“I haven’t been banned from any galleries”
Derren Brown: The Great Art Robbery (screened on 14 December, now available on 4oD) sees Brown turn a group of pensions into light -fingered silver-haired heroes, with the aim of stealing a £100,000 piece of art work from a gallery.
"It was a real adventure; it's been a real treat to do. We all got to really enjoy it, the whole thing has been really exciting," he enthused when we met.
The concept for the show had been in his mind for some while, but originally Brown was going to be the one to attempt to steal the artwork.
"In my early shows it was very much about me but as I grew out of that urge, in recent years the shows have been more about other people and me facilitating other people's experiences. So that was one thing that was in the back of my mind."
To say I was surprised would be wrong; rather I was touched by his compassion for the elderly.
"In Bristol where I lived, there was an elderly couple down the road and there was a very chatty lady, who was always out on the street, always talking to people. Her husband was shy and never used to come out, always hovering around in the background. I used to cross the road so I didn't get into a conversation every time."
"Then she died, leaving him lost as he had never engaged with people. He used to come out and try and talk to people. I went in once and was chatting to him in his front room, and he started telling me these stories about how they met."
"These stories were amazing as it all happened during the war, and they were so different to the stories any of us would be telling, it was a real lesson. I thought oh God these people really do have amazing adventures and stories to tell but they sort of do become a bit invisible."
"That invisibility seemed like a really good thing to use as a strength and it seemed a good marriage, for the shows concept."
In a computer age where applications for most things are filed online, how easy was it for him to find his team?
"It was a slower process because they aren't necessarily emailing, but rather writing letters. About 500 people, which is less then say if I send out a tweet, applied in the end. We were looking for things like medical robustness and health, that was obviously a big issue and we were looking for people that were still engaged and active but not so far out there that you didn't relate to them at all."
"They are all people that are really enjoying their retirement. They ended up being rather inspiring."
Brown doesn't deny that his latest stunt has a much warmer tone to it, as opposed to Apocalypse last year for example.
"It is the last couple of shows have very much been about taking somebody who, by all reports needs to change the way they engage with life. It wasn't about transforming others here. This was hopefully, about changing the way we see people that age, and not finding them invisible."
Personally, for me older people are fascinating. I could happily spend a day drinking tea and looking at old photos sitting with my grandparents. But from Brown's point of view, I'm one of the few.
"I think we are not geared up to respect the elder generation as other cultures do. It is a shame because you know, it will be us. We all want to be that age. It is a shame. I hope the show might make a few people think about that. You don't stop getting interesting when you hit 65."
Working with a group of older people made Brown think about his own future.
"You just start to think, what are the things you need to have in place now so that at that age you're not regretful, bitter or lonely? What are those things that are important to do now? Maybe being 42 you do just start feeling aware of those things."
Those who watched the show will know that Brown and his oldies were successful in stealing the artwork. I wonder, with that in mind if art galleries around the country keep an extra eye on him now if he visits.
"I haven't been banned from any art galleries. Just a few casinos."
"It was a real adventure; it's been a real treat to do. We all got to really enjoy it, the whole thing has been really exciting," he enthused when we met.
The concept for the show had been in his mind for some while, but originally Brown was going to be the one to attempt to steal the artwork.
"In my early shows it was very much about me but as I grew out of that urge, in recent years the shows have been more about other people and me facilitating other people's experiences. So that was one thing that was in the back of my mind."
To say I was surprised would be wrong; rather I was touched by his compassion for the elderly.
"In Bristol where I lived, there was an elderly couple down the road and there was a very chatty lady, who was always out on the street, always talking to people. Her husband was shy and never used to come out, always hovering around in the background. I used to cross the road so I didn't get into a conversation every time."
"Then she died, leaving him lost as he had never engaged with people. He used to come out and try and talk to people. I went in once and was chatting to him in his front room, and he started telling me these stories about how they met."
"These stories were amazing as it all happened during the war, and they were so different to the stories any of us would be telling, it was a real lesson. I thought oh God these people really do have amazing adventures and stories to tell but they sort of do become a bit invisible."
"That invisibility seemed like a really good thing to use as a strength and it seemed a good marriage, for the shows concept."
In a computer age where applications for most things are filed online, how easy was it for him to find his team?
"It was a slower process because they aren't necessarily emailing, but rather writing letters. About 500 people, which is less then say if I send out a tweet, applied in the end. We were looking for things like medical robustness and health, that was obviously a big issue and we were looking for people that were still engaged and active but not so far out there that you didn't relate to them at all."
"They are all people that are really enjoying their retirement. They ended up being rather inspiring."
Brown doesn't deny that his latest stunt has a much warmer tone to it, as opposed to Apocalypse last year for example.
"It is the last couple of shows have very much been about taking somebody who, by all reports needs to change the way they engage with life. It wasn't about transforming others here. This was hopefully, about changing the way we see people that age, and not finding them invisible."
Personally, for me older people are fascinating. I could happily spend a day drinking tea and looking at old photos sitting with my grandparents. But from Brown's point of view, I'm one of the few.
"I think we are not geared up to respect the elder generation as other cultures do. It is a shame because you know, it will be us. We all want to be that age. It is a shame. I hope the show might make a few people think about that. You don't stop getting interesting when you hit 65."
Working with a group of older people made Brown think about his own future.
"You just start to think, what are the things you need to have in place now so that at that age you're not regretful, bitter or lonely? What are those things that are important to do now? Maybe being 42 you do just start feeling aware of those things."
Those who watched the show will know that Brown and his oldies were successful in stealing the artwork. I wonder, with that in mind if art galleries around the country keep an extra eye on him now if he visits.
"I haven't been banned from any art galleries. Just a few casinos."