From escape artist to morning radio host: The magic journey of Ben Murphy

The transition from world-renowned illusionist and escape artist to regional Breakfast radio host might seem like a bit of a stretch. A feat of magic, even.

For Ben Murphy – a man who can actually lay claim to having performed more escapes than anyone from the Houdini water torture tank – working in radio has only reinforced his ability to connect with audiences, no matter what the medium.

Appointed host of ABC Breakfast Mildura-Swan Hill earlier this year, Ben has brought his own unique sense of showmanship to the local airwaves.

And as Ben tells Radio Today, the timing was perfect.

“My career in comedy magic and illusion was very self-focused, and if I’m honest, I probably was, too. I was younger, chasing success, and enjoying it.”

“Radio requires you to really listen. Over time, that’s where my interests have shifted.”

“I want to hear people’s amazing stories and help share them.”

“Ten years ago, I don’t think I would’ve been a great host. Timing is everything, and the time is now.”

As a child growing up in Redcliffe, just north of Brisbane, Ben faced ongoing health challenges.

“I was a fairly sickly kid, in and out of hospitals for my first eight years,” he says.

It was the hospital’s clown doctors who made Ben fall in love with entertainment.

“They made me laugh and gave me hope at a time when things were tough.”

And so, Ben threw himself into the world of magic and illusion. By the age of thirteen, he’d landed his first paid gig.

Before long, he would perform on the world stage.

Ben had been working as an international magician – with gigs including TV specials in Mongolia and performances in China – when one day, there was a shocking turn of events.

Ben was assaulted on stage, out of the blue.

“It happened on a cruise line, with over 800 audience members, in the middle of me doing a card trick,” he says.

The attack was filmed by the crowd and went viral, the footage picked up by A Current Affair, Inside Edition in the US and even the New York Post.

It left Ben with back injuries and sent him on a devastating downward spiral.

“It shook me to my core,” Ben says.

“Growing up queer in the late 90s, I was bullied a lot, and the stage became my safe place, a space where I was in control and nobody could hurt me.”

“To have someone take that away so quickly – with such long-lasting repercussions – was devastating.”

“I went into a pretty deep depression for a long while after.”

It was time for a career rethink.

The idea of working in radio had long appealed to Ben.

“I’d actually wanted to work in radio for more than 10 years before my first go in 2020, but my career had kept me overseas and I never had the chance to try new avenues.”

“I had kind of fallen out of love with comedy magic and illusion.”

When Covid hit, Ben finally had both the time and the opportunity to pursue radio.

He started out hosting daytimes at Melbourne’s JOY FM. He also created programs for Vision Australia.

Ben quickly discovered that the skills he’d acquired from travelling the world producing his own stage shows were more transferable than he’d thought.

“Radio felt natural to me straight away. It’s such a personal medium. It just clicked.”

“When you’re travelling a lot, often on your own like I was, your favourite radio hosts can feel like close friends. That connection is powerful, and it’s what drew me in.”

That connection came to the fore on RUOK Day, when Ben encouraged listeners to call up and share their honest emotions.

“It was a slow morning on the text line, and it dawned on me I needed to start the conversation. I rambled on about my own struggles, the difficulty of upping and leaving for a rural role, leaving family and friends but at the same time feeling so lucky to love the job and have this amazing team in the office.”

“I spoke about my dad’s stem cell treatments for his current battle with cancer, my mum’s stroke, past depression and ultimately said ‘I’m not OK. I am not terrible and falling apart, but not OK either.’”

“The messages that day were amazing. Farmers opening up about water worries and crop losses, people struggling to pay bills, people suffering loss, but all tuned in to this moment.”

“I’m the joke-cracking entertainer. So to do hard-hitting political stuff then open honest reflective moments like this and take the audience comfortably with me on the rollercoaster – it’s a ride that I am so thankful to be on.”

“I may have started in magic, but at its core it’s always been about connecting with people, and radio feels like a natural continuation of that.”

Ben has also demonstrated a knack for attracting voices not often heard on regional radio stations, including interviews with the likes of Spice Girl Mel C, Keli Holiday and Miriam Margolyes.

The results are showing in audience engagement, with a spike in text and message interaction.

Ben’s ultimate goal? To host a daily radio show in a capital city, as well as a twelve-week TV program twice a year.

“I know, I know … lofty dreams, maybe,” Ben smiles. “But if I can turn card tricks into a world career, then I believe I can make this happen too.”

Ben Murphy can be heard on ABC Breakfast Mildura-Swan Hill Monday to Friday from 6:30-9am

*Images supplied