IF you could have one superpower, what would it be? It's a question people have thought about since the dawn of time, but the same answers usually crop up.

Some may wish to fly, others to be invisible. For many, it would be the ability to read the minds of others.

Step forward Marc Paul, who took the sobriquet of 'The Mentalist' years before the popular Channel Five show of the same name.

Voted Best Mind Reader at the World Magic Awards in 1999, Marc takes his mind-reading show to the stage of Chesham's Elgiva theatre later this month.

So what can people expect when pitting their wits against The Mentalist?

Marc said: “It delves into the thoughts you would rather keep secret.

“There's a little bit of apprehension. It's a little bit like going to see a hypnotist and you don't know what to expect and I can use that to my advantage.

“It's a very interactive show – it's all about the audience. We play mind games together and explore what the mind can do. You learn something about your own mind and be amazed and entertained at the same time.”

Marc's a busy man. He's just been on tour on a cruise ship, is nipping ashore for three shows around the country, before heading back out to sea.

He's been in the business for 15 years, but the popularity of the likes of Derren Brown and 'The Mentalist' on TV have made it, he says, a more demanding type of entertainment.

Among the highlights of his career was appearing on the Michael Parkinson show, entertaining guests Sir Tom Jones, impressionist Alistair McGowan and actress Martine McCutcheon.

“I was allowed 12 minutes of prime time TV and worked with these three names,” he said. “They were fabulous to work with, I got a great reaction from Martine.

“It always has a strong impact on the audience, that jaw-dropping moment. It's a sense of wonder you are creating, that sense of, 'Wow, did that really happen?'”

Marc describes his form of magic as using sleight of mind, rather than sleight of hand.

He first learnt the memory tricks he has used in his shows ever since when he was still at school.

He said: “When I was about 13 I read a book called 'How To Develop A Superpower Memory'. What that teaches you is mnemonic techniques to solve memory problems and this opened me up to techniques most people don't know about.

“They are a very clever way of naturally using my mind. That got me interested in it. I learned a few card tricks to impress my friends, and from that I discovered there's a traditional branch of conjuring called mentalism.”

So has he ever been tempted to use his skills to his advantage?

“I did used to play some blackjack, but in reality my card playing skills weren't good,” he laughs. “My memory was good but my hand wasn't.

“I'm not a mind reader – I don't know what my wife's thinking half the time!”

Having learnt so much about mentalism, it would be remiss of me not to ask him to play some mind games with me.

He asks me to draw a letter Q on my forehead. From the way I write it, and which hand I use, he is able to deduce a couple of things about me.

“You are very aware of the outside world. Because you are aware, you are able to control it as well.”

Nice. Anything else?

“You are a team worker. You work well in a team but there's a small part of you that likes to be independent. You want to prove to yourself who you are and that you're better than the rest of the team.”

Any truth in this? I couldn't possibly say...

'Mind to Mind' with Marc Paul is at the Elgiva Theatre, Chesham, on Thursday September 17. For tickets call the Box Office on 01494 582900.