Aibu to think that anyone who believes is derren brown is daft?

[TENDTOprocrastinate]

I have no belief in derren browns psychic ability. his usual hypnosis shows are blatantly all set up with actors/actresses. I have had many an argument about this in the past with dh. His current 'apocalypse' show- if it were real- would be a Jeremy beadle gone (far) too far. However, this apocalypse show is mildly entertaining. At least he is admiting that there are actors involved- though clearly guy who is supposed to be hypnotised is an actor too. (Dh thinks otherwise)

From what I understand from previous series, Derren gets people to sign release forms at auditions so he can spring this sort of thing on them.

If he does use actors though, then (and he has been doing his shows for years) where are they? Why has not one sold their story to the Daily Mail? Every live performance he does he has people on stage doing stuff like drinking vinegar.

Yes, anyone who believes him is a fool.

He tells you that himself

His live shows are fantastic, he can really work a crowd. I think he's a genius, albeit an odd little man

I've seen him live too. The man messes with your head . And he's quite brilliant.

To this day I wonder how he pulled off the tricks in front of hundreds of people watching him like a hawk. I bloody know he was distracting us in some way in order to sneak things past us, but I never figured out how.

A former friend insisted after he was last on the television that he had hypnotised her via the screen,obviously an utter moron very gullible.

I think this cached page proves that the stooge is not all he seems, although the page has been taken down now.

Case closed

Ditto Meglet - his live shows are clever and I quite enjoy them but I don't like these shows where he sets someone up. I'm not sure if its real or not but it makes me really uncomfortable to think that person is really thinking all that is happeneing to them.

I've seen him live and can sort of see how he does most things but never actually spot it IYSWIM.

I can't believe the victim is an actor!! What's the point of the show then?

He's very good at pointing you in the right direction so that you come up with the idea yourself. Actually, I think he's a [hgrin]

Was watching one of his recorded live shows from 2008 the other day, he had a banana on the stage and the audience were meant to keep an eye out for when someone in a gorilla suit came and got it, did it once, a small number of people saw. He put the banana back to give the audience another go but thus time when the gorilla suited person came on he drew the audiences attention to it, standing on the other side of the stage. Then the person in the gorilla suit took off the head and it was Derren Brown, who was no longer on the other side of the stage.
Just how?
And he had this box tied to the ceiling the whole way through with members of the audience watching it the whole time, at the end of the show he brought it down and he had a ninety percent correct summary of what was going to happen in the show, that he had written before the show, again just mind boggling stuff.
But I am not buying this apocalypse crap, the central guy is obviously a very crap actor.

I love Derren Brown, he's brilliant.

Not watched the show that you are talking about OP but I rather assume that the guy had been hypnotised previously but not fully "released" - so that he was still in a condition so as to respond to DB when he did whatever was needed to put him back under. That's pretty normal MO for most hypnotists.

I've seen DB live a couple of times. As others have said he is very vocal about the fact that he is not a psychic and decries those who claim to be. I actually find it more amazing and mind boggling that it is all just trickery.

And I don't believe the guy is an actor.

Try reading up on Neuro Linguistic Programming, it might make more sense if you do and you will see how it is entirely possible.

That's as maybe, Shro, but you can't really say someone's not an actor when the evidence is actually there. Ok, he's not well-known or successful, but then most of them aren't.

princesssymbian that's the one we saw. The gorilla thing totally threw me. With the box I seem to remember there was a small firework, pyro explosion at the same time the box was lowered so I decided something was switched when we were all looking at the explosion. I was stone cold sober too as I was pregnant with DD, still didn't spot a thing.

I didn't say he wasn't, I said I don't believe he is. If any of Derren's tricks have used actors, I never want to know!

:o

Don't look at this then

Nah, I like Derren Brown, but I think he proved with Russian Roulette and the camera trickery of the lottery fake that he is not averse to blatantly conning the viewer and doing what he promises he won't. It's just entertainment. Seeing him live is great fun, because it's far harder to suss him out.

I'm going to watch it again but pause it at all those dramatic moments. Could have been switched when he was meant to be passing out. With someone behind the scenes writing out the scroll.
You can watch it on 4od at the moment.

I think the live shows (that I have seen on telly as never manage to get tickets) are far easier to suss out but that's because I pay far too much attention to them.

The first thing that occurred to me about Steve today... He woke up, travelled in an ambulance, fled from zombies... But didnt go for a wee. So from the ciach incident to well into the next day - no wee?

I smell a rat

In his book he talks about hypnotism, and if I remember correctly he actually discusses how hypnotism isn't really anything to do with the performer, and instead is something almost self inflicted by the "victim".

I believe he talks about being at uni and hypnotising people, and he'd go through a whole system to set them up to be hypnotised etc then at a later date would just give a signal which would instantly work. Except one day he gave someone this signal without realising that he'd never actually done the set up with them, and they were instantly "hypnotised". Not because of anything he'd done, just because they thought they would be.

The apocalypse guy is so clearly a (quite poor) actor. Come on now! And the script is so cheesy and clichéd. No one talks like that in real life. I'm actually really disappointed because I love suspending my disbelief for DB's shows but just couldn't with this one!

Also, I'm pretty sure you can't legally sign anything to give permission for someone to hurt/harm you. That's why BDSM is a legal grey area. You can't consent to be hurt.

If any of you have been to his shows you would understand better. I used to not believe and think it was all actors. Then I went to a live show and it opened my eyes. Many people are of the 'suggestible' type and are able to take part on his shows. I'm not suggestible. But a friend of mine is and Derren Brown worked on him! I know many are skeptics, see a live show and see if you are so skeptical after. Open your minds.

You need to understand the techniques to really understand how he does it ;)

I find him really boring and uncharismatic.

And what sort of a name is Derren?