Derren Brown

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This article is about the English illusionist and mentalist. For the British guitarist, see Darren Brown. For the
baseball coach, see Daren Brown.
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Derren Brown
Derren Victor Brown.jpg
Brown in 2009
Born 27 February 1971 (age 43)
Purley, London, England
Other names Darren V. Brown[1]
Occupation Illusionist, mentalist, hypnotist, painter, writer, sceptic
Years active 1992present
Partner(s)
Mark
(2007present)
Website
derrenbrown.co.uk
Derren Brown (born 27 February 1971)[2] is an English illusionist, mentalist, trickster, hypnotist, painter,
writer, and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions, and British
television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat. Since the first broadcast of his show Derren
Brown: Mind Control in 2000, Brown has become increasingly well known for his mind-reading act. He has
written books for magicians as well as the general public.
Though Brown's performances of mind-reading and other feats of mentalism may appear to be the result
of psychic or paranormal practices, he claims no such abilities and frequently denounces those who do. He
states at the beginning of his Trick of the Mind programmes that he achieves his results using a combination of "magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection, and showmanship".
Contents
1 Early life
2 Misdirection
3 Suggested methods
4 Other appearances
5 Personal life
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Early life
Brown was born to Chris and Bob Brown[3] in Purley, London, and has a brother nine years his junior.[4]
Brown was privately educated at Whitgift School in South Croydon (where his father coached swimming),[4] and studied Law and German[5] at the University of Bristol.[6] While there, he attended a hypnotist show by Martin S Taylor, which inspired him to turn to illusion and hypnosis as a career.[7] Whilst 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.[1]
Brown was an Evangelical Christian in his teens, and became an atheist in his twenties. This is discussed by
Brown in the "Messiah" special, and in his book Tricks of the Mind.[8] An interview as part of Richard Dawkins' two-part documentary series The Enemies of Reason, where Brown explained various psychological