Ten Things You Never Knew About Derren Brown

Derren Brown first came to the attention of the telly-watching public at the turn of the decade, but his major breakthrough happened in 2003 with the one-off Russian Roulette special. Since then, Derren's astounded and amazed with show after show, boasting his skills as a magician and "mentalist" (though, perhaps given its playground connotations, he's not too keen on the latter label). With the threat of boring us all with his talent, this was the year that Brown really managed the impossible by shocking us all over again, when he screwed up the finalé of his live How To Take Down A Casino event... or did he?

1. Born on February 27, 1971, that really is his name. On often being called Darren, he said: "My proper birth name is Derren, so it's inevitable really. But let me tell you, I absolutely draw the line at being called 'Derek'."

2. Now famously a sceptic, atheist and mate of Richard Dawkins, Derren was an evangelical Christian in his younger days. "I believed in God, Jesus and Satan (ish)," he explained. "My teenage self: a bouncing, clapping awfulness who could think of nothing more rewarding than to try to convert his unspeakably tolerant friends to the sanctimonious life he knew as a believer."

3. The change happened at Bristol University, where he formally studied German and Law, and also picked up hypnotism for kicks. He wasn't the coolest student in class, though. "I was no stranger to purple and green boots and a floral shirt, bowtie and braces, oblivious to how objectionable I must have been."

4. Derren first came to the public's attention with his Mind Control show in 2000. Like his books and series since, the programme showed off his ability to pen a zinger as much as his other skills. An enduring classic had him inform us that: "I control the conditions so my testers become my testees."

5. After years of being asked, "Do you use your skills to pick up the girls?" Derren broke a million female hearts (and set the same number of men's aflutter) when he came out in 2007. "People generally aren't as bothered by your intimate secrets as you are. It took me being in a relationship with a guy for a month before I told anyone I was thus inclined," he revealed. "If anything, I was disappointed to learn it wasn't much of a surprise. Possibly my penchant for interior decor had given the game away."

6. This year, Derren won Heat magazine's backhanded compliment of its 'Weird Crush Of The Year' gong. Everyone's least unfavourite comedian Michael McIntyre was chuffed to be named seventh, but complained: "Derren Brown won it, I suspect foul play. He's a mind manipulator! Of course he won it!"

7. Derren's breakthrough Russian Roulette show was condemned by the police who feared copycats, though none happened. More controversial was the follow-up Séance, where a group of people contacted a dead student (who wasn't actually dead). "Seems the séance has become the most complained-about show," he noted at the time. "It received 700 complaints. I might add that the prospect of me blowing my head off on live TV last year attracted only 20. Fair enough, I suppose."

8. When he's not messing with our heads, Derren messes with the faces of celebrities. A skilled painter, his speciality is acrylic celebrity caricatures, with his self-portrait, Madonna and Woody Allen being among the best. If you're too lazy to get to a gallery, you can buy prints of his work or his Portraits book, which collects the lot with some commentary from the man himself.

9. After accidentally being dragged into a press-manufactured sparring match with Derek Acorah, Brown once found himself accidentally in the same Swansea hotel lobby as the 'medium' and his Ghost Towns co-host Myleene Klass. The ex-Hear'Say star said that there could only be "one winner" in the supposed contest and urged Brown to diffuse the row by telling the press that "Derek does his thing and I do mine". He declined.

10. Derren owned a parrot for ten years before giving it to The National Parrot Sanctuary where he is now a patron. "They're such intelligent creatures. My parrot was called Figaro and I gave him to the sanctuary. He got quite aggressive," he said. "Sadly, he passed away after living it up with the other parrots. I wanted to stuff him but he'd rotted in his nesting box by the time they found him."