Bafta TV awards 2014

'I was always an oddball': Dynamo. Photograph: Chris Floyd for the Observer

Magician Steven Frayne, better known by his stage name, Dynamo, says he owes everything to his late grandfather, Ken. "He was my father figure. He taught me how to ride a bike and my first card trick; he prepared me for the world." Frayne was 10 at the time and being picked on at school in Bradford. "I tried the card trick on the kids that had bullied me and they stopped. I'd impressed them," he says. "Of course they then spread rumours that I was a crazy demon child with superpowers, so I played on that – and so did my grandpa. It gave me an edge: I'd always been the oddball at school."

Frayne's natural flair for magic has led to him performing all over the world – most famously walking on the river Thames in 2011 – and he is in high demand with A-list celebrities, who often feature on his BBC1 showDynamo: Magician Impossible. Was there anyone in particular who impressed him? "Samuel L Jackson is quite an intimidating guy – he was tricky (no pun intended), he's extremely intelligent and doesn't let his guard down, but I think I had the Dynamo effect on him in the end."

Favourite childhood TV "Masked Crusaders – it was brilliant and I loved the toys."
Favourite current show "Sons of Anarchy. I'm going to grow a long beard and get a motorbike one day."
TV show you'd bring back "MacGyver."
Favourite box set "Entourage – my all time favourite show."
Best newsreader "Trevor McDonald."
Best TV detective "Columbo."