Derren Brown returns to C4 in Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery

1 November 2013

Innovative entertainer Derren Brown returns to our screens in a brand new one-off special Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery for Channel 4 in December.

In this brand new episode, master illusionist and showman Derren Brown plans to pull off the perfect crime. He’s bet renowned art collector Ivan Massow that he can steal a painting from right under his nose. In true Derren style, he will tell Ivan exactly which painting he plans to target – a work by Turner-nominated British brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman no less – as well as what time the theft will happen. He’ll even give him a photograph of the person that’s going to take it.

In order to pull off the theft Derren recruits a crew. But he’s not going to use career criminals or skilled cat burglars. He’s going to use members of society that tend to slip by unnoticed. He’s going to use old age pensioners.

Over a series of uplifting tests and training missions viewers will see Derren teach his senior citizens the core skills needed to pull off the gallery theft, how to move together in perfect synchronicity and with perfect timing, how to deceive a security guard who will be expecting the theft and how to hold their nerve when they’re most under pressure. This builds to an edge-of-seat finale: The attempt of the team to steal the painting under impossible conditions.

Derren Brown said:

 “This has been nerve-wracking for me and my team, leaving such an extraordinary task entirely in the hands of a group of contributors to pull off. The idea was to use the fact that the elderly tend to be treated as invisible as a strength.

There’s only so much training you can give, so many worst-case scenarios you can try to cover. I’m used to feeling in control with these shows - but not with this one. It’s a big caper: fun, edge-of-seat, hopefully taking you to unexpected places."

Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery Channel 4, December 2013.

Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery was commissioned by Tom Beck for Channe l 4. Executive Producers for Objective Productions are Martin Dance, Andrew Newman, Derren Brown and Anthony Owen.