Derren Brown
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Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971) is an English mentalist, illusionist, and writer. He is a self-described "psychological illusionist" whose acts are often designed to expose the methods of those who claim to possess supernatural powers, such as faith healers and mediums. His live performances, which incorporate audience participation and comedy, often include statements describing how his results are achieved through a combination of psychology, showmanship, magic, misdirection, and suggestion. Brown began performing in 1992, making his television debut with '' Mind Control'' (2000). He has since starred in several more shows for stage and television, including '' Something Wicked This Way Comes'' (2006) and '' Svengali'' (2012) which won him two
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
s for Best Entertainment, as well as '' The Experiments'' (2011) which won him a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
for Best Entertainment Programme at the 2012 awards. Brown made his Broadway debut with his 2019 stage show ''Secret''. He has also written books for both magicians and the general public.


Early life

Derren Brown was born in the
London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon () is a London borough, borough in South London, part of Outer London. It covers an area of and had a population of 397,741 as of mid-2023, making it the most populous London borough. It is London's southernmost ...
on 27 February 1971, the son of Chris and Bob Brown. He was raised in Croydon's Purley area, which he described as "the epitome of middle-class suburbia", and he has a brother who is nine years younger than him. He was privately educated at
Whitgift School Whitgift School is an independent day school with limited boarding in South Croydon, London. Along with Trinity School of John Whitgift and Old Palace School it is owned by the Whitgift Foundation, a charitable trust. The school was prev ...
in South Croydon, where his father was a swimming coach, before going on to study law and German at the
University of Bristol The University of Bristol is a public university, public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Br ...
. While there, he attended a hypnotist show by Martin S. Taylor, which inspired him to turn to illusion and hypnosis as a career. As an undergraduate, he started working as a conjuror, performing the traditional skills of close-up magic in bars and restaurants. In 1992, he started performing stage shows at the University of Bristol under the stage name Darren V. Brown; the "V" stood for "Victor".


Career

At the International Magic shop in
Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...
, Brown met Scottish-American magician and comedian Jerry Sadowitz, who put him in touch with H&R publishers and magician Andrew O'Connor's production company Objective Productions. This led to his television debut with the show Mind Control (2000), which became one of the company's award-winning productions. After several shows with Objective, Brown set up his own company Vaudeville Productions with former Objective executives Michael Vine, Andrew O’Connor, and Paul Sandler, in order to produce his own shows as well as other projects with other performers. Its first show was Brown's TV special, ''Pushed to the Edge''. In 2008, Brown made a brief cameo in the supernatural drama series '' Crooked House''. An interview with Brown was featured in
Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biology, evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator and author. He is an Oxford fellow, emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford, and was Simonyi Professor for the Publ ...
' 2009 two-part documentary series '' The Enemies of Reason''. Brown explained various psychological techniques used by purported psychics and spiritual mediums to manipulate their audiences. The most notable was cold reading, a technique which he discusses extensively in his book ''Tricks of the Mind''. Some video footage was also used from his TV special ''Messiah''. As part of Channel 4's 3D season in 2009, Brown presented ''Derren Brown's 3D Magic Spectacular''. The show was not a new special from Brown, who instead presented a number of other magicians and clips. However, he did include one extract taken from a 2006 episode of ''Trick of the Mind'' in which he found an object that had been hidden in the streets of
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by a volunteer. In January 2011, to celebrate 10 years since his first television appearance, Channel 4 held a special "Derren Brown Night". As well as re-showing ''The Heist'' (which had won a recent poll of favourite Brown specials) and one of his ''Enigma'' live shows, the channel screened a special documentary called ''Derren Brown: Behind the Mischief''. It was a personal and candid film about Brown which included the story of how he met his co-writer (who was featured in ''Seance''), his mother's feelings about his involvement in the ''Russian Roulette'' special, and an emotional visit back to his old school, university, and bars/pubs where he first began his career. Celebrity contributors included
Matt Lucas Matthew Richard Lucas (born 5 March 1974) is an English actor, comedian, writer and television host. He is best known for his work with David Walliams on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Britain (TV series), Little Britain'' (2003–2006) ...
, Jo Whiley,
Stephen Merchant Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English comedian, writer, director, and actor. He was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series ''The Office (British TV series), The Office'' (2001–2003), and co-writer ...
, and
Simon Pegg Simon John Pegg (; born 14 February 1970) is an English actor, comedian and screenwriter. He came to prominence in the UK as the co-creator of the Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'' (1999–2001), directed by Edgar Wright. He and Wright co-wrote the ...
. In January 2013, he was featured in a Channel 4 ''
Deal or No Deal ''Deal or No Deal'' is the name of several closely related television game shows, the first of which (launching the format) was the Dutch '' Miljoenenjacht'' (''Hunt/Chase for Millions''). The centerpiece of this format is the final round (a ...
'' special, where he appeared to have predicted all the correct boxes to win the big jackpot of £250,000. That same year, he appeared in a comedy sketch at the beginning of an '' 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Deal or No Deal'' special. In January 2014, Brown appeared as himself in the '' Sherlock'' episode " The Empty Hearse", as part of a theory regarding how the
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
faked his own death. On 9 November 2018, he appeared as a guest on ''
The Joe Rogan Experience ''The Joe Rogan Experience'' is a podcast hosted by American comedian, presenter, and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. It was initiated on December 24, 2009, on YouTube by Rogan and comedian Brian Redban, who was its sole co-host and produce ...
'' to promote his
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special ''Sacrifice''. In February 2021, Brown appeared in a trailer for the horror video game '' Little Nightmares II'', in which he discussed the nature of nightmares while some of the monsters featured in the game appeared around him.


