Harry Moulding, born in Blackpool in 2001, grew up amid the town’s distinctive culture of performance and showmanship. From an early age he was captivated by the spectacle of entertainment that surrounded him, particularly the illusionists and magicians who had long been part of Blackpool’s variety heritage. At the age of eleven he discovered a fascination with magic that quickly evolved into a serious pursuit. Within months of learning his first tricks, he began entering local competitions and winning trophies, demonstrating both a natural talent and an unrelenting determination to improve. Through his teenage years Moulding devoted countless hours to refining his craft, studying sleight-of-hand, misdirection, and the art of presentation. His early performances across Lancashire reflected a blend of technical precision and youthful enthusiasm that would later define his stage persona. On leaving school he chose to dedicate himself fully to magic, performing at local events, private functions, and small theatres while continuing to develop original material that combined traditional illusion with contemporary flair.
In 2025 he brought his talent to national attention as a contestant on the eighteenth series of Britain’s Got Talent. The programme’s auditions that year were filmed partly in Blackpool, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of a home audience as well as the television judges. His audition received high praise and earned him a golden buzzer from guest judge KSI, sending him directly through to the live final. For the final performance, Moulding presented an extraordinary illusion that fused magic with high-risk spectacle. Incorporating a live-recorded skydive, he executed a card trick that culminated with him leaping from an aircraft, retrieving the chosen card during freefall, and completing the routine to the astonishment of viewers. The daring nature of the act, combined with his composure and charm, won him the public vote, and on 31 May 2025 he was crowned winner of the series.
His victory brought a prize of £250,000 and an invitation to appear at the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall later that year. In interviews following his win, Moulding spoke of his lifelong fear of heights and described the skydive as the most challenging feat of his career, undertaken to push the limits of what could be achieved within the art of illusion. After his success he returned to Lancashire, performing intimate shows for local audiences and even entertaining residents at a care home in Thornton, gestures that reflected his gratitude and strong connection to his community.
From his early fascination with magic on the Fylde Coast to his national triumph on one of Britain’s most watched talent stages, Harry Moulding’s story embodies both the enduring spirit of Blackpool as a centre of entertainment and the modern reinvention of stage magic for a new generation.
Text source: BBC Newswebsite Harry Moulding's website
Images by © Taken from Harry Moulding's Website
