Rhys Morgan was born on a spring morning in 1865, in Caerphilly, Wales. In centuries to come this town would become the birthplace of Tommy Cooper, and this is almost certainly because of the brief presence of a tiny baby Rhys Morgan. Upon reaching manhood at the age of 14 Rhys left home in order to become a student of the physical sciences and natural laws at St John’s College, Oxford. Perhaps this early foray into academia introduced Rhys to the concept of Not-Having-A-Real-Job, one which would stay with him for his entire life.

Whilst at that most padded of seats of learning Rhys encountered a young man called Rob West, in an amusing set of circumstances involving a trifle. The two formed, among other things; a firm friendship, a magical duo, and the Oxford University Sartorial Appreciation Society & Waistcoat Owners Club. Two of these things would go on to change the very course of these young men’s lives, and possibly history itself.

Robert West popped into being in London in 1865, some 9 months after his parents first had the idea. Little did they know that their tiny, short sighted baby would grow up to be a tiny, short sighted man with a passion for all things manually dexterous. If an object could be thrown, caught, juggled, balanced or in any other way manipulated, it is safe to say Rob West has dropped it. Once his last teacup was broken by the misjudged catch of a croquet mallet, Rob gave up becoming a juggler, instead opting for a career studying Alchemy at Christ Church College, Oxford.

Whilst at that most upholstered of seats of learning Rob encountered a young man by the name of Rhys Morgan, in a stressful and embarrassing trifle related incident. The two quickly realised they shared a love of performing, waistcoats and doing card tricks when they really should be learning about science, and soon they would combine their magical ambitions like the directions on a bilingual Welsh road sign, and neither of their lives, nor their job descriptions, would ever be the same.