Stunt master Shahid Malik has spoken of his world-record escape from a straightjacket while dangling 18-feet above London's Trafalgar Square.

The 46-year-old Bradford magician and illusionist, who smashed his own world record by five seconds, said the 40.88-second breakout while suspended on a chain upside down from an aluminium structure felt "fantastic".

As revealed in later editions of the Telegraph & Argus yesterday, he performed the breathtaking escape in front of expectant crowds to mark the 74th anniversary of Harry Houdini's death.

"It's very easy to have a glitch in your technique and that adds five or six seconds so it's all gone," said Shahid who performed the task smoothly, releasing £500 in £5 notes from the jacket as he became free.

"It's a bonus to keep the record in the UK," he added.

His wife Lisa, 38, who helped to strap him up before he was hoisted in mid-air said: "We are always working on this record. It is a personal challenging goal. I'm so proud of him."

Jonita Otto-Halsey, who acted as an independent witness for the Guinness Book of World Records, said the excitement had mounted as the crowd counted the seconds down.

"It was very exciting there was a good, fun atmosphere and a little bit of nail-biting. At first when I looked up I thought he was really not going to get out but then he got his shoulders through.

"I don't know what he does, whether he dislocates them or what, but once he got his shoulders loose it only took two or three seconds, it was amazing."

No stranger to danger, from the age of 12 Shahid has delighted audiences with his skills. He first appeared in the Telegraph & Argus on Christmas Eve 1966 when he was captain of the football and cricket teams at Grange Boys Grammar School.

In May, 1972 he made his first public straightjacket escape from a crane in the city.

He now does a lot of work for charity in the Bradford area and in the corporate field.