Number Plate Stories

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Paul Daniels interview

By Ruby Speechley

It was while in one of these clubs in Bradford, that Paul’s most famous catchphrase ‘You’ll like it, not a lot, but you’ll like it,’ came about. “A man called out to me ‘I don’t like your suit,’ so I replied, ‘Oh, well I like yours, not a lot, but I like it.’ It became the hook for what we call a running gag. I’d go back to same man every now and again throughout the show and say, ‘you’ll like this, not a lot, but you’ll like it.’ I was known all over the north of England for saying this long before I became famous.”

Paul developed his showman’s patter according to comments his audiences made. “I’d stay in the toilets after the shows to listen to what people didn’t like about my performance. I even got my girlfriends at the time to do the same. I treated my performances very much as a business.”

Paul quickly learnt from the criticism he overheard, adjusting the way he presented his show. “I learnt not only by listening but by observation. I lived by the quote ‘if we could see ourselves as others see us’. I did just that, I looked at myself to see what I could use to my advantage – I wasn’t tall or suave like Bruce Forsyth for instance, he was king at the time, the top entertainer. I knew I would look all wrong if I tried to be like him. I read lots and lots of comedy and worked on developing my own style. But trying to combine two successful jobs almost killed me. I had to make a choice. Luckily the decision was made for me when I landed a summer season at Newquay. I seized my chance and moved into showbusiness professionally.”

In 1970 Paul was given another big break. He made his television debut on the talent show Opportunity Knocks. Although Paul came second, television executive Johnny Hamp spotted him and offered him a slot on Granada’s popular TV show Wheeltappers and Shunters Club. This proved to be the launching pad Paul had been waiting for.

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