Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Magic is making a massive comeback these days; not real magic, mind you, but the type David Copperfield practices - making the Statue of Liberty disappear, walking through the Great Wall of China - that sort of thing. And thanks to the popularity of the Harry Potter books and television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as newer magicians such as Derren Brown and David Blaine, it would seem there is no getting away from mystery and magic.

Magicians and mindreaders in Scotland say they are more in demand than ever thanks to the market leaders in the business these days - television stars such as Derren Brown and David Blaine, as well as fictional heroes such as Harry and Buffy. Even television legend Paul Daniels has been reborn, performing two shows a day throughout the Edinburgh Fringe.

But it is the young guys who are taking magic tricks and mental powers to a new level of popularity. David Blaine, for instance, has taken the powers of mind and magic to an extreme level in terms of mass media exposure.

People all around the world have watched his daring feats, which have included being sealed in a block of ice for three days, an event which left him temporarily injured and shocked.

He also wowed crowds last year when he stood on a 109ft pole in Manhattan no more than 22 inches wide for two days and two nights, with no food, water or sleep.

Edinburgh magician Gary James believes the recent revival is almost solely down to the Harry Potter phenomenon. He says: "I was with JK Rowling on her book launch just recently playing the wizard while she was in Waterstone’s book shop and we chatted about this. She really is responsible for putting magic back on the map. I get calls all the time asking for Harry Potter-themed tricks. And David Blaine is also responsible for a lot of it in terms of the adults. Corporate clients are looking for the kind of close-up tricks he can do."

But whoever it is putting a bit of magic back into people’s lives it certainly seems to be working. Whether it’s just clever marketing or fascinating powers of the mind, the power of magic is definitely more than an illusion.