Many of those who have seen him on TV, or in his live shows, know that Derren Brown is an utterly baffling talent. His brand of psychological illusion uses elements of magic, suggestion, psychology, misdirection and showmanship.Whether he appears to be reading people's minds, contacting the dead, guessing people's dreams, or telling them their detailed medical history just by looking at them (as he does in his TV special Derren Brown: Messiah) often the results seem to defy logic.The illusionist shot to fame in 1999 when Channel 4 asked him to put a TV show together. This resulted in the immensely successful Derren Brown: Mind Control being screened in December 2000 to be followed by Derren Brown: Mind Control 2 and 3.He later caused an international furore when he played Russian roulette on National TV in October 2003.Yet what's refreshing about Brown is his open and honest approach to what he does.He cheerfully reveals that he can't read people's minds or commune with the afterlife his skill is to make it look like he can.His latest two TV specials, in autumn last year and at the start of this year, set about exposing the more fraudulent aspects of mysticism and spirituality.The first, Sance, was an adrenaline-fuelled hour of excitement and terror which ultimately showed how age-old techniques used by 19th-century mediums could still work on a sophisticated 21st-century audience.
View: Full Article | Source: This is Local London
