We go through life owned by the stories we tell ourselves which are often historic and charged narratives - things we've learnt since childhood that we don't even consciously realise are going on.

For every moment of concentration there is an equal moment of relaxation.

A magic trick of any sort works because you tell yourself a story about what you see. And politicians use this all the time in their own way by throwing a load of statistics at you when things don't quite follow and then saying, 'So therefore blah,' and you believe that 'blah' thing because of the confusion that's come before.

In terms of self-esteem and confidence I think I'm generally quite healthy.

Sometimes you need to be aware of the bigger picture you are missing.

The people who are most susceptible to hypnosis - the rugger bugger types - were also the ones who intimidated me most at school, so on an unconscious level I suppose I'm turning the tables on them.

Feeling we have to be constantly updated about the lives of our friends and that everything we say has to be out there leads to frustration, anger and jealousy much more than it leads to anything else.

Hypnosis is just suggestibility; you see it in certain people.

I've got a house full of taxidermy. It's like a museum. I have about 200 pieces in total, all ethically sourced.