From DB's Q&A
WAS STEVEN AN ACTOR?
Despite conspiracy theories and rumours online, Steven is not a stooge, or an actor, or in any way just playing along. Same goes for his family and friends that you see in the programme. They?d all have to be actors too. And all his REAL family ? and anyone that knows him ? taken away and quietly killed. My shows always provoke a flurry of people insisting it?s all fake, and I?ve come to expect that ? exhausting and hurtful though it can be after months and months of love and sweating blood to make such massively ambitious and heart-felt programmes.
I have never, ever used stooges or actors in that way. It?s artistically repugnant, lazy and just unnecessary. And impossible to pull off, as anyone that knows him would of course be able to say so. We spent months setting up Steven?s experience, getting his family on board, and spending a vast sum of money making it as convincing as possible for him, and all our efforts making sure that he experienced a real transformation. To fake all of that with an actor would be pointless. A few theories have sprung up online ? firstly that he is a working actor who has appeared in a comedy ad. I?ve seen the ad ? that is not Steven. That is an actor with dark eyebrows who does look hilariously like him, but isn?t:
Others have found a picture of Steven with Adam Buxton taken four years ago when Adam was filming a pilot in Steven?s home town. Steven was an audience member and had his photo taken with Adam. Standing with an actor in a photograph does not make you an actor. Adam says ?He was not an acting in the pilot. He was in the audience.?
Lastly, concern has sprung up in some quarters because Steven had a profile page on a popular casting site where a lot of people of all ages put themselves up for extra work and crowd/audience stuff for TV shows (this was NOT how we found him but a lot of people sign up hoping to be on TV). He has since changed/tried to remove his profile as he was upset at the negative attention from people who took it to mean he was actually an actor.In fact Simon Dale, a director of Casting Call Pro (the website in question) has contacted me to verify that Steven created a profile but never completed it; didn?t upload any professional acting credits or headshots; and so his profile was never ?live? on their system because he did not meet the joining criteria ? ie he didn?t have professional acting training or experience.Aside from an ?ensemble? school production he has never, ever, ever acted. Even if he returns to this early interest in the future (his brother works as an occasional actor so it?s possible he might), it won?t mean he was acting in this show.
All the people who take part in these shows are 100% real. Matt Galley, from Hero at 30,000 ft had similar accusations of being a stooge, from similar conspiracy-driven quarters after his show. Part of the pity of these rumours are that it?s always hurtful for the participants involved who have been through an emotional, transformative experience, are feeling really good about themselves and have been looking forward to the show going out. It?s horrible.
Steven was chosen from thousands who applied to be part of the show, as we explained at the start. He was chosen because he was suggestible enough to allow me to put him asleep quickly, fit our desired profile of someone who took his life for granted, and yet was likeable enough to carry the show ? a rare combination. His mum, dad and family are all real too. They are a family living in Buckinghamshire.
On another note ? it simply wouldn?t be permissible now to pretend someone was a real member of the public if he or she was acting. Misleading the public in a TV show is a big deal, and a massive lie like that wouldn?t be permitted by the channel. But that?s beside the point: I just don?t use actors in that way. These stunts are not faked. You can just enjoy the show.
derrenbrown.co.uk/apocalypse-qa/