Derren Brown: 'I'm darker on television'

Derren Brown has revealed that he appears on television "in character".

Speaking to the Daily Record, the illusionist explained that he is completely different to his TV persona.

"People think I am creepy and weird but I am more like how I am on stage than how I am on television," he said. "On TV it's quite controlling, a bit serious, and dark."

He continued: "I am not like that. I don't play up to that kind of character. I don't walk around reading people's minds or trying to influence them in real life. I can have a normal conversation with somebody. It's definitely something I switch on when I'm performing."

Brown also admitted that he sometimes wishes he could meet his celebrity guests when he is not working on television shows.

"It's always frustrating because I have to be in the zone and be 'that guy', this slightly weird, creepy, controlling figure," he said. "And then I think, 'Damn, that was my chance to meet my hero and I acted like someone I wouldn't want to meet'. It feels like a missed opportunity."

Brown's current series Derren Brown Investigates continues on May 31 at 10pm on Channel 4.