Meet the man behind the messy magic: We talk to Colonel Custard after his latest Aylesbury show

Yesterday, the Colonel was dishing up more fun in Market Square, in front of an audience of hundreds of youngsters and their parents.

Paul, who lives in Wingrave, says he particularly enjoys his shows in Aylesbury.

He said: “This is a very local gig for me and one of the few free public events I do.

“I do a lot of festivals and corporate events now.”

Paul has been entertaining in his role as Colonel Custard and other guises for many years now, but his life could have been very different.

He said: “I did use to have a proper job!

“I worked as a planner in the print trade but I got made redundant at 24.

“I did a bit of wedding photography as well but once I left the printing trade I decided to give magic a go for a few months.

“The phone never stopped ringing and I knew then it was something I could do as a serious career.

“The biggest success for me is being able to have fun for the last 20 years and also being able to pay the mortgage!”

Paul has a great reputation for his entertaining shows and has twice won the UK children’s entertainer of the year award and is also a British magic champion.

He said: “I’m not a competitive person - it’s lovely to have the awards but it’s not my main motivation.”

Paul believes one of the secrets to his longevity as a magician and entertainer is the fact that he keeps his show fresh.

He said: “I am constantly evolving my act.

“This sort of thing always keeps you on your toes and trying to get two hours of material, the majority of which is different every time, is a challenge.

“Children have evolved from when I started doing this so I have to keep up with them.”

As with most entertainment-based professions unexpected things happen all the time and Paul said he feels the audience participation is what makes his show.

He said: “Unusual things happen all the time and they often provide comedy gold.

“Only yesterday, I had a particularly noisy and talkative child on stage so I gave them the microphone and let them get on with it!”

Paul is a member of the magic circle and having passed the exam to become a member 20+ years ago, he is now on the other side of the fence in his role as an examiner.

He said: “The exam should be easy for any magician that knows what they’re doing but if you’re only an amateur and you try and take it when you’re not ready, you will get found out.”

Paul has one child of his own who is now 17 and while he says he didn’t like to do too much magic at home because it’s what he does for a living, he does admit to having used him as a guinea pig for new tricks over the years!

Paul’s next public appearance in Aylesbury will be at Play in the Park on Wednesday August 2 when he leads a circus workshop.

Paul has also gained an alternative name for his act over the years explaining: “A lot of people have done Google Searches over the years looking for me and typed Colonel Mustard!

“They have always managed to find me but because of the common mix-up I decided to add Colonel Mustard to my card!”