List of Derren Brown shows

This page catalogues the stage and television work of psychological illusionist Derren Brown.

Television series

Mind Control (2000–2003)

Brown's television career began when Channel 4 asked him, in 1999, to put together a mind-reading programme. The resulting six-part series combined new material with the best segments from three earlier hour-long specials he had made independently. Andy Nyman was originally considered to front the show, but recommended Brown instead, having met him through magician Jerry Sadowitz.

Trick of the Mind (2004–2006)

Brown's next series ran for three seasons of entirely new material. One of its more discussed instalments, broadcast in May 2005, saw Brown claim to have designed a video game capable of inducing a trance-like state in roughly a third of the people who played it; he then staged an elaborate "kidnapping" of a catatonic test subject into a live-action recreation of the game.

Trick or Treat (2007–2008)

Each episode centred on a single volunteer who was given a choice between two cards, one leading to a pleasant experience and the other to an unpleasant one. In its second series, actor David Tennant became the first celebrity participant, after expressing interest in Brown's work at a party the two had attended.

Mind Control with Derren Brown (2007)

A US-produced spin-off aired on the SCI FI Channel from July 2007, mixing newly filmed American segments with material drawn from Brown's earlier UK broadcasts.

Derren Brown: The Events (2009)

A four-part series built around a single major stunt in each episode: an apparent live prediction of the UK National Lottery numbers; a broadcast Brown claimed would leave viewers feeling physically "stuck" to their sofas; an experiment in implanting a single image into the public consciousness; and a final attempt to predict the outcome of a single roulette spin, staking £5,000 of a member of the public's money. The roulette prediction failed on air, generating substantial press coverage.

Derren Brown Investigates (2010)

A three-part series in which Brown examined specific individuals' paranormal claims directly, including Liverpool medium Joe Power and an American ghost hunter. Coverage of the first episode noted Brown's approach of testing claims through direct engagement rather than general demonstration.

Derren Brown: The Experiments (2011)

Four standalone specials, each built around a distinct sociological or psychological experiment: hypnotising a member of the public into an apparent "assassination" of Stephen Fry, drawing a comparison to disputed claims made about Robert F. Kennedy's assassin; a game-show format testing how anonymity within a crowd affects moral behaviour; an attempt to induce a false confession through manufactured guilt; and the spread of a fabricated "lucky" local legend through an entire town. The series won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Programme or Series in 2012.

Derren Brown: Incognito (announced 2026)

Announced in February 2026, Incognito is a forthcoming six-part Channel 4 series in which ten strangers live together for a week while concealing identities designed to trigger snap judgements from one another, framed around themes of prejudice and first impressions. No broadcast date has been announced.

Television specials

Derren Brown Plays Russian Roulette Live (2003)

Watched live by an estimated 3.3 million people, this special saw Brown attempt a version of Russian roulette with a volunteer loading a revolver out of his sight. Filmed in Jersey rather than mainland Britain, due to UK restrictions on private handgun ownership, the stunt drew condemnation from senior police officers concerned about copycat risk, and prompted local Jersey police to publicly state no one had genuinely been placed at risk.

Derren Brown: Séance (2004)

Brown staged a televised séance with a group of students, framed around the fabricated story of a 1974 mass suicide pact at the filming location. The broadcast, though presented as live, was later revealed in Brown's book Tricks of the Mind to have been pre-recorded. The special drew nearly 500 complaints to Channel 4 and over 200 to Ofcom — at the time, the third most complained-about UK broadcast on record — though it was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing.

Derren Brown: Messiah (2005)

Travelling to the United States under assumed identities, Brown set out to convince five prominent figures — spanning Christian evangelism, alien-abduction belief, psychic practice, New Age theory, and mediumship — that he possessed genuine ability in their respective field, in order to demonstrate confirmation bias in action.

Derren Brown: The Gathering (2005)

A specially staged event before an invited audience, combining feats of memory (including recalling map references from London's A–Z) with a taxi driver's randomly chosen route, later shown to match a prediction sealed in an envelope visible throughout the show.

Derren Brown: The Heist (2006)

Working with participants recruited through a fake motivational seminar, Brown attempted to condition several of them into voluntarily taking part in a staged armed robbery of a security van, incorporating a live re-enactment of Stanley Milgram's 1960s obedience experiments to select the most compliant candidates.

Derren Brown: The System (2008)

Brown demonstrated a method for "guaranteeing" a string of winning horse-racing bets by starting with thousands of members of the public split across betting groups and progressively eliminating those who lost, isolating one apparent winning streak by attrition — mirroring the same statistical logic as flipping a coin until it lands on the same face ten times running.

