The Magic Christian (novel) The Magic Christian (novel) The Magic Christian is a 1959 comic novel by American author Terry Southern (1924–1995) about an odd billionaire who spends most of his time playing elaborate practical jokes on people. It is known for bringing Southern to the attention of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, who had received a copy as a gift from Peter Sellers, and subsequently hired him as co-writer for "Dr. Strangelove" (1964) when Kubrick decided to make that film a black comedy/satire, rather than a straightforward thriller. In 1969, "The Magic Christian" was made into a film starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr; the
Peter Sellers led to his brief appearance on 1 July 1948 on "ShowTime" and subsequently to work on "Ray's a Laugh" with comedian Ted Ray. In October 1948, Sellers was a regular radio performer, appearing in "Starlight Hour", "The Gang Show", "Henry Hall's Guest Night" and "It's Fine To Be Young". By the end of 1948, the BBC Third Programme began to broadcast the comedy series "Third Division", which starred, among others, Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine and Sellers. One evening, Sellers and Bentine visited the Hackney Empire, where Secombe was performing, and Bentine introduced Sellers to Spike Milligan. The four would meet