What's The Trick?

Henry Lewis reveals how a late-night production performed to tiny audiences grew into The Play That Goes Wrong , a West End phenomenon that has now reached more than 50 countries. He shares the persistence, testing, creative collaboration and business decisions behind Mischief’s success and explains why finishing an imperfect idea is often more valuable than waiting for perfection. This episode is...

Paul Zerdin shares the truth about winning America's Got Talent, revealing how 25 years of preparation, relentless refinement and calculated risks led to one of the biggest moments of his career. Sharing the reality of Las Vegas and burnout to building world-class performances that work anywhere, this is a conversation about success, creativity and what it really takes to stay at the top. This epi...

In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Derren Brown to explore how to create a psychological hypnosis show. If you want to develop your performing skills, this episode breaks down what actually works. This episode is for: - Creatives (writers, performers, content creators) - Business owners and entrepreneurs - Speakers and presenters - Anyone looking to improve communica...

In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Warrick Brownlow-Pike to explore how to become a professional puppeteer working for Jim Henson and The Muppets. If you want to improve your character work, this episode breaks down what actually works. This episode is for: - Creatives (writers, performers, content creators) - Business owners and entrepreneurs - Speakers and presente...

In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Nadia Casey to explore how to become funny, without being a comedian. If you want to improve your timing, pace and humour thought process. This episode is for: - Creatives (writers, performers, content creators) - Business owners and entrepreneurs - Speakers and presenters - Anyone looking to improve communication and idea generatio...

In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Dominic McGregor to explore how he and Steven Bartlett built Social Chain into a £200 million company. If you want to understand how creativity can be used to build a business, this episode breaks down what actually works. This episode is for: - Creatives (writers, performers, content creators) - Business owners and entrepreneurs -...

In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Shoot From The Hip to explore how they turned an improv group in a full time career. If you want to discover how to make a success improv show, this episode breaks down what actually works. This episode is for: - Creatives (writers, performers, content creators) - Business owners and entrepreneurs - Speakers and presenters - Anyone...

In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Derren Litten to explore how he wrote Benidorm. If you want to learn how to write your own show and have it commissioned, this episode breaks down what actually works. This episode is for: - Creatives (writers, performers, content creators) - Business owners and entrepreneurs - Speakers and presenters - Anyone looking to improve com...

In this episode of "What’s The Trick?", Ben Hanlin sits down with Matt Richardson to explore how to become a stand up comic. If you want to improve your knowledge on ways to truly make it as a comedian, this episode breaks down what actually works. This episode is for: - Creatives (writers, performers, content creators) - Business owners and entrepreneurs - Speakers and presenters - Anyone looking...

This episode is a little different, and that is exactly why it matters. Instead of focusing on one guest, one project, or one creative journey, Ben steps back and looks at what the first 10 episodes of What’s The Trick? have actually revealed. The result is a smart, generous roundup of the ideas, habits, decisions, and mindset shifts that keep showing up across very different creative worlds. Acro...

What does it take to make a character feel alive when that character is made of mechanics, code, cables, and performance? In this episode, Ben Hanlin sits down with animatronics expert and robot inventor Matt Denton to unpack the craft behind some of modern cinema’s most memorable practical creations, most notably BB-8 from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but also work connected to Harry Potter, Pro...

This episode is about building a long-term music career, and more specifically, how The Hoosiers made the songs and records that defined them, from early breakthrough tracks like “Goodbye Mr A” and “Worried About Ray” to the harder, less visible work of staying creative after success. Ben sits down with Irwin Sparkes and Al Sharland to explore what was actually made: a band, a body of songs, a num...

In this episode, Ben Hanlin sits down with singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti to unpack the long road behind his music career, and how he eventually built it on his own terms. Jack, the artist behind albums like Singing to Strangers, Europeana and his latest release We Will Always Be the Way We Were, didn’t follow the typical “signed → success” path. Instead he spent years relentlessly touring build...

