Daredevil Jonathan Goodwin put his escapology skills to the test today as he risked a plunge into a chilly River Thames while dangling from a blazing rope.

He was suspended upside down from the London Eye as he wriggled free from a straitjacket while filming the stunt for his new TV series, The Incredible Mr Goodwin, which begins on the Watch channel on Thursday.

Crowds saw the danger man pull off his Houdini-like stunt 200ft (61m) above the water with apparently only seconds to spare before the flames worked through the rope.

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The 32-year-old said: “Danger is a part of my profession and the adrenaline I get from each stunt I do drives me on to the next.

“Pushing the limits is exciting and I hope I have left the crowd with a memorable experience.”

He has travelled the world to put himself in extraordinary situations, a number of which will appear in his new five-part series.

They include climbing the exterior of tall buildings unaided, triggering a bear trap while remaining uninjured, and hanging on to the underside of a fast-moving vehicle as the road surface rushes by.

* The stunt was shot for the new show 'The Incredible Mr Goodwin' which begins on Watch at 9pm on Thursday.

PA