Man vs Machine: When Mentalism Met MRI Technology
For years, documentaries and newspaper headlines have claimed that advances in brain imaging technology could one day allow scientists to read human thoughts.
In 2014, I was invited to take part in a live public experiment exploring exactly that idea.
The project, titled Man vs Machine, brought together mentalism, neuroscience and MRI technology as part of Sheffield’s Festival of the Mind - a major cultural event organised by the University of Sheffield celebrating the relationship between science, creativity and human thought.
The Day Theo Paphitis Chose My Business
Building a career in entertainment can feel strange in the early years.
You spend countless hours refining performances, travelling to events, answering enquiries and trying to build something sustainable from a profession many people don’t fully understand in the first place.
So when moments of unexpected recognition arrive, they tend to stay with you.
Performing at Gary Cahill’s Wedding Reception
Over the years, I’ve learned that high-profile private events are often far quieter and more personal than people imagine.
From the outside, there’s an assumption that celebrity weddings must feel extravagant, chaotic or wildly over-the-top. In reality, many are simply carefully protected private occasions where the couple want their friends and family to relax, enjoy themselves and temporarily forget about the outside world.
What Is a Mentalist?
Most people have heard the term ‘mentalist’ before.
Often through television shows, live theatre productions or performers such as Derren Brown.
But despite mentalism becoming increasingly popular over the last two decades, many people still aren’t entirely sure what a mentalist actually does.
Is it magic?
Psychology?
Mind reading?
The Prediction: When I Took on a Police-Secured Publicity Challenge
Long before viral marketing campaigns and social media stunts became commonplace, publicity relied on a far simpler idea:
Create something people genuinely wanted to talk about.
In 2011, I accepted one of the strangest challenges of my career when the Newark Advertiser and Nottinghamshire Police invited me to predict the exact outcome of a live rugby match under strict supervision.
At the time, it felt less like a performance and more like stepping into a psychological experiment.