Andrew Newman: ‘There are lots of challenges with Derren Brown’
Exacting article by Maggie Brown for the Guardian…
Andrew Newman, an executive producer on illusionist Derren Brown’s latest Channel 4 show, in which he coaches pensioners to steal a Chapman brothers painting from an art exhibition, is no stranger to brazen stunts. Early in his TV career, Newman worked with Sacha Baron Cohen in his Ali G phase and Chris Morris on Brass Eye, so he should have a natural affinity with Brown’s high concept pranks.
As chief executive of Objective, the independent producer behind Brown’s TV output, Newman oversees a programming slate that mirrors his own background working on offbeat, sometimes spiky series. The likes of Peep Show, Fresh Meat and Toast of London – recommissioned for a second Channel 4 series last week – attract critical plaudits and industry awards, but not always large audiences.