Every interaction I have had with the Magic Circle has been with a white male. Had the female president spoken with me, perhaps there would have been a different outcome to this soap opera.

“I think any female leaders (some of which I’ve worked for) will say that just because they become the head, it does not mean that the old boys club doesn’t cease to have control.”

The Lincolnite also contacted Noel Qualter for a response to Perry’s video. Qualter, who is a Member of the Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, said: “I make my living performing and inventing magic. I recently released a magic trick that Scott Perry, whom I have not met, reviewed and in doing so he showed the secret mechanism of the trick.

“This is against the rules of The Magic Circle, of which I am a member. This year Mr Perry became an apprentice of The Magic Circle, a programme for magicians wanting to hone their skills with a view to becoming a member.

“As such he was bound by the rules of the society, which expressly forbid the revealing of secrets. I raised this ‘exposure’ with the The Magic Circle and its ruling council decided to suspend his apprenticeship for at least six months.”

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