Derren Brown: Fear and Faith - review

 

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.