World-famous magician Dynamo reveals the one trick he’ll forever ‘dread’ after 20 years

Exclusive: From walking on water to levitating, British magician Dynamo is known for pulling off the impossible, but there’s one type of trick he fears the most.

“I’ve done a lot of death-defying stunts over the years,” he tells nine.com.au. “And I always dread it because ultimately, I do have to put my life on the line.”

The renowned illusionist, who’s mind-blowing tricks have stunned the world for over 20 years, performed a secret show in Sydney alongside B&D Garage Doors.

“Whenever I make a big TV show, they always ask what’s the next big, death-defying thing you’re going to do,” Dynamo, who’s real name is Steven Frayne, went on.

“There’s always a risk with that. The way I approach those more scary [tricks], is ... a bit like getting a tattoo right? It’s painful during the process, but the end result is amazing.

“That’s what I have to think about when I’m going through those moments.”

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From driving blindfolded, to levitating sky-high above Europe’s tallest building and ‘breaking’ his fingers in front of flabbergasted King Charles, perhaps his most chilling stunt was being buried alive.

In 2023, Dynamo buried himself alive without a coffin in 6-foot-deep grave. He escaped after two minutes and 57 seconds, breaking through the dirt on live TV.

Thankfully, for his sake, there were no live burials when he returned to Sydney for his first show in 10 years.

In a covert operation staged alongside B&D Garage Doors, the magician swapped sold-out arenas for a simple suburban driveway to “bust Australia’s biggest home illusion” – that your garage is actually secure.

Dynamo made surfboards and motorbikes appear and disappear from one garage to the next. Items not chosen by random but conjured from the minds of unsuspecting volunteers.

In a poignant way, safety is what inspired Dynamo’s foray into magic in the first place.

“I got into magic by accident,” he revealed. “I was getting bullied at school, these guys every day would pick me up and put me inside the trash can.

“They would take me to the top of the hill at school and push me down the hill in the bin. It was horrible.”

Young Frayne was walking home from school with his grandpa one day, who had seen it happen. When they got home, his grandpa offered to show him “some techniques to stop it happening again”.

“I remember thinking, ’Oh amazing. My grandpa’s going to be like Mr. Miyagi, he’s going to teach me karate,” Dynamo recalled.

“But he didn’t teach me karate. He taught me a magic technique to take away their strength so they couldn’t pick me up anymore.”

He never got lifted into a bin again.

“Grandpa taught me more magic to scare them,” he revealed, adding it wasn’t until college he realised magic could entertain.

Dynamo knows first hand the power of magic, but those who don’t believe, the illusionist had one thing to say.

“I think people are sceptical, if anything, I think they believe in magic, they’re just looking for it,” he explained.

“They haven’t quite seen the thing that gives them that feeling yet. It’s that feeling when you experience something so overwhelming you can’t put it into any other words.

“You could be watching your favourite football player score a goal and that could feel magical. You would be holding a newborn baby for the first time.

“There’s illusions, and there’s magic all around us. We just don’t always have our eyes open to it.”