FOR a man who spent a good part of his early career working on the streets, eating fire and banging nails up his nose, Geoffrey Durham seems a remarkably down to earth sort of chap.

But then he hasn't been a street entertainer for 30 years. It came to an end when Geoff suddenly hatched a crackpot scheme to reinvent himself as a magician.

For the next 15 years Durham (who these days is best known for his regular appearances on TV's Countdown) dressed in pink and gold frock-coats, wore wild wigs and cuban heels and called himself the Great Suprendo.

He was married to Victoria Wood at the time so maybe it was his way of avoiding being eclipsed by a more famous wife. It obviously worked, but not quite in the way he had hoped.

For a while Durham was trendy, playing gigs like The Kings Head in Islington alongside a bunch of punk rockers, but children's TV got hold of him and he ended up working alongside Keith Harris and Orville, The Crankies, Bernie Clifton and Stu Francis.

As he said: "It was clear to me that I needed to make a change."

Which is why these days the roly poly magician chooses the novel approach of actually being himself.

"Gradually I have become more and more like me and now I believe it has actually reached the point where the person you see at the bus stop is exactly the same as the person you see on stage. There's no difference."

He has loved conjuring and illusion since childhood and admits that when he was 11 or 12 he would regularly inflict impromptu magic shows on unsuspecting relatives, and on one occasion a hotel lounge full of complete strangers.

He winces at the memory. "It must have been ghastly. Can you imagine anything more awful?"

However, his studies paid dividends, and as he prepared to bring his latest one man show, Little Miracles, to the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne tomorrow, he said: "This show is an exploration and celebration of stage magic with lots of close-up stuff and sleight of hand. It's basically about the skill of magic.

"I want to challenge people but also ensure they have a really good time."

He says he hand-picks the theatres he plays to ensure that they are intimate enough for his astonishing close-up tricks. Although he has never played the Tivoli before, he says it comes recommended. "I'm really looking forward to it. I'm told it's a little gem."

Geoffrey Durham's Little Miracles plays the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne on Friday (Sept 10). Telephone 01202 885566.