Tom Noddy - The Bubble Guy

Performing on the Paul Daniels Magic Show in 1982, this is the great Tom Noddy - known to an entire generation as "the bubble guy".

[@TomNoddy]

Hey Hey Presto ... thanks ... That was my first proper paid gig outside of the United States. When negotiating my fee, I confided that what I really wanted was to make enough money to bring my girlfriend with me so we could take off on a trip around the UK ... we did that and then went over to France as well. Happily, the person I was negotiating with told me "Okay, but she's not your 'girlfriend', she's your 'off-stage assistant'. That meant that they covered her airfare, the cost of our room and a small per-diem. I kept that term with me for all other overseas gigs after.

[@HeyPresto]

Oh wow! Thank you, Tom - you have made my day! Thank you for the years of entertainment and joy you brought to millions of young Brits watching you on telly, and thank you for saying 'hi'. Legend! You were undoubtedly the most popular guests on the Paul Daniels Magic Show with more appearances than anyone I think - I hope Paul and Debbie looked after you! Very cool about you 'off-stage assistant', I'll have to try that with my wife sometime (although no-one would be fooled - she's clearly the boss).

[@TomNoddy]

@@HeyPresto Paul, Debbie, magic consultant Ali Bongo and Producer John Fisher all treated me very well. In fact, the next time they invited me to return to the show, I asked for the show to cover the expense of bringing my off-stage assistant and the guy on the phone asked "Is that your girlfriend?" and I said "No, my Mom." That was fine. My mother was born into a large family of Scots but mom was born after they'd all moved to New York. So she was very aware of her Scottish heritage but had never actually been there. I wanted to bring her to Scotland and that's what we did together after the TV show in London. Mom was a dear and loving woman but I worried that a wisecracking comic like Paul Daniels would make fun of her ... instead, he could not have been more polite. He invited us to a show he presented in Blackpool and sat her next to him at a large dinner that he hosted.