Derren Brown: A Fairy Godmother For The 21st Century

Derren Brown

Hello, darling readers, long time no blog, and I apologise profusely for such a large gap between posts but I've been mightily busy and am now in full swing of my third year of university. Not so busy, I'll admit, that I've not been able to get to grips with some TV what-which I've missed over the years.

Some of you may be aware that Derren Brown's most recent foray into the world of mind-fuckery "Apocalypse" was aired over the last two weekends. I'd never watched any of Brown's work before but my girlfriend was interested in watching the new show given that she had a passing interest in his work. Needless to say, I got hooked from the off and have since gone through most of his work; I still have no idea as to how he does a lot of what he does, but it's always fun to discuss.

Apocalypse

It was through one of these discussions, after last nights' "Fear & Faith", that I realised that Derren truly acts as a fairy godmother for the modern age, creating within people the things they actually need, whether or not they believe that's what they want. The fact that he achieves all of his results to the satisfaction of participants is one thing, that he makes damned good television is quite another.

The way that he achieves, through pyschological suggestion and physical experiments, a massive change in the lives of his participants is nothing short of miraculous, with many of those involved saying that Brown has thoroughly changed their lives, much like the classic Disney Godmother.

From 'Hero at 30,000 Feet', wherein he placed a man terrified of flying, after a series of confidence building tests, in a situation which required him to land a plan that was, supposedly, about to crash, to more the more minor league 'Trick or Treat' series, in which Derren shows his mischievous side in order to achieve big life changes within those involved, Brown seems to know no bounds to the human psyche and shows no intention of letting up.

The very fact that over the course of the career he's gone from freaking people out by 'reading' their minds, to more recently changing their minds in a more positive, constructive way, shows an ideal career trajectory that any person in any field could hope to emulate.

My girlfriend spilled the beans on what she's gotten me for my joint Christmas and birthday present and, to my extreme excitement and surprise, and she's gotten me tickets to Derren's new tour in April and I absolutely can't wait. If I'm lucky enough to get 'Derrened' I'll be sure to let you all know.

Until next time chums, I'll try to write a lot more frequently now, I promise!