Derren Brown: Showman is coming to Channel 4 following a successful theatre run that saw the illusionist touring the country.
His latest live show was written alongside Andrew O'Connor and Andy Nyman, the team behind Miracle, Svengali, and Derren's other Channel 4 specials which have won BAFTA awards over the years.
Speaking about Showman, Derren Brown said: "It’s had the best response of any show I’ve done. It’s lovely to know, and I’ve been very touched to read and hear people’s responses to it so far — it’s a very personal project and it’ll be wonderful to have it air on Channel 4, which has been my home for over two decades...
"Channel 4 has consistently allowed me the creative freedom to push boundaries and innovate as far as possible, so it’s a real joy to bring what I feel is my best show to date to Channel 4 audiences."
Here's everything you need to know about the new special...
Derren Brown: Showman release date
Derren's latest special airs on Channel 4 on Sunday, April 23 at 9 pm. It will also be available to watch on demand via All4.
Derren Brown: Showman premise
As ever, Derren has been very secretive about the specific details of the show, but he has teased that it's a very "personal" project.
Speaking to What To Watch, Derren teased: "The main message of the show started out as being about how the things in life that feel most isolating are the very things that connect us.
"This is still the core of it, but as the show came together, it expanded more into the idea of not just sleepwalking through life, but paying attention to what’s important. Are we passengers in our own life or are we driving the train? Are we playing a central part or are we a background character?"
Interview with Derren Brown
Was the idea to empower and uplift the audience?
"Well, I don’t find sparkle and optimism uplifting, but if you can accept that life pulls you towards a difficult centre, which we all share in, then that’s where we find real consolation and strength.
"The show was written before Covid and then postponed several times because of it, but when it opened, it resonated with the isolating and difficult times that preceded it. That wasn’t planned, but the timing gave the show some of whatever power it has."
You also open up about your own life in a way we’ve never seen before…
"I try to make my work reflect what feels important to me at the time and this coincided with middle age, and of course, the madness of the last few years. Magicians traditionally play somewhat higher status than their audience, almost godlike figures, but I think that fights against creating anything stirring at a human level."
How do you think the theatre show will translate to television?
"Hopefully well. Showman was written as an experience for the half a million people who saw it live, so the TV experience will be about watching it happen to them. We wondered how to capture key parts in a TV recording, and anyone who has seen the theatre show will appreciate the questions we faced."
You’re a master of theatrics, but does it ever go wrong?
"Constantly! And every night on Showman. Ninety-five percent could be going well, but it’s the five percent that will take up my entire mental space as I try to make it work on stage. But that’s the joy of it. I did 350 or so shows, and everything that could go wrong, did. What I learned is that the audience doesn’t mind; how you handle it is much more important."
What do you hope viewers take away from Showman?
"I hope it allows them to feel certain connections in their lives and take it from there. It’s important that people find answers for themselves, of course, and the letters and emails I received after the theatre performances were very touching, as people let the key themes settle into their lives. It has had the best response of any show I’ve done!"
Is there a trailer for Showman?
Yes, a trailer for Derren's live show is available and it focuses quite heavily on human connection with glimpses of people holding personal objects as well as close-ups of their faces.
It doesn't give much away — but it's certainly intriguing! You can watch below...
