Paul Daniels: Magician and presenter who commanded British airwaves with a show that attracted up to 17m viewers

As the most popular British television magician since David Nixon, Paul Daniels was known for his memorable catchphrase, "You'll like it – not a lot, but you'll like it," although he never exuded the same charm as his predecessor or even sought to. "I know I'm a star because the press say I am, my income says I am and the audiences who come to see me say I am," he once said, in the immodest manner that was interpreted by some as arrogance.

His approach did not necessarily make him likeable, but it demanded appreciation of his magic skills. With this, he combined a comedy act that he honed in summer seasons and working men's clubs across Britain before making The Paul Daniels Magic Show a guaranteed audience-grabber on television for 15 years.

Although viewers grimaced at his jokes, they were enthralled and baffled by his tricks and illusions. One of the most spectacular came when Daniels was chained up in a sack, put into a crate and placed in the centre of Silverstone racing circuit, before the former world champion driver Jackie Stewart drove towards him at speed. Suddenly, a distress signal was seen, but not before the car hit the crate at 120mph. Pieces of timber flew everywhere, but there was no sign of Daniels – until he stepped out of the car as it drew to a halt further down the track. Stewart was then at the controls of the crane that had lowered the crate on to the track.

Daniels, who wore a wig to cover his receding hair for much of his career, had his own theory about why he found success with an art form that rarely projects others to long-lasting stardom. "Magic appeals because we are all limited," he said. "Science will tell you that matter cannot be created, and yet here's a man – or a woman – standing on a stage and making things appear. I like the old word 'conjuror' – he's an actor who is playing the part of a person who can apparently do anything." And he revelled in the glitzy side of show business. "I think I should travel in the most comfort I can give myself," he said, "so I drive a Bentley, because it is the greatest touring car on the planet."

Entertainment was in his veins. Daniels' parents, Handel (known as Hugh) and Nancy (née Lloyd), managed the local Hippodrome cinema in his birthplace, South Bank, near Middlesbrough. At the age of 11 he discovered a book titled How to Entertain at Parties, which contained card tricks, bought his first magic trick from Mac's Magic Shop in Seaton Carew and, as a small and shy child, found that performing at parties and youth clubs was a way in which to win friends.

On leaving Sir William Turner's Grammar School, Redcar, he continued to demonstrate these skills at private functions while working as a junior clerk in the treasury department of Eston Urban Borough Council, and rose to internal auditor before being called up for National Service (1957-59). He performed for US servicemen in Hong Kong when he was there with the Green Howards.

Daniels returned home to run a mobile greengrocer's and eventually opened a shop. But an increasing number of evening bookings for his show, culminating in a 1969 summer season in Newquay, led him to turn professional. His catchphrase was born when a heckler interrupted a performance at the Rainbow Rooms in Bradford and, referring to the man's suit, he retorted: "I like it – not a lot, but I like it."

He made his television debut in the talent show Opportunity Knocks! (1970) and came second, following it with occasional appearances in programmes such as The Wheeltappers & Shunters Social Club (1975-76) and Seaside Special (1976), before landing his own ITV series, Paul Daniels' Blackpool Bonanza (1978).

He switched channels for The Paul Daniels Magic Show (1979-94), a staple diet of BBC1's Saturday-evening schedule, at its peak winning audiences of up to 17m. It began a year after the death of David Nixon, whose programmes of magic and variety had been popular for more than 20 years. It seemed that British television executives believed there was room for only one such entertainer to have his own regular show, and Daniels stepped into the breach.

From 1979, his assistant was Debbie McGee, a former soloist in the Iranian National Ballet, who became his second wife. For years, they endured media interest in the fact that she was 20 years his junior. Caroline Aherne, as Mrs Merton, once asked McGee: "What first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?" She replied that he made her laugh.

Daniels also presented quiz shows Every Second Counts, in which couples had to answer questions as quickly as possible, and Wipeout, as well as game shows Odd One Out and Secrets, which became Paul Daniels' Secrets. He switched briefly to children's TV for Wizbit (1986), featuring the magician of the title, a large rabbit called Woolly, the evil Professor Doom and the inhabitants of Puzzleopolis.

On stage, Daniels performed in many summer seasons and starred in It's Magic (Prince of Wales Theatre, 1980-82), the West End's longest-running magic show, which took more than £1m over 14 months. He returned to the same theatre with his one-man show, An Evening with Paul Daniels (1983), which he subsequently took on tour.

Several years after finding himself no longer in demand on TV, Daniels allowed his private and public life to be laid bare in When Louis Met Paul and Debbie (2001), although he revealed much about his attitude to outsiders with his cautious responses to the questions of Louis Theroux, a presenter known for his irreverence, who made a running joke of asking McGee whether her husband trusted him. His aim was to gain publicity for a stage tour he was mounting to fund the new Ballet Imaginaire company, which his wife had launched. Daniels and McGee followed other former stars by appearing in reality TV shows, The Farm, The X Factor: Battle of the Stars and Wife Swap.

In his autobiography, Under No Illusions (2000), Daniels filled pages with details of the status symbols he had accumulated, and his sexual exploits. "There's nothing wrong with being the best at your job, there's nothing wrong with driving a Bentley, there's nothing wrong with being rich – nothing!" he said later.

His other books included The Paul Daniels Magic Book, More Magic, Paul Daniels' Magic Journey, 77 Popular Card Games and Tricks, The Paul Daniels Magic Showcase and 50 Easy Card Tricks. He won the Hollywood Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year award (1983) and, for The Paul Daniels Easter Magic Show, the 1985 Golden Rose of Montreux. He died four weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. Martin Daniels, one of the three sons from his first marriage, is a magician and entertainer.

Newton Edward Daniels (Paul Daniels), magician and presenter: born South Bank, North Yorkshire 6 April 1938; married 1960 Jacqueline Skipworth (divorced 1975; three sons), 1988 Debbie McGee; died Wargrave, Berkshire 17 March 2016.