Andrew O’Connor: The Creative Mastermind behind Derren Brown and Peep Show

Andrew O’Connor: The Creative Mastermind Behind Derren Brown and Peep Show

🎙️Episode Overview

In this wide-ranging episode, Steve Otis Gunn talks with the multi-talented Andrew O’Connor — magician, impressionist, theatre star, game show host, producer, and co-creator of Peep Show. They trace Andrew’s eclectic path through British entertainment, from Copycats and summer seasons to helping reinvent comedy and magic on UK television. Andrew shares candid stories about his early frustrations as a performer, how they led to him founding Objective Productions, and how that company went on to create genre-defining hits like Derren Brown: Mind Control, Star Stories, and Ricky Gervais Meets... He explains how he literally went searching for “a mind-reading David Blaine,” and, with a key tip from Jerry Sadowitz, discovered a then-unknown Derren Brown. He also unpacks the origin of Peep Show — from an idea about two guys watching TV to the iconic POV-driven comedy we know today — and the moment he brought in Jesse Armstrong and Sam Bain to develop it with just £11,000 and a rented flat in Croydon.

Episode Highlights:

• What Copycats got away with in the '80s… and why it wouldn’t fly today
• The happy chaos of touring in Me and My Girl and Barnum
• The early days of Derren Brown and the secret to his onstage brilliance
• Making Peep Show work — and why the first edit nearly broke him
• Behind-the-scenes stories from his time in Hollywood making movies

This episode is for fans of British TV, comedy, magic, and anyone who's ever marvelled at Derren Brown or quoted Peep Show line-for-line.

🎭 About Andrew O’Connor

Andrew O’Connor is a British actor, magician, impressionist, game show host, and award-winning producer. He co-founded Objective Productions and helped shape shows like Peep Show, Derren Brown: Mind Control, and Star Stories. With decades in the business, Andrew’s career spans light entertainment, theatre, and groundbreaking television.

🔗 Connect with Andrew

Andrew isn't one for Social Media, so instead, check out his IMDb page here:

• IMDb

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This podcast is now called All My Clothes Need Burning. We’ve leaned into the chaos.

Host: Steve Otis Gunn

Guest: Andrew O'Connor – Director, Magician, Comedian & TV Producer

Duration: 57 minutes

Release Date: August 7, 2025

Season: 4, Episode 13

All music written and performed in this podcast by Steve Otis Gunn

Please buy my book You Shot My Dog and I Love You, available in all good bookshops and online.

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