Methods


Suggested methods

Brown states that he uses a variety of methods to achieve his illusions including traditional magic/conjuring techniques, memory techniques,
hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...
, body language reading,
cognitive psychology Cognitive psychology is the scientific study of human mental processes such as attention, language use, memory, perception, problem solving, creativity, and reasoning. Cognitive psychology originated in the 1960s in a break from behaviorism, whi ...
, cold reading, and psychological, subliminal (specifically the use of PWA; "perception without awareness"), and ideomotor suggestion. Others additionally ascribe methods to him that he denies, ranging from the pseudoscience
neuro-linguistic programming Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy that first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder's book ''The Structure of Magic I'' (1975). NLP ...
(NLP) to paid actors. In an interview in ''
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organ ...
'' in 2005, when asked how he "acquired his psychological skills", Brown says that he learnt skills as a hypnotist, which he was not sure how to apply until he started performing close-up magic. When asked whether he is able to detect lies, Brown claimed to be able to read subtle cues such as micro-muscle movements that indicate to him if someone is lying. Concerning his apparent success at hypnotising people, he stated that he can normally spot a suggestible type of person and chooses that person to be his participant. He believes that the presence of a television camera also increases suggestibility. Several authors have claimed that Brown uses
neuro-linguistic programming Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is a Pseudoscience, pseudoscientific approach to communication, personal development, and psychotherapy that first appeared in Richard Bandler and John Grinder's book ''The Structure of Magic I'' (1975). NLP ...
(NLP) in his act which "consists of a range of magical 'tricks', misdirection and, most intriguing, setting up audiences to provide the response that he wishes them to provide by using subtle subliminal cues in his conversation with them". In response to the accusation that he unfairly claims to be using NLP whenever he performs, he wrote, "The truth is I have never mentioned it outside of my book." He does have an off-stage curiosity about the system, and discusses it in the larger context of hypnotism and suggestion. In his book ''Tricks of the Mind'', he mentions that he attended an NLP course with Richard Bandler, co-creator of NLP and mentor of Paul McKenna. He also describes the NLP concept of eye-accessing cues as a technique of "limited use" in his book ''Pure Effect''. Brown also mentions in ''Tricks of the Mind'' that NLP students were given a certificate after a four-day course, certifying them to practise NLP as a therapist. A year after Brown attended the class, he received a number of letters saying that he would receive another certificate, not for passing a test (as he discontinued practising NLP following the course), but for keeping in touch. After ignoring their request, he later received the new certificate for NLP in the post, unsolicited.


