Dynamo fans watch with bated breath as magician is buried alive under five tonnes of soil live on air as they call his terrifying 'final act truly spectacular'

Dynamo's final act under his stage name has been called 'truly spectacular' by fans after he was buried alive on live TV last night. 

The magician, 40, whose real name is Steven Frayne, returned to TV screens for the first time since 2020 with a one-off show on Sky, Dynamo Is Dead. 

Viewers watched with bated breath as he lay in an empty six-foot grave before five tonnes of soil was poured over him and 'three vital minutes' on the clock started.  

Two minutes and 47 seconds passed before the escapologist broke through the soil, gasping for air. 

Commentary overlaid the footage of Dynamo digging himself out of his own grave. 

It said: 'He's done it. The feat that Houdini failed to do. And that's the first time that anybody has ever managed to escape from being buried without a coffin. 

'Steven Frayne, what a legend. That's unbelievable.' 

Fans took to X - formerly Twitter - to praise Dynamo for the heart-racing stunt. 

One wrote: 'Wasn’t really aware who dynamo was but thought I’d watch #DynamoIsDead tonight. Truly inspirational and a great collection of clothes. Just glad he took the stonie jacket off before he was buried alive!' 

Another said: 'Dynamo is being buried alive on live TV … this is mad!!!' and 'Anyone else with me in sayin #Dynamo is amazing and his honesty and braveness is inspiring! Also magic is real'. 

A third posted: '#DynamoIsDead is a heartwarming, relatable magical spectacle within a therapy session Every trick has a link to something to do with mental health, grief, addiction, disability etc and how hard but important it is to seek out those who find themselves in exactly the same or similar position and how hard and how stressful it can be to find help out there and how hard but how special the recovery side of things is A truly spectacular piece of television.' 

While Dynamo impressed many viewers with the death-defying stunt, others branded it 'staged trick nonsense'. 

One critic said: 'People are really believing this staged trick nonsense. Common' 

A fellow doubter added: 'Just seen the end of the Dynamo Programme with him buried alive. Seems a bit suss he got out right before the end credits & there was no drama to it and it was "Oh he is out'. 

In 1915, the American escapologist Harry Houdini kicked off the trend when he was buried without a coffin beneath six feet of earth.

But he panicked while trying to dig his way out and, by the time his hand broke the surface, he had fallen unconscious and had to be pulled free by his assistants.

British magician Alan Alan attempted the stunt again in 1949, but he too had to be rescued and was moments from death when he finally emerged, shaken but alive.

Antony Britton had a go in 2015 but also had to be saved by rescuers, with photographers capturing the moment his hand burst through the soil.

Illusionist David Blaine had more success in 1999 with a variation on the stunt in which he spent a week underground in a transparent coffin.

Dynamo revealed that the programme was called Dynamo Is Dead because he thinks it will be his 'final act' under his stage name and he feels the need to 'move on'.

Earlier this week, he talked about the his motivation behind the death-defying stunt, and confessed to having a difficult year after the death of his grandmother, Nellie Walsh.

'She got me into magic and I felt like it had died with her. I needed to bury the part of me that had died with her.'

Opening up about his mental health, he added: 'When I came up with the idea [of being buried alive] I felt like I didn't have a lot to live for.

'But I have realised that I do have a lot to live for, a lot more magic to give and this is something that I need to do for me.'

Speaking about the hazardous stunt, Dynamo admitted: 'I think its one of the most dangerous things I have ever done.

'I felt like the weight of the world has been on me and I've been living in the dark and this encapsulates it.

'It's nerve-racking and it's really set in how scary this is now. I'm excited to see what life will be like after this.'

It comes after the star revealed how he was left unable to perform after a flare-up of his Crohn's disease caused by eating a piece of undercooked chicken.

Dynamo explained problems with his medication saw his life to spiral into a 'vicious circle', as he felt physically well enough to perform but lost all pleasure from his work and fell into a deep depression.

Speaking to The Sunday Times for an emotional interview this week, he said: 'You take magic away from a magician and you lose your sense of purpose.'

He revealed he began to self-harm and suffered an identity crisis, telling the newspaper: 'The last five years, maybe even longer, I've at times lost the will to live.

'Right now I feel happy to be alive. Albeit… I'll be ultimately happier when I come out of that grave. Touch wood.'

Diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel disease Crohn's in his teens, Dynamo had to have half his stomach removed and lived in excruciating pain for years.

He turned to magic to distract himself from his health struggles, became a household name in 2011 and gained fame from his incredible street performances, card tricks and stunts.

But his chronic illness has plagued him throughout that time, and flared up in 2017 after he ate a piece of raw chicken at a fast-food chain.

He disappeared from public view before opening up about the effects months later, telling fans he had been hospitalised with a combination of Crohn's disease and food poisoning.

The performer revealed he was still dealing with the side-effects of his steroid medication, including arthritis affecting his hands, knees, toes, ankles and neck.

Dynamo said that that at times it got so bad that he was 'unable to shuffle a pack of cards'.

He vowed that he would return to magic, and said he was working with 'doctors and physio and doing everything in my power to get to 100 per cent'.

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