Magician escapes from handcuffs while hanging 20ft in the air with his head in a tank of water

Darcy Oake, the Canadian magician who rose to fame in the UK after appearing on Britain's Got Talent, was one of the highlights during the London New Year's Day Parade. This year, the annual event was celebrating '30 Magical Years', and Oake promised ahead of the day that his newest stunt would be 'epic'. It began with Oake's hands being shackled to a board, while his head was placed in a glass box, which was then filled with water. The illusionist was then lifted 20 feet in the air, where he began unpicking the locks with a pin.

The throngs which lined Whitehall held their breath watching the man suspended 20ft above the road try desperately to escape his shackles. In total, the escape took two-and-a-half minutes, and 28-year-old Oake was visibly relieved when he finally escaped.
But he was just one of more than 8,500 people who took part in the parade, which snaked through Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall, before finishing with a performance of the National Anthem by 400 musicians in Parliament Square.