Derren Brown

Derren Brown, well-known for his mind-reading skills, is a psychological illusionist. Brown was born in 1971, in South London. A show by hypnotist Martin S. Taylor at University of Bristol, where he was studying law and German, inspired Brown to take up illusion and hypnotism as a career. Derren Brown started staging performances in 1996 at the University of Bristol. Brown took up mind reading a while later. Soon after that he was commissioned to work for a pilot for a television series, Mind Control, on Channel 4. Derren Brown says that he achieves the results through usage of a mix of elements namely, magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and showmanship.

Trick of the Mind is the second series by Derren Brown. Trick or Treat is one of his recent shows that premiered in April 2007. The show revolves around a volunteer who receives a good or bad experience that’s based on the card that they choose. The cards are designed to be rotational ambigrams and the way they are held determines what the volunteers see. Choosing a trick implies that the volunteer is going to have a bad experience, while choosing a treat implies a good experience. Brown is also an artist and draws caricatures. Derren Brown has drawn caricatures of many celebrities, some of which include Fred Astaire, Matt Damon, Al Pacino and Kirk Douglas, among others. Brown has authored a book called Tricks of the Mind and he is slated to come up with another book in which he will talk about his techniques.