Debbie Young

A punk rocker who dives with sharks and a mind reader who plays Russian Roulette on live television are just two of the great personalities that Debbie Young has worked with in her television career.

An experienced television producer, she has worked with Derren Brown, the psychological illusionist, on three series and four one-hour specials for Channel 4. The programme threw a multitude of challenges at her: from organising a televised séance, to sorting out compliance issues around firing a loaded gun at your own head and persuading Robbie Williams that it was a good idea to have Derren Brown stick 12in-skewers into his arms.

When Five asked her to take Johnny Rotten to Africa for a month to swim with great white sharks, and meet mountain gorillas in the forests of Rwanda, Debbie leapt at the chance. She may have survived to tell the tale, but the sharks and gorillas were probably traumatised by the whole experience.

Other highlights include working with UN peacekeeper Colonel Bob Stewart on a programme about warring neighbours, travelling to Las Vegas to interview the world’s greatest magicians (and getting married on the shoot) and working on programmes as diverse as Eurotrash and International News Hour at CNN.She has worked in the television industry for 14 years, at many of the top independent TV production companies such as North One Television, Objective Productions, Hat Trick, Tiger Aspect, Wall to Wall, October Films and across a variety of programmes from entertainment, documentaries, travel and Live to News. As a producer she has been involved in all aspects of production and loves telling directors they are not allowed to spend any more of her precious budget. She thrives on high pressure and when not working she can be found searching for the world’s most beautiful shoes.

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