Actual versus suggested methods

Brown often claims to reveal the methods by which he achieves his tricks, but this is typically an additional layer of misdirection, as the stated methods are not the methods that he uses. The perception by his audience that he uses deep psychological insights typically aids the misdirection required for his tricks. He employs a variety of techniques to ensure his audience cannot deduce the methods behind his illusions. Some critics have argued that his presentation as a sceptic might be misleading, as certain elements of his performances could be interpreted as promoting pseudoscience. For example, after performing a trick in which he appeared to predict lottery numbers, his demonstrated explanation included using the Wisdom of Crowds, but it has been theorised that the actual method relied on split-screen video. Some commentators have suggested that such performances might inadvertently conflict with efforts to reduce
magical thinking Magical thinking, or superstitious thinking, is the belief that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link between them, particularly as a result of supernatural effects. Examples include the idea tha ...
. In a ''Daily Telegraph'' article published in 2003, Simon Singh criticised Brown's early TV appearances, arguing that he presented standard magic and mentalism effects—such as the classic ten-card poker deal trick—as genuine
psychological manipulation In psychology, manipulation is defined as an action designed to influence or control another person, usually in an underhanded or subtle manner which facilitates one's personal aims. Methods someone may use to manipulate another person may includ ...
. On Brown's television and live shows, he often appears to show the audience how a particular effect was created—claiming to use techniques such as subliminal suggestion, hypnosis, and body language reading. Singh's suggestion is that these explanations are dishonest. Furthermore, Singh took exception to the programme's website being categorised under Channel 4's "Science" section. The mini-site was later reclassified under 'Entertainment' instead of 'Science'. In his 2006 book ''Tricks of the Mind'', Brown wrote, "I am often dishonest in my techniques, but always honest about my dishonesty... I happily admit cheating, as it's all part of the game" and claimed to never use actors or "stooges" in his work without informing the viewers, calling it "artistically repugnant and simply unnecessary". However, in an October 2010 interview, Brown conceded that Singh may have had a point, explaining that at the start of his television career "I was overstating the case, overstating my skills. I thought there'll only be one show, there'll never be a repeat, so I might as well go for it."


Controversies

In 2007,
BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
listed Brown's shows ''Russian Roulette'' and ''Seance'' in a list of examples of
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's "legacy of controversy". Public complaints that ''Russian Roulette'' was distasteful, made light of suicide, and promoted gun culture were ultimately rejected by
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...
on the basis that the context (a post- watershed magic show) was enough and that the warnings given were sufficient. Additionally, the use of a 15-minute time delay ensured no viewer would have seen the result of any mistake. The police had also warned that the show might inspire copycat acts. In 2013, Brown said, "Controversy has never interested me for its own sake. It's always been about doing stuff that feels dramatic." Seance received a significant number of complaints, including 487 to Channel 4 and 208 to Ofcom. Most were from church groups and came before transmission, i.e. before Brown revealed during the broadcast that his attempt to contact the dead was a hoax. The show was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing. The
GMB union The GMB is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 560,000 members. Its members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution, the utilities, social care, the National Health Service (N ...
criticised ''Heist'' on behalf of security workers, arguing it was "irresponsible and insensitive" in light of increased attacks on staff. Channel 4 responded by arguing that it was made "very clear that attempting any form of robbery was criminal behaviour". An episode of ''Trick or Treat'', which appeared to show Brown convincing someone to press a button even though they thought it would electrocute a kitten inside a metal box, caused charity Cats Protection to complain and news outlets to label Brown a "cat killer". He responded by arguing they had misunderstood the trick as the box was not wired up and that he "wasn’t glorifying cruelty to cats ..people would have been hard-pressed to recreate the electrocution device at home even if they wanted to". Another episode, which saw someone hypnotised into thinking they had been killed in a car crash after not wearing a seatbelt, was criticised by a road safety charity which alleged it trivialised the issue. Ofcom received 11 complaints and began an investigation relating to the safety of a scene in ''Hero at 30,000 Feet'', in which the subject was shown chained to a railway line in order to escape from an oncoming train. The show is listed in the "Other Programmes Not in Breach" (p. 38) category of their Ofcom's Broadcast Bulletin, Issue Number 168, without any explanation as to why it was decided that it is not in breach. Self-proclaimed psychic Joe Power, the subject of the ''Derren Brown Investigates'' episode "The Man Who Contacts the Dead", complained to Ofcom about being misled and treated unfairly and said the programme "presented, disregarded or omitted material facts". He also alleged he had received threats from sceptics and had to move home because of it. Ofcom rejected his complaint on the basis that Power had been fully apprised of the sceptical nature of the programme, and his actions had been presented fairly. Brown has faced allegations of using stooges in his work. Viewers complained that the subject of ''Apocalypse'' was an actor, pointing to his CastingCallPro account as evidence; Brown dismissed these allegations as conspiracy theories and called them untrue and hurtful, while the head of CastingCallPro pointed out that the subject had created an account on the website a long time ago but never completed his profile or looked for work on the website.


