Stephen Mulhern receives blessing from ex-Deal or No Deal host

Edmonds, 74, hosted Deal or No Deal for 11 years on Channel 4 from 2005 to 2016.

The popular game show has not been seen on TV since 2016 but is now set for a reboot on ITV in November with Mulhern taking over the role as host.

Noel Edmonds pranks Stephen Mulhern to give his blessing for new host of Deal or No Deal

Mulhern has revealed, in The Mirror, that he has received Edmonds’ blessing as he gets set to take on his former role but said it was done via a prank that left the magician “freaking out”.

He said: “I was doing a magic show at a private party and halfway through my magic act, I hear, ‘Hello, Stephen.’

“I’m like, ‘What?’ And then, instantly, I see what looks like Gandalf walking towards the stage in the whole get-up.

“He walks up And I think ‘It’s Ant and Dec. It’s the last year of Takeaway here we go. They’re going to try and get me double time. I’m slightly freaking out at this point because I don’t know what he’s going to do.

“He’s got a big old stick. He says ‘We need to have a conversation, you and I. In fact, let me put it a different way. Deal Or No Deal’.”

“He takes off his mask. It’s Noel Edmonds! I could not believe that. He was friends with the guy whose party it was.”

Mulhern said Edmonds hung around after the show to wish him luck and talk about Deal or No Deal.

He added: “Noel stuck around after the magic show. I spoke to him for about an hour and a half, and it was just brilliant.

“He’s so humble, so gracious. He told me ‘When they first brought it to the UK, they wanted to make it more about the money and the boxes like they do in America. And I said no, this is a people show. It should be about the people.’

“And it all made sense. We have some amazing moments with our contestants in the series.

“Noel said he had ten glorious years on Deal Or No Deal. He said it is a very special show and he is right, I can’t wait for people to see it again.”