This episode is about the making of one of the most iconic hidden-camera comedy shows ever produced: Trigger Happy TV, created by Dom Jolly . Dom didn’t just star in the show. He built it from scratch. No writing room. No committee. No grand career plan. Just a £1,000 camera, a friend behind the bar who became his cameraman, and an instinct for what made him laugh. I wanted to have this conversati...

This episode is about building a podcast - specifically, how two friends built the Pulp Kitchen Podcast, into a sustainable creative business. Pulp Kitchen began as a simple idea: talk about films every week. No built-in audience. No fame. No production team. Just consistency, shared enthusiasm, and a decision to commit long-term. Over time, that weekly habit turned into a full-time creative caree...

In this episode of What’s The Trick?, Ben Hanlin sits down with Amelia Sordell - founder of multi-million-pound personal brand agency ' Klowt ' and now a creator, advisor, and podcast host in her own right - to unpack what it really takes to build a personal brand that works. Not the vanity version. Not the “10k followers in 30 days” version. The real version. Together, they explore how Amelia bui...

Music Producer, Songwriter - This episode is about how music is actually made - not the romantic version, but the real one. The rooms. The pressure. The trust. The decisions that quietly determine whether an idea lives or dies. Ben sits down with a producer and songwriter Owen Cutts work spans hip-hop, soul, pop, and British music culture, someone who has built a long career behind the scenes...

Scott Bennett didn’t “accidentally” become a professional comedian. He built it the same way you build anything that lasts: years of reps, ruthless attention to craft, and a willingness to bet on himself when the “safe option” stopped feeling safe. In this episode of What’s The Trick? , Ben Hanlin sits down with Scott to talk about what Scott has actually made : a sustainable stand-up career, a wr...

What does writing for television actually look like when the cameras aren’t rolling and the typing isn’t happening yet? In this episode of What’s The Trick?, Ben Hanlin sits down with TV writer and creator Matthew Barry to unpack the real mechanics behind making large-scale drama - from writers’ rooms that barely involve writing, to the invisible maths of scheduling, budgets, and momentum that qui...

This episode is a deep, honest look at what it actually takes to build a creative career on the internet, not in theory, but in practice. Ben Hanlin sits down with Dan Rhodes , one of the most-followed magicians on YouTube, to unpack how a background in magic turned into a global audience through short-form video, disciplined experimentation, and an almost obsessive focus on consistency. What was...

Have you ever wonder how to make a career as a TV & Film writer? Join Ben Hanlin as interviews Tom Basden about his journey in filmmaking, focusing on the transition from a short film to a feature, the collaborative writing process, the challenges of production, and the role of music in storytelling. Tom shares insights on improvisation during filming, the importance of passion in writing, and...

Have you ever wondered how to make a career as a Comedian? Ben Hanlin is joined by Simon Brodkin , known for his character Lee Nelson, as he shares insights into his creative process, the evolution of comedy, and the art of pranking. He discusses the transition from character comedy to stand-up, the impact of social media on the comedy landscape, and the challenges of self-producing comedy special...

Have you ever wondered how to create a global board game ? Ben Hanlin is joined by radio presenter and board game creator Matt Edmondson , discussing the tricks to becoming a successful board game creator. He discusses the creative process behind developing board games, the importance of collaboration, the challenges of launching a game, and the excitement of expanding into global markets. Matt al...

Have you ever wondered how to become a successful actor? This week Ben Hanlin is joined by Olivier-nominated actor and writer Andy Nyman. Listen in from the empty Garrick Theatre following his performance in ‘The Producers’. During this episode, we explore Andy’s career from starring in ‘Wicked’, working with magician ‘Darren Brown’, to writing and producing his still-touring show ‘Ghost Stories’....

Have you ever wondered how to become a best-selling author? Join Ben Hanlin as Callie Hart discusses the rise of the romantic fantasy genre, her journey to writing ' Quicksilver ', and the intricacies of character development and world-building. Sharing insights into her writing process, the challenges of self-publishing versus traditional publishing, and the impact of social media, particularly B...