Personal life

Although Brown's parents were not practising Christians, they sent him to Bible classes from the age of five because they believed it was the "right thing to do". In an effort to deal with self-esteem and sexuality issues, he became an
evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...
as a teenager in order to present himself as confident and asexual; however, by the end of his teenage years, he decided that his beliefs had no basis and became an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. In 2007, at the age of 36, Brown came out as gay via an article in ''
The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publishe ...
''. He was dating a designer named Marc at the time, though they later separated after eight years together. Brown has been the patron of the Parrot Zoo Trust in Friskney since 2004. He told '' LeftLion'', "I'm a big fan of parrots. I think they're fascinating creatures. Many of them live for longer than us humans and it's interesting to me the way they learn to mimic human voices even though they don't really comprehend what they're saying." Brown's signature look consisted of short brown hair with sideburns and a
goatee A goatee is a style of facial hair incorporating hair on the chin entirely. The exact nature of the style has varied according to time and culture. Description Until the late 20th century, the term ''goatee'' was used to refer solely to a bear ...
until he shaved both his head and face in 2013, though he now occasionally sports stubble. He told ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'' later that year, "I'm really not fussed about losing my hair. I started going bald when I was doing TV, and the make-up artist started putting all this powdery stuff on to thicken it. I got balder and balder and they put more and more of the stuff on, until it got to this weird point where on TV I had a full head of hair, but in real life I very obviously didn't."


Works


Shows


Television series


Television specials


Stage shows


= Broadcast on television

=


DVD releases


Books

Brown has written seven books: ''Absolute Magic'', ''Pure Effect'', ''Tricks of the Mind'', ''Confessions of a Conjuror'', ''Happy'', ''A Book of Secrets'', and ''Notes From a Fellow Traveller'', and released books of his
street photography Street photography is photography conducted for art or inquiry that features unmediated chance encounters and random incidents within Public space, public places. It usually has the aim of capturing images at a decisive or poignant moment by caref ...
and painted portraiture. The first two books are intended solely for practitioners of magic and mentalism, whilst his books ''Tricks of the Mind'', and ''Confessions of a Conjuror'' are aimed at the general public. He has also written a book exploring the history and philosophy of happiness; ''Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine''. ''Absolute Magic'', subtitled ''A Model for Powerful Close-Up Performance'', is not so much about magical methodology as about how magicians can make their performances magical; it is written in a variety of styles: sometimes humorous, sometimes serious. Brown critiques performances that he feels lack originality and encourages magicians to create more engaging and audience-focused experiences.Some reviewers have noted similarities between Brown's discussions and Darwin Ortiz's Strong Magic, though Brown frames these ideas within his personal experiences and performance philosophy. ''Pure Effect'' is a more traditional book of trickery and technique and offers an insight into some of the methods that Brown employs, and offers a starting point for development for the reader's own use. Brown's first two books were intended for magicians; they were written before his fame. He has said that he pulled them from the market when he found that non-magicians would bring them to his shows for autographs. He says he felt bad because, "...they're spending a lot of money on those things and...if they wanted to find out how I was doing the TV shows it wasn't really answering that question." ''Tricks of the Mind'' is Brown's first book intended for the general public. It is a wide-ranging book in which Brown reveals some of the techniques he uses in his performances, delves into the structure and psychology of magic and discusses hypnosis. He also applies his insight to the paranormal industry, looking at the structure of beliefs and how psychology can explain why people become 'true believers'. He also offers autobiographical stories about his own experiences as a former Christian, and discusses his
scepticism Skepticism ( US) or scepticism ( UK) is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the pe ...
about religion, allegedly 'psychic' phenomena and other supernatural
belief system A belief is a subjective attitude that something is true or a state of affairs is the case. A subjective attitude is a mental state of having some stance, take, or opinion about something. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" ...
s. ''Confessions of a Conjuror'' was published by Channel 4 Books in October 2010. It is a mix of autobiography and humorous observation told mostly through footnotes and diversions while Brown describes performing a single card routine for a group of people at his old restaurant gig. () ''Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine'' was published on 22 September 2016 by Bantam Press. (). A condensed version of the book, entitled ''A Little Happier: Notes for reassurance'', was published on 15 October 2020. () On 2 September 2021, ''A Book of Secrets: Finding Comfort in a Complex World'' was published by Bantam Press. In 2023 ''Notes from a Fellow Traveller'' was published by The Neat Review. It was launched on 4 July at The Magic Circle and is aimed at magicians and mentalists rather than lay people. It is based on a journal written during Brown's sell-out UK ''Showman'' tour in 2022/23 and was produced in
paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...
,
hardback A hardcover, hard cover, or hardback (also known as hardbound, and sometimes as casebound (At p. 247.)) book is one bound with rigid protective covers (typically of binder's board or heavy paperboard covered with buckram or other cloth, heavy ...
and a Deluxe Limited Edition of 300 copies.


