PAUL Daniels does not like to put his feet up.

At 75, he has been on screen and in theatres for more than 40 years and is just about to kick off another tour, painfully-titled The First Farewell Tour – From Legend to Leg End.

Despite the word ‘farewell’ in the title, the funny man with the magic touch shows no signs of slowing down.

The tour runs for 43 performances up to Christmas, including The Woodville in Gravesend on September 29 and Fairfield Halls, Croydon, on November 24.

On the day we speak, Paul and his wife and sidekick Debbie McGee have 13 interviews scheduled.

The previous day, they had 14.

Explaining why they keep going at such a pace, Debbie said: “We love what we’re doing...”

“Money,” Paul interrupted.

“And money,” Debbie laughed.

But the answer was more telling when the subject turned to retiring.

“I can’t imagine Paul retiring. He gets bored when he’s not doing shows,” said Debbie.

Conjurer Paul appeared on Opportunity Knocks in 1970 and has not disappeared since.

His The Paul Daniels Magic Show ran from 1979 until the mid 90s.

Since then he toured relentlessly and played the showbiz game with reality TV show appearances.

Even Sooty couldn’t slow Paul Daniels down.

In one of the most bizarre stories of recent years, it was reported that a pizza thrown by everyone’s favourite rebellious glove-puppet hospitalised the cheeky magician.

“I was hospitalised for about three minutes while they took a bit of pizza out of my eye,” he said.

The way he tells it, he and Debbie were driving home and he mentioned he thought he had some pizza in his eye.

He said: “We were just passing one of those mini hospitals you get in villages and I called in.

“The nurse looked at it and said ‘You’ve got a bit in your eye. I’m going to put a drop in your eye and it’ll flow the thing out’.

“It did and that was it.”

Even when he is not performing, the magician is honing his craft.

Debbie said: “He works on inventing new tricks every waking hour, apart from when he’s eating.”

Paul added: “That’s why I don’t believe in God. If God had any sense, he would have never made it necessary for me to eat.”

As well as the tricks, a big part of the Paul Daniels appeal is comedy.

Paul said: “It has always been a comedy show.

“People used to laugh at Tommy Cooper when it goes wrong and they laugh at me when it goes right.

“I have a happy knack of finding ways to make tricks funny.”

Debbie added: “It is a big surprise when people come to the show how funny it is. They do have a great night out.”

Despite being so recognised in his field – a staggering number of magicians cite him as an inspiration, the trickster-du-jour Dynamo included – Paul is still ambitious.

He is open to the prospect of TV specials and harbours acting hopes.

Debbie thinks he would have made a good Dumbledor in the Harry Potter films, he thinks he’d be a good Dr Who.

“If Debbie gets the part, that will be it,” he jokes. “That’ll be divorce.”

Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee are performing The First Farewell Tour – From Legend to Leg End at The Woodville, Gravesend, on September 29 and Fairfield Halls, Croydon, on November 24.

Go to Woodville.co.uk or Fairfield.co.uk