Paul Zenon discovered the wonders of Harry Houdini as a child growing up in Blackpool.

The street magic pioneer has been enthralled by the work of the world famous magician ever since and has now turned his love for the showman into a one-man autobiographical play, Linking Rings, which he is currently performing at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The play tells Zenon's story, linking it with the tale of how Jim Collins, Houdini's chief assistant, came to work with the great magician.

He said: "It's ended up as a parallel lives story. The show brings back some quite painful memories from a few years back. It's quite difficult to relive it every night on stage. Part of the reason I wrote it was a catharsis to get it out of my system. It's remembering some people that were very important to me but in a very positive way. It's nice to try and translate that so an audience can empathise with it."

Houdini, whose other claims to fame include being the first man to fly a plane in Australia, was a huge influence on Zenon during his formative years and the magician believes it's a fitting tribute that his popularity continues to endure.

He said: "Houdini's a fascinating figure in the sense that he's pretty much unique. He was possibly the most famous man in the world in his time outside of Royalty and politics. There's no-one whose name still stays in public usage on a daily basis, even kids who've never seen moving footage of him or a photograph know who Houdini is and what he signifies.

"Kids are obsessed with superheroes and he's the real thing, he's one that actually existed and had these apparent superhuman qualities."

Despite his influence, Zenon was not keen to take on the role of Houdini in his autobiographical tale, instead opting for his namesake Collins, a carpenter who became the magician's chief assistant.

He said: "I didn't want to play Houdini because I haven't got the physique and I'm not great at accents so I set out to find a character that would tell his tale. Collins is my family name originally so that kind of jumped out at me. He is a really good person to tell the tale because he was the keeper of the secrets, he was Houdini's Man Friday, his right hand man.

"A theme of the show is unsung back room heroes. I think throughout history there's always been someone behind the scenes who maybe doesn't get the credit they deserve. It's about giving credit where it's due and realising that the front man isn't always all there is to it."

Zenon, who was also influenced by Paul Daniels, Clive Webb and Douglas Henning, was a pioneer of street magic in the 1990s and is well-known as a variety performer and TV presenter. However, he says his switch to acting was brought on by a desire to take on a new challenge.

"I've achieved everything I wanted to do variety wise and there comes a point where, from a selfish point of view, you're not getting much more out of it except a living. I've always liked the creative process and I haven't really got that recently from the magic side of things, I've been doing it for long enough really."

The magician is a Fringe veteran and loves the festival's variety and universal appeal.

He said: "It's a very creative melting pot, there's a very special atmosphere about it. A lot of performers kid themselves about the Fringe by thinking it's a great showcase to be seen, which it can be but secretly it's a great social for performers. There is a real vibe about it and you meet some really interesting people."

He also adores the Scottish crowds, who are not afraid to speak their minds.

He said: "The further north you get the better people react. We recorded a big chunk of the first street magic special in Glasgow because we knew people would let us know one way or the other whether they liked it or not. I think the audience is very vocal up there and that's got to be a good thing."

However, he believes the escalating cost of the Fringe may put some acts and visitors off attending.

He added: "The problem these days is it's hugely costly to put on. In some senses it's been a victim of its own success. I don't know how many thousand shows there are this year but, while that's great and there's a buzz about it, it means they're all competing for the same size audience really."

Zenon may have taken a break from magic but he still keeps up with the next generation of acts and says its appeal will endure.

He said: "I'm surprised how little it's moved on to a certain extent because the reason it all happened back in the late 1990s was because there hadn't been any magic on TV for quite a while.

"It's something that'll be around long after TV has gone, people always want to see it under their nose."

Paul Zenon is Linking Rings at Le Monde until August 31.