He was voted in the top three by the British public but lost out in the judges vote to fellow comedian Kojo Amin.

It came after a stunning performance at the Hammersmith Apollo in London which received a standing ovation by the audience and the judges.

Judge David Walliams said: “It was just one of those magic moments. You are a superstar.”

The contestant, who turned 59 yesterday, merges comedy with magic, something he has been doing for years before auditioning for the reality show.

He has performed at the Christian festivals and visited churches, entertaining congregations with magic tricks and speaking about his faith. 

In the first round of the talent show Archer told the judges he ahd long considered auditioning: “I have thought about it and I’ve chickened out and so I got to the point this year where I thought, ‘face your fears and do it’ and so I’m here.”

The comedian has spoken previously in interviews about how he came to faith after dating a Christian girl who dragged him along to church and later met a Christian friend at Art college who led him to committing to Christ. 

He’s featured on Premier Christian Radio several times.

Archer still has a small chance of making the final as the judges will put through a wildcard act who didn’t make it through the semi finals.

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