Newcastle Opera House Site Article

In mediaeval times, Derren Brown would have been burned as a witch. Today, he's given his own TV show, Derren Brown's Mind Control. Times change, but the human tendency to be amazed, fascinated and terrified by the seemingly inexplicable does not. And what Derren Brown does is amazing, fascinating and occasionally terrifying, and utterly inexplicable, whether he's reading minds, controlling people's thoughts, or giving them toothache just by looking at them.

There is no name for what Derren does. Ask him to give it one, and he can't. "It's not really a trade, as such. The thing people tend to call me is a Psychological Illusionist, but I prefer to avoid labels like that. I suppose I employ a variety of different techniques and approaches to what I do, but it's mainly a mixture of hypnosis, magic and the power of suggestion."

"I started studying as a hypnotist, doing bits of stage hypnosis and also hypnotherapy. And from there, I began to drift into magic, with a view to bringing the two together in an act. And I also started developing peripheral psychological skills, which have ended up becoming an integral part of what I do. But I don't believe it's a natural talent or anything like that. It's all about working at it. I suppose it's like playing the piano. You can't sit down and start playing, and become a concert pianist within half an hour. Sure, you need to be the right sort of person, but you also have to practise an enormous amount to get there."

Derren's uncanny abilities include a jaw-dropping capacity to learn an extraordinary amount just by looking at people. He can guess what they do for a living, what they'd like to do, what they are thinking, and when they are lying. It makes for great TV, but surely it must make for a pretty traumatic personal life? "I kind of have to switch it off, or I'd never have a normal relationship. It would be disastrous to be constantly examining how people act, analysing their behaviour patterns. Obviously, I absorb some of these skills at an unconscious level, but on the whole, it's pretty easy not to apply them. It's all about playing psychological games which take an enormous amount of effort and planning, so while it may look relatively simple, it's hard work. I couldn't do it all the time, and I wouldn't want to."

"Obviously, sometimes with friends, having a knowledge of human behaviour can be helpful. If I've got a friend who's upset or depressed, I can hopefully be more effective than the next person at helping them out. But that's the only time I'll use these things with friends. It's what separates proper friends from other people – using the techniques I do on the show just isn't relevant with them. You know people on a different level. It wouldn't be appropriate. Sometimes, when you're trying to get to know someone and eager to find out about them, it might give you a little bit of added insight, but when they become friends, you get beyond that stage."

Surely sometimes, though, there must be temptation to use his abilities when he shouldn't? "There certainly were times in the past. When I was starting out, I used some of the techniques like I was playing with a new toy. I used to use them when I met women in restaurants. Or I'd go into casinos and come out with pockets full of money. But that's not the kind of thing I would do now. Priorities change."

Of course, some people make better subjects than others, and Derren works hard at analysing the people he is about to work with. "When I meet guests for the show, I immediately build a rough psychological profile of them. Obviously it's not a complete understanding of their personality by any means, but it helps me to find triggers, to know which buttons to press. It allows me to know how to worm my way into their perceptions. Obviously, when I can, I pick those who will make the best subjects."

"People who are very open to the whole idea, `responders', make very good subjects. But interestingly, the ones who are even better are the `challengers', those who push against the whole idea of what I do, who are cynical and want to catch me out. Women tend to be more open and interested in the whole thing, whereas men see it as something of a competitive issue. What's important is that you adapt your act to fit the subject in question. I always tailor my material according to what kind of profile I put together on them."

"The worst people are those who are interested, but in a detached way, who don't get emotionally hooked. Like me – I'd be absolutely dreadful!"