Derren Brown: Hero at 30,000 Feet (2010)

Brown coached an ordinary member of the public through a series of escalating challenges without his full knowledge of what was staged, building to a flight from Leeds to Jersey in which the participant was told to believe the pilot had been incapacitated, and was talked through a landing in a flight simulator while under hypnotic suggestion.

Derren Brown: Miracles for Sale (2011)

Brown trained a member of the public in the techniques of faith healing and had them perform a healing demonstration for a congregation in Texas, framed as an exposure of exploitative practice within that industry.

Derren Brown: Apocalypse (2012)

A two-part special centred on one participant, led to believe a meteorite strike had ended civilisation and that he was a survivor in a zombie-populated wasteland, in an attempt to reshape his outlook on life through the ordeal. The broadcast drew roughly 2.3 million viewers, among the channel's strongest figures of the period.

Derren Brown: Fear and Faith (2012)

A two-part exploration of the placebo effect and religious psychology: the first half saw Brown run a fake pharmaceutical trial in which a sugar pill was successfully "proven" to treat several unrelated conditions; the second staged a range of classic psychology experiments to demonstrate how readily even self-identified atheists could be led toward an apparent religious experience.

Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery (2013)

Brown trained a group of pensioners in techniques for evading detection during a theft, then had them carry out a staged robbery of a painting from art collector Ivan Massow — after openly telling Massow in advance exactly when and by whom it would happen.

Derren Brown: Pushed to the Edge (2016)

Framed around a fictitious charity launch, this special tested how far ordinary social conformity could be pushed, building toward a scenario in which four separately tested participants were each manipulated into believing they were being pressured to push a man to his death. The special was later reissued on Netflix as Derren Brown: The Push.

Derren Brown: Sacrifice (2018)

An unwitting American participant was led through a staged medical trial intended to increase his bravery and empathy, culminating in a scenario built to test whether he would risk his own life for a stranger. The special drew mixed critical reaction over the ethics of its methods.

Stage shows

Derren Brown: Live (2002–2004)

Brown's debut solo stage show opened at the Tobacco Factory Theatre near his home in Bristol before expanding into a full national tour, closing with a run at the Palace Theatre, London. It was never filmed for broadcast.

Something Wicked This Way Comes (2005–2006)

Brown's second live show toured the UK following a West End run, and was ultimately restaged and filmed at the Old Vic in 2006. It won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 2006.

Mind Reader: An Evening of Wonders (2007–2008)

Brown's third tour ran across two separate legs in 2007 and 2008, closing with a limited West End season at the Garrick Theatre. The show combined audience-selection routines, a large-scale recreation of a 1930s-style mediumship act, and a sealed prediction box left visible on stage throughout the performance.

Enigma (2009–2010)

Directed by longtime collaborator Andy Nyman, Enigma toured the UK before a West End residency at the Adelphi Theatre, and received a second Olivier nomination.

Svengali (2011–2012)

Brown's fifth tour, and his first developed without Andy Nyman as co-writer, closed with a second West End run at the Novello Theatre. It won Brown his second Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment.

Infamous (2013–2014)

Brown's sixth tour ran through the UK and Ireland, later broadcast on Channel 4 in a televised edit.

Miracle (2015–2016)

Staged at the Palace Theatre and examining faith healing and claimed miracles, the show was filmed for television and later released on Netflix in 2018.

Underground (2017–2018)

Originally a short exclusive run at London's Charing Cross Theatre showcasing highlights from Brown's earlier stage work, later expanded into a full UK tour and a further West End season at the Playhouse Theatre.

Secret (2017, 2019)

Brown's first stage show performed in the United States, opening at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York in 2017 before a Broadway transfer to the Cort Theatre, running from September 2019 to January 2020.

Showman (2021–2023)

Originally scheduled for 2020, this tour was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It eventually opened in Plymouth in August 2021, toured the UK and Ireland into late 2022, and closed with a West End run at the Apollo Theatre through early 2023.

Derren Brown Presents: Unbelievable (2023)

Co-written and produced with Andy Nyman, this show departs from Brown's usual format: he does not perform in it himself, instead presenting a lineup of seven magicians he has previously worked with. It opened in Colchester before a West End run.

Only Human (2025–2026)

Brown's most recent tour, running across UK dates through 2025 and into 2026, with a closing West End engagement planned.