Magician David Blaine thought he had killed himself after one of his most infamous stunts went wrong.

The 43-year-old's new show Beyond Magic was broadcast on E4 last night (6 January) and on ABC last month, where the main event was his bullet catch, which he first attempted in 2010.

In the trick, a gun aimed at Blaine's open mouth is fired, and he catches the bullet in a metal cup held between a gum shield, The Sun reported.

The stunt has since been revamped and now sees Blaine pulling the trigger on himself in front of 20,000 people at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

However during the episode it was revealed that the cup had been slipping in and out of the grooves of the mouth guard.

When Blaine tugged on the rope and the bullet was fired into the cup, the gum shield shattered. After being checked by doctors Blaine found that he had a lacerated throat.

Blaine's friend is seen refusing to assist him with the trick again, but the magician still plans to perform it in his upcoming world tour.

Speaking about the moment in narration during the episode, Blaine said: "Time just started to move really slow.

"When the bullet struck the cup, there was a high-pitched ringing in my ears and I felt an impact on the back of my throat. I was sure the bullet went right through my head and that I was dead.