A FORMER Bradford University student whose awe-inspiring sleight of hand saw him spurn a promising career as a pharmacist to be a magician is to appear on screen.

Adam Patel already has appearances booked in London's West End on the back of his reputation as one of the UK's top street magicians.

He has performed his magic and illusions all over the country to people on the streets and celebrities.

Now he aims to take his career to the next level with his first TV special, "Adam Patel: Real Magic", which will soon be released on Amazon Prime Video, along with a tour of cities which open at the Leicester Square Theatre on March 28. He takes in Leeds City varieties Music Hall on April 7 and will also travel to Newcastle.

Adam was born in Keighley and moved to Allerton in Bradford. His parents returned to Dewsbury while he was still a young child.

He then came back to Bradford, spending five years in the city while studying pharmacy at Bradford University.

His interest in magic started after being given magic sets as a youngster - but he didn't initially see it as a career option.

He explained: “Being from an Asian background, performing arts wasn’t really encouraged. My parents were happy for me to do it, but only as a hobby. Any talk of becoming a professional was met with fierce resistance.

“Of course, with an older head on my shoulders now, I know it’s because they were worried. The arts, at that time, was not a well-trodden path by Asians so I can appreciate that they were worried I might not succeed. For the record, my parents are now very supportive of me."

"It's been a very long road," he adds. "And at various times along the way it's been everything from exciting to soul-destroying. Coming from a completely different background and with no formal training in this industry, it was a trial by fire. Like jumping out of the plane and hoping I could learn how to fly before I hit the ground."

"It has been a very exciting ride. I'm very glad I ultimately dared to give this a go three years ago and the show my team and I have produced is something I think we're all really proud of. It's a dream come true."

His magic combines sleight-of-hand, perceptual manipulation and mind-hacking to produce a highly varied and intriguing fusion of art and science.

He added that he is not in the Magic Circle because the way he does magic is in contravention of the rules of membership.

“In some of the things I do, I explain what I’m doing. The Magic Circle considers this exposure.

“I personally think that in a world where Google is at everybody’s fingertips, magic has to be presented differently and cannot rely on a secret that the audience is unable to find out. And I don’t think it’s any less amazing or fascinating if I tell you what’s going on some of the time."