Derren Brown facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Derren Brown
Brown in September 2018
Born	(1971-02-27) 27 February 1971 (age 54) London, England
Occupation	Mentalist illusionist writer
Years active	1992–present

Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is a famous English mentalist, illusionist, and writer. He calls himself a "psychological illusionist." This means his shows often explore how our minds work. He likes to show how people who claim to have special powers, like faith healers or mediums, might be using tricks.

In his live shows, Derren often asks people from the audience to join in. He also adds comedy to make the shows fun. He explains that his amazing results come from a mix of psychology, clever showmanship, magic, misdirection (making you look the wrong way), and suggestion (planting ideas in your mind).

Derren started performing in 1992. His first TV show was Mind Control in 2000. Since then, he has created many popular stage and TV shows. Some of his stage shows, like Something Wicked This Way Comes (2006) and Svengali (2012), won big awards called Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Entertainment. His TV show The Experiments (2011) won a BAFTA award. In 2019, Derren performed his show Secret on Broadway in New York City. He has also written books for both magicians and the general public.

Early Life

Derren Brown was born in Croydon, London, on 27 February 1971. His parents are Chris and Bob Brown. He grew up in Purley, which he described as a typical middle-class area. He has a younger brother.

Derren went to Whitgift School in Croydon, where his dad was a swimming coach. Later, he studied law and German at the University of Bristol. While at university, he saw a hypnotist show that made him want to learn about illusions and hypnosis. He started performing close-up magic in bars and restaurants. In 1992, he began doing stage shows at the University of Bristol. His stage name was Darren V. Brown, with the "V" standing for "Victor."

Career Highlights

Derren Brown met magician Jerry Sadowitz at a magic shop. This meeting helped him get his first TV show, Mind Control, in 2000. This show became very popular. After working on several shows, Derren started his own company, Vaudeville Productions. This company helps him create his own shows and other projects.

In 2008, Derren had a small role in the TV show Crooked House. He also appeared in Richard Dawkins' documentary The Enemies of Reason in 2009. In this show, Derren explained how fake psychics use tricks like cold reading to fool people. He talks a lot about this technique in his book Tricks of the Mind.

In January 2011, Channel 4 celebrated 10 years of Derren Brown's TV appearances. They showed a special documentary called Derren Brown: Behind the Mischief. This film shared personal stories about Derren, including how he met his co-writer and visited his old school and university. Famous people like Matt Lucas and Simon Pegg also appeared in the documentary.

In 2013, Derren appeared on a special episode of Deal or No Deal. He seemed to predict all the correct boxes to win a huge amount of money. He also appeared in a comedy sketch for 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Deal or No Deal.

In January 2014, Derren played himself in an episode of Sherlock called "The Empty Hearse". He was part of a theory about how Sherlock Holmes faked his own death. In 2018, he was a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience to talk about his Netflix special Sacrifice. In 2021, he appeared in a trailer for the video game Little Nightmares II, discussing nightmares.

How He Does It

Derren Brown says he uses many different methods for his illusions. These include:

• Traditional magic tricks
• Memory techniques
• Hypnosis
• Reading body language
• Cognitive psychology (how our minds think)
• Cold reading (making smart guesses about people)
• Psychological and subliminal suggestions (ideas that enter your mind without you noticing)
• Ideomotor effect (unconscious movements)

He often chooses people who are more open to suggestion for his shows. He also believes that being on TV can make people more suggestible.

Real Methods vs. What He Says

Derren often tells his audience how he does his tricks. But this is usually another layer of misdirection. The methods he describes are often not the real ones he uses. He wants his audience to think he uses deep psychological skills, which helps his tricks work. He uses many techniques to make sure people can't figure out his illusions.

For example, after a trick where he seemed to predict lottery numbers, he said he used "the wisdom of crowds." However, many people believe he actually used a split-screen video trick.

In his 2006 book Tricks of the Mind, Derren wrote, "I am often dishonest in my techniques, but always honest about my dishonesty." He also said he never uses actors in his shows without telling the audience. However, in a 2010 interview, he admitted that early in his TV career, he might have "overstated" his skills. He thought he would only have one show, so he "might as well go for it."

Personal Life

Derren's parents sent him to Bible classes when he was young, even though they weren't very religious. He later became a skeptic about religion and supernatural beliefs.

Since 2004, Derren has been a supporter of the Parrot Zoo Trust in Friskney. He loves parrots and finds them fascinating. He notes that many parrots live longer than humans and can mimic human voices.

Derren used to have short brown hair with sideburns and a goatee. In 2013, he shaved his head and face. He later explained that he started losing his hair when he began doing TV shows. Makeup artists would try to make his hair look thicker, but he eventually decided to shave it off.

His Works

Television Series

Television Specials

Stage Shows

Stage Shows on TV

DVD Releases

Books

Derren Brown has written seven books. The first two, Absolute Magic and Pure Effect, are for other magicians. They teach tricks and how to perform them well. He stopped selling them to the public when he became famous, because they didn't explain his TV shows.

His other books are for everyone:

• Tricks of the Mind: This book explains some of his techniques and talks about the psychology behind magic. He also shares his thoughts on why people believe in psychic phenomena.
• Confessions of a Conjuror: This book mixes his life story with funny observations.
• Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine: This book explores the history and ideas of happiness. A shorter version, A Little Happier: Notes for reassurance, was also published.
• A Book of Secrets: Finding Comfort in a Complex World: Published in 2021.
• Notes from a Fellow Traveller: Published in 2023, this book is for magicians and mentalists. It's based on his journal from his Showman tour.

Other Projects

Derren co-hosted two online series for Channel 4: The Science of Scams and The Science of Attraction.

• In The Science of Scams, he showed videos of fake paranormal events, then explained how they were created.
• The Science of Attraction explored what makes people attracted to each other.

He also recorded audio extracts from Tricks of the Mind, sharing tips and techniques. He made instructional videos for magicians, like The Devil's Picturebook and International Magic Presents: The Derren Brown Lecture, which teach card tricks and mentalism.

In 2007, Derren acted in a short film called Medium Rare. In 2008, he appeared in the BBC Four show Crooked House. He also drew caricatures for "The QI 'F' annual" in 2008. In 2009, a book called Portraits was released, showing his paintings and funny drawings of celebrities. In 2010, he appeared in a Comedy Gala for Channel 4 with Kevin Bishop.

Thorpe Park Ride

Derren Brown helped create a virtual reality dark ride at the Thorpe Park amusement park. It opened on 8 July 2016 and was called "Derren Brown's Ghost Train". The ride was set in an old train carriage and used live actors, holograms, and VR headsets. It was Thorpe Park's most expensive ride. In 2017, it was updated and renamed "Derren Brown's Ghost Train: Rise of the Demon." The ride closed in 2022 and was later changed into a new Ghost Train ride without Derren's involvement.

Playing Cards

In 2019, Derren worked with the playing card company Theory11 to create his own deck of cards.

Awards and Nominations