Aaron Isted's own kind of magic

Aaron is the first magician in his family having taught himself how to do tricks

Being a professional magician is the career choice of 21-year-old Aaron Isted from the Isle of Wight.

His most recent spectacular "trick" was escaping from a straitjacket, hanging from a burning rope 40 ft in the air.

Even by Aaron's standards, it was no mean feat: "I can train but it's never the same as when you're actually up there."

"There's my weight to consider and the weather can determine how fast the rope burns, so it's never exact.

"There are always things that can go wrong and that's what gives it an element of danger."

Even legendary escapologist Houdini never attempted this particular stunt and it had never been attempted on the Isle of Wight before.

Magic career

People get edgy when I'm out with them as they are always wondering 'what is he going to do next?' Aaron Isted, IoW magician

The Cowes Week stunt was the latest stage in a magic career which began at the age of six when, like many youngsters, Aaron was given a Paul Daniels Magic Set.

This led to Aaron entertaining school friends, then customers in a local restaurant, and eventually reaching the point where he could make a full-time career out of magic.

As well as regularly being booked for corporate events and weddings, Aaron has toured the USA, including assisting the legendary David Copperfield on stage in Las Vegas.

Along with Penn & Teller and David Blaine, Copperfield, who famously made the Statue of Liberty disappear, ranks high in Aaron's list of magic heroes.

Aaron explains: "I got a lot of inspiration from those guys. With David Copperfield's grand illusions, the tricks were amazing but it's also the theatre he brought to it."

The crane Aaron will be hanging from when he attempts the stunt

On the Isle of Wight, Aaron has tried to follow in the footsteps of Copperfield, always trying to design and build set-piece illusions as well as 'close up' magic work.

He's the UK's first beach magician - entertaining sunbathers with a line of tricks involving sand castles, shells and other beach items.

A trained scuba diver, Aaron has also performed underwater magic (complete with waterproof cards) for a select audience from local diving clubs.

He says: "I am always trying to bring something new and push the boundaries and reach out to all different types of audience."

Practise makes perfect

Although Aaron says his family has been "really supportive" of his career choice, having a magician around the house does have an impact on domestic life.

He admits to constantly practising at home and when he's out shopping: "I'll do a few tricks to people who aren't suspecting it ... making money appear when you are in a shop, that sort of thing - obviously you don't want to take your work with you everywhere!"

And an evening out with his mates, he explains, is always going to be eventful:

"People get edgy when I'm out as they think I'm going to do something! If I pick something up, they always think 'what's he going to do next?'"