While Derren was studying German and Law at the University of Bristol, he went to a show featuring hypnotist Martin Taylor. This inspired him to look toward hypnosis and illusion as a career. As an undergraduate he began working as a prestidigitator, where he practiced his up-close magic skills. He began performing hypnosis on stage as a show in 1996 at the University of Bristol, using Derren V. Brown as a stage name. The ""V"" is for Victor, his middle name. Derren also performed mind-reading shows. Soon, he was contracted to do a pilot episode for the mind control television series.

With the first episode of Derren Brown: Mind Control, he became popular for his mind-reading performance. In the beginning of the Trick of the Mind program, Derren uses a mixture of showmanship, suggestion, magic, misdirection and psychology to influence and predict what people are thinking through subtle suggestion, using NLP to manipulate the process of making decisions and reads the body language and other subtle signs to know the person's thoughts.

The title of Derren Brown's second series was Trick of the Mind. Trick of the Mind actually aired for three consecutive series, with all new material. The series began on E4 in April of 2005 and then re-ran on Channel 4.

Trick or Treat began in 2007. The show centered on a volunteer who has either a bad experience or a good experience. Whether the volunteer has a good or bad experience is determined by choosing a card. The volunteer receives a bad experience if the card they choose says ""Trick"", if the card they select says ""Treat"", the experience will be good. In the first episode of Trick or Treat, the cards were ambigrams, but that changed by the second episode. Some actors were used in the filming of Trick or Treat. Actor David Tennant appeared in the third episode as a celebrity guest.

Four DVDs featuring Derren Brown have been released Trick of the Mind: Series 1, Trick of the Mind: Series 2, Derren Brown: Inside Your Mind and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Most recently in 2007, Derren Brown appeared in a short film by the name of Medium Rare.

Derren Brown has authored three books about magic Tricks of the Mind, Pure Effect and Absolute Magic. He has yet another book planned as well. The first two works were directed at magic practitioners and mentalists; however, Tricks of the Mind is intended for all readers.

Absolute Magic teaches magicians how they can make their acts more magical. He urges magicians to use their audiences in their performances to make them more memorable.

Pure Effect is a book on technique and trickery that provides an insight to some of Derren Brown's own methods. In this book, he provides the reader with a point at which to start and develop into their own act.

Derren Brown is planning to release a book that will contain some of his paintings and some peculiar celebrity caricatures.

To watch some of Derren Browns best videos visit www.watchderrenbrown.com