Stephen Mulhern reveals Del Boy-style childhood helping dad on London’s Petticoat Lane market | Birmingham Live

Stephen Mulhern has revealed he spent his childhood “looking for the police” for his market trader father. The ‘Catchphrase’ host, 47, said he and his siblings would be keeping an eye on the authorities while their father peddled goods on the streets of London, comparing them to ‘Only Fools and Horses’ characters Derek “Del Boy” Trotter and his younger brother Rodney.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, he said: “My dad was a flypitcher on Petticoat Lane in east London. If you’re not sure what a flypitcher is, my dad was Del Boy from “Only Fools and Horses” and I was Rodney. We’d be up at the crack of dawn, with dad selling novelty toys or those diced vegetable choppers, my brothers and I watching the police.”

“Dad let me go to the stall and that’s where I learned how to play in front of the toughest kind of audience: real people.” At the age of 11, Stephen developed a fascination with magic, which led him to become a Redcoat entertainer at Butlin’s when he was 17.

The “Deal or No Deal” host emphasized that he “didn’t get into magic to be cool,” but rather because of his passion for it. He continued: “Magic is still a big part of my life. I do a season at Butlin’s every summer, honing my magic skills. Even if I go shopping I’ll have a deck of cards in my pocket. And if someone stops for a conversation or a selfie, I’ll try a new trick.”

“With David Blaines and your Dynamos, magic took on a certain coolness. But I didn’t get into magic to be cool, I did it because I liked it.”

“Other kids watched Match of the Day and got into football, I watched Paul Daniels and decided to learn magic. And it was magic that led me to be a Redcoat at Butlin’s. It gave me a career.”