Thursday, May 31, 2012

New U.S. Series from Derren Brown -- Free on Hulu

Starting July 7, 2012, you can see a new Derren Brown series called "Derren Brown: Inside Your Mind" in the U.S. This will be the first time since 2007's SyFy series that Derren has been available to Americans.

The series will be available at Hulu.com and will consist of four 60-minute episodes. Each will be a collection of clips that have formerly aired in the U.K. and elsewhere. For example, the Simon Pegg BMX trick will be included (as you will recall, that one was also in the SyFy series). There will reportedly be some new introductory material.

American viewers: Please make this series wildly successful for Derren and Hulu so they will both provide more content in the U.S.! Note that this series will be on both the free and subscription versions of Hulu - so it costs nothing to watch.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

List of Derren Brown Books (UK)

For your reference, here is the complete list of Derren Brown books written by Derren himself. Some of them are hard to get outside of the UK, but if you look you can find them. The following affiliate links are for the UK:

1. Absolute Magic - A Model for Powerful Close-Up Performance (2001 -- out of print and expensive)

2. Pure Effect: Direct Mindreading and Magical Artistry (2002 -- out of print and expensive)

3. Tricks Of The Mind (2007)

4. Portraits (2009)

5. Confessions of a Conjuror (2011)

What book will Derren Brown write next? I don't know, but if he follows his pattern we can expect another book in 2013 or so.

CRIME REPORT: Paying with Derren Brown's Blank Checks

It might be a mistake to steal from a mind reader. That is what housekeeper Rocio Pavon-Navarrete must be thinking if, as is alleged, she stole money from Derren Brown in 2010.

According to the Daily Mail, the housekeeper is charged with using Derren Brown's blank checks to steal "thousands of pounds". Ms. Pavon-Navarrete's two-day trial will start the week of September 10, 2012, and Derren is expected to appear as a witness.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

And the BAFTA goes to... Derren Brown: The Experiments

Derren Brown won yet another BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts award) this weekend in the category of "best Entertainment Programme" for last year's special "The Experiments."

As you will recall, the four-part Experiments series consisted of:

1. The Assassin;
2. Gameshow;
3. Guilt Trip; and
4. The Secret of Luck.

You can see some "unseen" footage here. It was one of Derren's best series, and well deserving of the win.

Monday, May 14, 2012

When Will Derren Brown Be In New York?

Soon. According to the official Derren blog (see: USA Mailing List), Derren will perform in New York City "towards the end of 2012." For years, I have speculated about when DB will conquer the U.S. market, but so far all we have had was his 2007 Sci Fi series. Now, finally, he is performing in the U.S.

We assume he will be doing his Svengali show, but there is no definite indication yet. Looks like I might be making a trip to NYC...

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Be Like Derren Brown - the Best Reference Materials

In the past 4 years, I have read every book I could find that seemed to reveal Derren Brown's unique skills. There have been a few immensely useful books, which I will reveal below. Follow the affiliate links if you are interested in learning more:


1.  The Power of Conversational Hypnosis by Igor Ledochowski
This audio course is a resource I have found that genuinely teaches how to use conversational hypnosis. It is downloadable so you can order it on-line. Just look past the cheesy promotional language on Ledochowski's webpage: Conversational Hypnosis.

2. Rules of the Game by Neil Strauss
Although designed for men who want to pick up women, this book works for anyone who wants to be more likeable and engaging with other people. It is essentially a 30-day course in improving your ability to approach and connect with others. You will see traces of  Derren's techniques in the skills discussed.
You can buy it at Amazon UK or Amazon US.

3. Never be Lied to Again by David J. Lieberman
I have read all of Lieberman's books and have found most of them to be useful. This one is the most directly related to what Derren does because it teaches how to detect whether others are lying. Most of the techniques involve scripted conversations you can have with people you suspect to be lying.
You can buy it at Amazon UK or Amazon US.

These are the three most practical be-like-Derren sources I have found. I might add more to the list from time to time.