Oxfringe kicks off on Wednesday with 10 days of laughter, fun, excitement, music, dance and drama. So who to feature? To make life easier we put on a blindfold, stuck a pin in the Oxfringe map and came up with ‘psychic’ Rob Bailey to sum up Oxfringe for us and explain why it’s such a gas.

Want to predict the future, summon up Sigmund Freud’s spirit or spot someone’s star sign?

Then you should check out Rob Bailey’s show My Psychic Life, which allows you to be the judge in a world of make believe, by teaching you the tricks of the trade.

An Oxford psychologist by day, his new show takes up the rest of his time: “Well, some of us just like to show off,” he smiles. “But this show is all about recreating psychic powers using psychology so that people can sort the wheat from the chaff.”

Fraud spotting? “No, people don’t like being told what to think so I take a different view. I make it quite clear this is an illusion. And it’s more fun than that. It’s entertainment and lets the audience recreate situations and really enjoy themselves at the same time.”

Rob wasn’t always this cynical. Born in Cumnor, he came from a family of ‘believers’ until he went off to university to study psychology and then changed his mind. This show is a by-product of his science degree.

So what can we expect then? “Audience members will predict other people’s futures without knowing how. And we’ll channel the powers of levitation on stage and summon Sigmund Freud’s spirit. We will also predict other people’s favourite things and teach the audience to remember more so people feel they know more about them than they do. It’s very compelling,” he assures me. “And it means the audience goes home with something they’ve learned.”

I’m sold. So any other tricks up the 40- year-old’s sleeve? “Well, having worked in forensic psychology and a secure psychiatric ward, I also have a murder/ mystery section,” he promises. “But if I aim to achieve anything, it’s to be unique. So I hope my show is a bit different and the perfect mix of science and psychology.”

As for Rob, after Oxfringe he’s off to Edinburgh Fringe Festival. “This is my third time at Oxfringe and I love it because I get to try out all my new material and fine tune it,” he smiles.

FACT BOX: l Oxfringe runs from Wednesday until June 10.

l The Jubilee is at the forefront of the programme with a free outdoor Jubilee Unlocked at the Oxford Castle on Sunday, June 3, from midday till early evening with community music and dance groups, Oxfringe performer previews, spectacular clowning troupe Le Navet Bete and a performance of A Comedy of Errors by the Oxford Bard Festival on stage. Upstairs at the Jericho Tavern, on Friday 1 and Saturday, June 2, watch Jubilee Jam – live music sessions with local indie and pop acts.

lThis year’s Hobgoblin Comedy headline acts – John Hegley, Isy Suttie and Simon Munnery – are at the Old Fire Station and joined throughout the festival by an array of stand-up, improvisation and sketch performers, not forgetting the Hobgoblin Comedy Gong Shows with plenty of rising stars.

lOther highlights include events at Pegasus, the Simpkins Lee Theatre, The Old Fire Station, Turl Street Kitchen and Oxford Hub and Ruskin College Auditorium.

lSee oxfringe.com for information.

* Illusionist and psychologist Rob Bailey will appear in My ‘Psychic’ Life on June 7 and 8 at Pegasus as part of Oxfringe. Call the box office on 01865 812150.