Other productions and publications

Brown co-presented two web-based series for Channel 4; ''The Science of Scams'' and ''The Science of Attraction''. In The Science of Scams, a number of videos were placed on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
purporting to show various kinds of paranormal phenomena such as ghosts, telekinesis and a tarot card reading. In a second series of videos, Brown and his co-presenter Kat Akingbade explained what was actually happening, exposing each as a specially created scam. The Science of Attraction was co-presented by Brown, Akingbade and
Charlotte McDonnell Charlotte McDonnell (formerly Charlie McDonnell; born 1 October 1990) is a British filmmaker, screenwriter, musician, former vlogger, author and Twitch streamer from Bath, Somerset. On 15 June 2011, her YouTube channel charlieissocoollike bec ...
(formerly Charlie McDonnell). The shows examined the physical and psychological factors that can influence our feelings of attraction to other people, especially those of the opposite sex. The series featured a number of experiments designed to show how these factors can be influenced. Brown has recorded some audio extracts from ''Tricks of the Mind''. In them he expounds on the three subjects essential to his performance—Magic, Memory, and Hypnosis. The extracts last around 40 minutes each, disclosing tips and techniques Brown uses in his acts (as well as day-to-day) and narrating the highlights of his book. ''The Devil's Picturebook'' is a near 3-hour home-made video. The first half explains in detail some classic card routines from his earlier career as a conjurer, all of which rely on
sleight of hand Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card fl ...
, misdirection and audience management. The second looks at psychological card routines and shows a distinct move towards mentalism, for which he is now known. It is an instructional video for aspiring magicians and not an entertainment piece. For this reason, it was available only to practitioners through a password-protected "magicians only" area of his website. The clue to the password tells you that the word itself begins with T and is a type of palming trick. ''International Magic Presents: The Derren Brown Lecture'' is an 80-minute lecture DVD of close-up mentalism and subsequent discussion of various aspects of Brown's performance. Again, this product is not intended for general consumption but is directed at magicians and mentalists only. In 2007, Brown performed in the short film ''Medium Rare''. In 2008, Brown made a guest acting appearance in
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
's '' Crooked House'' as Sir Roger Widdowson. In 2008, Brown provided caricatures for "The QI 'F' annual". In 2009, a book, ''Portraits'', was released containing a selection of Brown's paintings and bizarre
caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
s of celebrities. In 2010, Brown appeared in a special Comedy Gala for Channel 4 and Great Ormond Street Hospital. He appeared with
Kevin Bishop Kevin Brian Bishop (born 1980) is a British actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his roles as Jim Hawkins (character), Jim Hawkins in ''Muppet Treasure Island'', Stupid Brian in ''My Family'', and Nigel Norman Fletcher in the 2016 rev ...
, who played his jealous annoying twin 'Darren'.


Thorpe Park ride

Brown created a new
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a Simulation, simulated experience that employs 3D near-eye displays and pose tracking to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video gam ...
dark ride at the
Thorpe Park Thorpe Park, formerly also known as Thorpe Park Resort, is a theme park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...
amusement park, which opened on 8 July 2016. " Derren Brown's Ghost Train" was set aboard an old train carriage in an abandoned warehouse. The experience lasted around 13-15 minutes and was Thorpe Park's most expensive ride experience. The ride had live-action actors and holograms while passengers were strapped in wearing VR headsets. In 2017, the attraction added new experiences to the train and 'Rise of the Demon' to the name. The ride closed in 2022; it was rebranded and rethemed as Ghost Train, a project without Brown's involvement.


Playing cards

In 2019, Brown collaborated with playing card company Theory11 on a deck of cards that are sold on the company's website.


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Derren 1971 births Alumni of the University of Bristol English atheists English magicians English sceptics English gay entertainers English gay writers British hypnotists Laurence Olivier Award winners LGBTQ magicians Living people Mentalists People educated at Whitgift School People from Purley, London Former evangelicals English former Christians Academy of Magical Arts Magician of the Year winners 20th-century English LGBTQ people 21st-century English LGBTQ people