Mentalist reveals taxidermy hobby
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TELLY mentalist Derren Brown has revealed he wants to pickle a brain.
He is a fan of taxidermy and has dead beasts including a lamb with eight legs and a two-headed cow in his pad.
The illusionist said: “I’ve got a lot of taxidermy. “I’m looking at a couple of pickled brains at the moment. It’s all ethically sourced! I don’t tend to talk about it because upsets some people.”
Derren will celebrate two decades of spellbinding tricks on the box on Sunday with his new Channel 4 show called 20 Years of Mind Control – Live.
The illusionist will perform a new mystery stunt.
He teased in Radio Times: “It’s live – that’s all I can say.”
However, the performance might be one of his last as he is thinking about moving away from TV and into writing.
Derren explained: “It means it less TV and more writing. That format has worked very well for me.
“It is fun, but I can feel myself at the edges of growing up a bit more.”
Over the years millions have seen him perform illusions such as playing Russian roulette, guessing the winning lottery numbers and convincing a member of the public to push another person off a roof.
But Derren is eager to emphasise that anyone who takes part in his shows are given very strict aftercare. And some have even ended up becoming personal friends.
He adds: “It’s the makeovertype conveyor-belt shows that are more of a worry when there isn’t quite the same potential for aftercare.”