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- What's The Trick?
44 episodes
What's The Trick?
by Ben Hanlin · English
How do you take a spark of an idea and turn it into something original, finished, and unforgettable? In this conversation, we sit down with some of The World’s most creative people and get geeky about their creative process. The breakthroughs, the failures, the step-by-step hard work that audiences never see. Join Ben Hanlin as he interviews Comedians, Musicians, Writers, Content Creators and asks them, “What’s The Trick?” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Escape Artist: Scorpions, Crossbows & Why Performers Get It Wrong | Jonathan Goodwin
Jonathan Goodwin, an escape artist and daredevil, discusses his career philosophy and several signature stunts, including the 2021 rehearsal accident for America’s Got Talent Extreme that left him…
13 Nov 2026 · 54m · 27 chaptersThe World's No.1 Creative: How to Make People Care About Your Work | Nils Leonard
Nils Leonard (Uncommon Creative Studio) explains how to create work people remember and share, by defining “success” clearly, building evidence through output, and using provocative “narrative…
6 Nov 2026 · 59m · 21 chaptersThrill Expert: The Psychology of Thrill Seeking | Brendan Walker
Thrill seeking psychology and how to engineer “thrilling” experiences (especially roller coasters), including arousal spikes, novelty/surprise, anticipation/“point of no return,” emotional contagion…
30 Oct 2026 · 48m · 17 chaptersGrenade Founder: How I Built a Billion-Dollar Brand Everyone Said Would Fail | Al Barratt
Al Barratt explains how he built Grenade from a 2006 gym-supplement idea into the UK’s top-selling chocolate bar, including product development, low-budget marketing, and retail expansion (gyms,…
23 Oct 2026 · 1h 12m · 31 chaptersThe Speech Expert: The Psychology of Powerful Speakers: Boris, Trump & Arnie | Simon Lancaster
How powerful speeches are crafted and delivered, from government and CEO briefing processes to practical frameworks and rehearsal techniques.
9 Oct 2026 · 1h 4m · 23 chaptersRob Law (Trunki): How a Dragons Den Failure made Millions
Rob Law’s journey from designing Trunky (ride-on kids suitcases) to pitching on Dragons’ Den, scaling globally, selling the business, and later building ZP (a bedtime clock + sleep podcast app) using…
18 Sep 2026 · 56m · 21 chaptersSimon Painter: How a Violinist Created Now You See Me Live
Simon Painter’s path from classical fiddle/violin performer to major theatre producer, and how he built large-scale magic theatre—especially The Illusionists—and is now adapting the Lionsgate film…
11 Sep 2026 · 1h 3m · 27 chaptersSummer Special #5
“Summer Special #5” is a vault-style episode where Ben Hanlon revisits three past conversations via clips, then shares behind-the-scenes podcast updates.
4 Sep 2026 · 36m · 19 chaptersSummer Special #4
“Summer Special #4” is an archive-style episode featuring three guests discussing their creative/process and how they built success in different industries: theater/magic writing, romance publishing,…
28 Aug 2026 · 29m · 8 chaptersSummer Special #3
“Summer Special #3” is a holiday “vault” episode featuring three prior guests—comedian Scott Bennett, music producer Owen Cutts, and entrepreneur Simon Squibb—plus a brief culture vulture book plug…
21 Aug 2026 · 25m · 7 chaptersSummer Special #2
“Summer Special #2” is a vault-style episode where Ben Hanlin revisits three prior conversations—film industry shifts, hidden-camera comedy, and practical animatronics—plus his own West End magic…
14 Aug 2026 · 29m · 10 chaptersSummer Special #1
“Summer Special #1” is a non-guest format where host Ben Hanlon revisits three prior episodes via clips, then adds his own “Fast Five.” It covers how creative projects get made, how personal brands…
7 Aug 2026 · 34m · 11 chaptersCally Beaton: From MTV Exec to Stand-up Comedian
Cally Beaton’s pivot from a high-level Viacom executive role to full-time stand-up comedy, plus how she spots hit TV, builds comedy material, and writes a bestselling book.
31 Jul 2026 · 1h 4m · 27 chaptersBrian Conley: How He Became Saturday Night TV’s Biggest Star
Brian Conley’s rise to 90s ITV stardom and how he built a family-friendly variety act with repeatable characters, catchphrases, and live-performance strategy; later, his transition into West End…
24 Jul 2026 · 55m · 17 chaptersBrent F: How 'The Simpsons' and 'The Office US' Were Really Written
How TV comedy is written in high-pressure writer’s rooms, using Brent Forrester’s experiences on The Simpsons and The Office US, plus his views on modern “proof of concept” paths to getting developed…
17 Jul 2026 · 1h 4m · 30 chaptersHenry Lewis: How 'The Play That Goes Wrong' Became a Global Comedy Empire
Henry Lewis (Mischief) explains how The Play That Goes Wrong evolved from a handwritten idea and a pub performance into a long-running global comedy franchise, emphasizing persistence, iterative…
10 Jul 2026 · 59m · 21 chaptersPaul Zerdin: What happens after you win Amercia’s Got Talent
Paul Zerdin (UK ventriloquist and America’s Got Talent winner) explains how he got on the show, how his act was built for each round, and what really happens after winning—especially the whirlwind…
3 Jul 2026 · 58m · 23 chaptersBehind The Trick: Derren Debrief / Off Campus has a a great soundtrack…
A “behind the trick” debrief of the podcast episode featuring mentalist Derren Brown, plus hosts’ favorite past episodes and a culture update.
2 Jul 2026 · 14m · 5 chaptersDerren Brown: The Psychology Behind Extraordinary Performers
How Derren Brown creates stage/TV “extraordinary performer” experiences, focusing on psychology, audience suggestibility, and the iterative writing-to-rehearsal process behind his live show Only…
26 Jun 2026 · 1h 4m · 17 chaptersWarrick Brownlow-Pike: From Watching The Muppets To Working With Them
Warrick Brownlow-Pike’s path from watching The Muppets as a toddler to becoming a professional puppeteer, including how he landed roles on CBBC, The Muppets, and Sesame Street, plus his approach to…
19 Jun 2026 · 49m · 25 chaptersNadia Casey: How we can all be funnier in real life…
Nadia Casey teaches “everyday comedy” as a learnable skill, using a science-like framework (seed/subtext/core idea; funny frames; levers/tools) and “first principles” of humor: relevance, surprise,…
12 Jun 2026 · 46m · 15 chaptersDominic McGregor: How we built Social Chain into a £200m company
How Dominic McGregor and Stephen Bartlett built Social Chain from student Twitter communities into a £200m marketing company, using social-first content experiments, community-led distribution, and…
5 Jun 2026 · 52m · 21 chaptersShoot From The Hip: Why This Improv Group Is Selling Out Theatres Around the World
Shoot From The Hip’s rise from weekly comedy-club improv to viral TikTok/YouTube and sold-out major venues, plus how they structure improv and handle hecklers.
22 May 2026 · 59m · 22 chaptersDerren Litten: How One Sketch Became Benidorm
How writer Derren Litten turned a single sketch into ITV sitcom Benidorm, plus his approach to long-running comedy, pitching, plotting, and TV writing pay.
15 May 2026 · 52m · 22 chaptersWe use cookies.They keep VO running smoothly and help us improve it. Privacy policy