The magician who can walk on water: Dynamo crosses the River Thames on foot - without using a bridge

The magician who can walk on water: Dynamo crosses the River Thames on foot - without using a bridge - He may be a relatively unknown illusionist, but you could hardly describe Dynamo as being wet behind the ears.

And the magician, whose real name is Steve Frayne, certainly proved this was the case as he 'walked' across the River Thames.

The nifty footwork was a suitably jaw-dropping publicity stunt for his new TV series.

The Bradford-born illusionist, 28, made it half way across the stretch of the river in front of the Houses of Parliament in London before he was picked up by what appeared to be a River Police boat.

Biblical epic: Magician Dynamo poses while standing in the middle of the River Thames where he performed an illusion in which he appeared to walk on water

Tread carefully: Left, stunned onlookers watch from Westminster Bridge as Dynamo gets his feet wet and, right, he heads towards the Houses of Parliament

But Mail Online understands that this was one more thing that was not as it seemed - and the boat crew all part of the act.

Stunned onlookers watched from Westminster Bridge as the magician recorded the stunt for his new TV show Dynamo: Magician Impossible.

A spokesman insisted the photographs were not faked.

Frayne has so far built his name on the celebrity circuit, astounding a host of famous names with his tricks.

Among those who will testify to his skills are the likes of Jay-Z, Coldplay, Will Smith, Busta Rhymes and Paris Hilton.

His previous tricks have included making Little Britain star Matt Lucas levitate before a live audience at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, and turning signed lottery tickets into cash in front of Robbie Williams and Davina McCall as part of BBC's Sport Relief live programme, as you can see on the video below.

Various celebrities have taken part in his new series including heavyweight boxing champion David Haye, Manchester rocker Ian Brown and pop star Natalie Imbruglia.

In episode one, he performs his trademark levitation trick and physically moves a girl's tan line on the glamorous Miami Beach.

I hope he can swim: Frayne stands still in the middle of the fast-moving River Thames

Fast hands: Dynamo began his magic career learning card tricks from his grandfather on an estate in Bradford but now has a celebrity fanclub that includes the likes of Coldplay singer Chris Martin and his wife Gwyneth Paltrow

The magician's spectacular tricks in the coming series include him transporting a mobile phone into a glass beer bottle, turning snow into diamonds in the Austrian mountains and bringing a flutter of butterflies to life in Hollywood's famous Chateau Marmont.

Frayne's current roster of A-list celebrity admirers is a long way from his upbringing on the deprived Delph Hill Estate in Bradford, where he learned magic from his grandfather. That background provided the title for a Channel 4 programme entitled 'Dynamo's Estate Of Mind'.

Today he combines elements of dance and hip hop culture into his magic routines and his skills have seen him invited to appear on TV shows such as Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood.

He has so far released two Dvds; Underground Magic and Concrete Playground. • Dynamo: Magician Impossible starts on Thursday, July 7, on Watch.( dailymail.co.uk )