Britain's Got Talent
Ben Hart | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 October 1990 |
| Alma mater | Kings' School and Peter Symonds College |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Website | benhartmagic |
Benjamin Hart (born 19 October 1990) is an English magician.[1][2][3] In 2007, he was awarded the "Young Magician of the Year" award by The Magic Circle.[4][5] Hart has worked on British television and is an inventor and designer of magic tricks and stage illusions. In 2014, he starred in Killer Magic on BBC Three. Hart was a finalist on Britain's Got Talent in 2019.
In 2014, Hart wrote and starred in Killer Magic on BBC Three[6] which was awarded "Best Non-Competitive Reality Show" at the National Reality Television Awards. In 2016, Hart starred in Ben Hart's Life Hacks on BBC Three the first episode of which was directed by Matt Edmondson,[7] and later Ben Hart's Life Hacks with The Voice which saw him pranking the celebrity judges of The Voice UK, including Boy George, Paloma Faith and Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs.[8] Hart also appeared in a regular slot within Now You See It on BBC One hosted by Mel Giedroyc. Other television credits include The Sorcerer's Apprentice for CBBC, Lorraine, The One Show for BBC One where Hart teleported a human to the top of Broadcasting House, Partners in Rhyme hosted by Len Goodman for BBC One, and ASAP, and Umagang Kay Ganda[9] live in the Philippines. He has also presented his favourite music videos on Myx.[10] For BBC Click and Objective Productions, Hart created the "world's first 360 magic trick" for the Royal Television Society.[11] Hart has also performed his magic live on the radio for BBC Radio One and has created advertising campaigns for Trident, Nicorette, Costa Coffee, and Sky TV. He has appeared multiple times on This Morning (TV programme).[12]
In 2019, Hart auditioned for series thirteen of Britain's Got Talent. His first round aired on 11 May 2019, and he was later selected by the judges as one of the 40 acts to perform in the live semi-finals. On 30 May, he won the public vote at the fourth semi-final and competed in the final against 10 other acts on 2 June. He came in third place on the show. During the judge's feedback, David Walliams described Ben as "the living embodiment of magic".
In September 2019 Hart competed in BGT: The Champions but was eliminated after one performance.[citation needed] In January 2020 Hart appeared in America's Got Talent: The Champions.
Hart has written and performed 6 solo shows, each premiering at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He is known for his unusual performance style that mixes unusual, original magic with storytelling and theatricality, his performance style having been described as somewhere between Hannibal Lecter and Tim Burton[13] His shows include:
Since 2015, Hart has performed as part of Impossible[19] produced by Jamie Hendry, playing two seasons at the Noël Coward Theatre in London's West End, Dubai Opera, Singapore, and Smart Araneta Coliseum in the Philippines. He has also performed his act at The Royal Albert Hall, London Palladium and Wembley Arena.
As a magic consultant and illusionist, Hart has written and created magic tricks and special effects for TV, theatre and film. His credits include Trick Artist for Channel 4 starring Benjamin Earl, The Egg Trick starring Ian McKellen, Killer Magic for BBC Three, BBC1's Now You See It, and Not Going Out.[20]
Hart is the co-author of "The Darkest Corners", a specialist book for magicians that explores some of Hart's routines and performance theory.
In the world of theatre, Ben Hart's special effects design credits include:
