Friday 9th November 2012
When it comes to Derren Brown, people are split into two
very distinct camps – the believers and the cynics. Personally I’m in the
former; not only am I a little bit scared of him, but I’ve seen him live, and
unless he’s a professional Frisbee thrower with infallible aim, he definitely
doesn’t use actors in his stunts.
The cynics, however, came out in full force after last
week’s Apocalypse experiment, when accusations that the volunteer had been an
actor caused a stir in the media – claims which Brown was quick to refute.
Regardless of this controversy, I find Brown is at his best not with huge
bombastic stunts involving plenty of zombie extras, but with the subtler and
scarier mind-meddling. Some of his most memorable mind games have turned
members of the public into bank robbers and assassins, so the concept of Fear
and Faith sounded particularly tantalising.
The resulting show, however, was not at all like Brown’s
usual experiments – it was, in fact, all rather nice. Brown purported to be
investigating the placebo effect, by giving test subjects ‘Rumyodin’, a drug
that would help them overcome their individual fears, be they confrontation,
heights, or singing in public. The theme, rather than seeing how much Brown can
traumatise someone before he is stopped by health and safety regulations, was
about showing what we are all capable of when we are not held back by our
fears.
If that all sounds a bit kind for Brown, it’s because this
show had a much more positive feel than his previous nefarious experiments.
Though the concept didn’t really lend itself to the mind-blowing twists we are
used to with his programmes, the show found joy in the test subjects’ personal
victories, providing a surprisingly uplifting hour of television. I was
expecting Brown to push his volunteers more, to trick them into extreme
situations and see if they crack, but really this programme was about the
everyday struggles people face. Strangely, watching someone overcome a
paralysing fear of heights can give just as much of a thrill as watching
someone battle zombies. It’s great to see Brown using his powers for good, and
makes a refreshing change of tact for a man that is usually so menacing
(seriously, the guy scares the absolute life out of me usually).
Though the show wasn’t the mind-bending spectacle I was
expecting, and arguably wasn’t quite as mischievously entertaining as the time
he convinced someone they were
witnessing their own death, it was still a fascinating exploration of the power
of psychology, and nice to see a positive programme by Brown. Though next
week’s episode looks set to return to controversy by applying the placebo
effect to the concept of religion, this week was a respite from feather-
ruffling for Derren Brown. This time, no one can accuse him of forgery.
