'Have you come far?" was Paul Daniels' opening question to the packed crowd at Mickleton Village Hall on Saturday afternoon.

The overwhelming response was "No". For the majority of the audience, the trip to the hall was only a five minute walk.

"Bet you still came in a 4x4 though," he said.

The audience covered a wide range of ages, from several children for the matinee performance, to a local senior citizens group.

There was a great sense of anticipation and several people arrived nearly an hour before the show was due to start.

The performance began with an introduction and an apology by the hall chairman David Hutchinson.

Apparently, some people did not have the seats they had booked because fire regulations meant some of the chairs had to be moved.

That sort of thing probably doesn't happen too often at the London Palladium.

However, once the show began, any quibbles about seating were soon forgotten.

The first half was fairly informal, as Daniels told anecdotes about his career, with a few tricks thrown in and opportunities for the audience to ask questions.

The second half was a more traditional magic show, which left the audience increasingly amazed by the complexity of the tricks.

The close confines of the village hall made for an intimate performance - even to the point of Mr Daniels asking for props from the village hall kitchen.

When his microphone broke for a few minutes, he carried on undeterred.

All he did was raise his voice slightly to make sure the people at the back could hear.

Despite the obvious differences between Mickleton Village Hall and some of the better-known venues at which Daniels has appeared, there were no changes to the act.

He said: "Audiences are all the same - they are all full of fat people, thin people, short people, tall people.

"I might tell a few more jokes for adults on the evening performances, but I don't swear - I don't feel that's necessary.

"Although I told a few jokes for adults here, they go over the heads of the kids.

"I love doing the village halls, they are so personal and one big advantage is that everybody knows each other."

That was certainly true for Barnard Castle GP, Dr Robert Carter, who was invited on stage and became the butt of several jokes once he announced what his profession was.

When he introduced Mr Daniels to his numerous children, the magician quipped: "Perhaps there's one branch of medicine you haven't fully understood."

It was all taken in good humour and the audience were on their feet when the show finished. Mr Hutchinson, who is also chairman of the Teesdale Village Halls Consortium (TVHC), which organised the tour, said: "It really was brilliant. The sleight of hand was absolutely amazing. He really was a true professional and I hope we can go on to attract a lot more acts like this."

The tour continues with shows at 7.30pm on Friday at Bowes Village Hall, on Saturday at the Witham Hall in Barnard Castle and on Sunday at Butterknowle Village Hall.

For details, contact TVHC on (01833) 696650.