1. Comment #300283 by Steven Mading on December 11, 2008 at 10:47 am

I love watching Derren Brown reveal how easy it is to fool people. (Or, more accurately, to help people to fool themselves.) I feel like he's the James Randi of his generation, much like James Randi became the Harry Houdini of his generation.

The parallel between the trickery of psychics and the trickery of priests is clear as day, and yet so many people can't see it and get offended when it gets pointed out. It's all really depressing, actually.

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2. Comment #300291 by The Smart Patrol on December 11, 2008 at 11:01 am

I recommend Derren's book "Trick of the Mind." I thought that it was going to be a kind of continuation of his channel 4 television series of the same name, but it is instead a sort of autobiography intertwined with a very God-Delusionesque account of the stupidity of irrational superstition. In it, he says that The God Delusion is his favourite book of all time. I highly recommend Trick of the Mind. It is jam packed with funny anecdotes about hypnotism and the various charlatans that he has encountered over the years. I eagerly await the follow up.

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3. Comment #300294 by Matt H. on December 11, 2008 at 11:02 am

Thankyou!

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4. Comment #300297 by xsjadolateralus on December 11, 2008 at 11:07 am

Religion works the same way.

People are dumbfounded by coincidence and chance and are all too willing to attribute it to the supernatural and mysterious. On the other hand you have a "skilled" person who will feed their ignorance to turn a profit or gain their trust.

How can this NOT be evil? The religious are one of the last mass criminals to be prohibited.

"God loves you and tells me he wants you to put a dollar in the hat"

"I'm getting the name frank"
"yes, frank is my dead husband"
"He, he loves you and wants you to be happy"
"Oh, yes thank you"
"thatl' be $10.00"

I don't see any difference and I don't think it is anything other than theft, a clever theft but still it is certainly criminal.

It's apparent that the understanding of this type of evil and it's victims are the reason why atheists are morally superior. Who with a conscience or a functional brain can take part in this!

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5. Comment #300303 by God fearing Atheist on December 11, 2008 at 11:13 am

#300297 by xsjadolateralus

Edward de Bono has a different take on it:

People pay for a "little pill" to give them a psychological boost. The pill might be a placebo, but they still feel better for it.

I don't think selling placebos for a few bucks is evil in itself. However, the woo-woo leads to other things ...

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6. Comment #300309 by Tzsak on December 11, 2008 at 11:25 am

Very interesting, thanks for posting this~

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7. Comment #300311 by Lucas on December 11, 2008 at 11:29 am

Can't wait to watch this! Does all my "conmen and rubes" rhetoric from other posts make sense now folks?

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8. Comment #300314 by FatherNature on December 11, 2008 at 11:36 am

I'm getting an impression from the spirit world...I see people sitting in front of computer screens....much negative energy....Oh, it's gone...the link is broken.

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9. Comment #300322 by RichinBedford on December 11, 2008 at 11:55 am

Two of my favourite people, fantastic! I would also recommend Derren's book to anyone. And yes look up his Messiah programme on youtube, and show it to anybody who has any supernatural belief.

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10. Comment #300324 by Quetzalcoatl on December 11, 2008 at 11:56 am

RichinBedford-

I'm watching the Youtube vids right now, very good so far. I've also read his book, and highly recommend it.

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11. Comment #300327 by tvictor on December 11, 2008 at 12:10 pm

Thank you very much for sharing

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12. Comment #300328 by Colwyn Abernathy on December 11, 2008 at 12:10 pm

Woohoo! The incredibly edible Derren Brown! Yowzers...he stutters more than I do. Learn something new every day, doncha? ;)

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13. Comment #300331 by rod-the-farmer on December 11, 2008 at 12:23 pm

Yes, interesting, but what's with the cameraman hopping around like Gollum ? It distracts from the interview.

Edit to correct spelling.

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14. Comment #300332 by Ygern on December 11, 2008 at 12:24 pm

Thank you for sharing this with us. I'll definitely be buying the 'Reason' series. (A winter solstice gift to me)

One of the points I found interesting was where there was a discussion of TV 'dramatisations' and special effects made to illustrate / enhance claims in documentaries. I can see how this might make the claim appear stronger to a really naïve viewer; but I'm not sure whether it really convinces most people - I would have thought the reverse. The moment a supposed documentary resorts to a dramatisation, I almost always find the credibility of the show dropping rather than growing.

I'd be interested to know how many people find such dramatisations improve or weaken a documentary's credibility.

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15. Comment #300338 by zpiff on December 11, 2008 at 12:38 pm

Not that i like worshipping in any form, but I find Derren a very intriguing character and to see him in a discussion with Richard is almost to good to be true! Many thanks for posting this!

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16. Comment #300340 by tieInterceptor on December 11, 2008 at 12:48 pm

I'm a big fan of Derren Brown, looking forward to this.

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17. Comment #300342 by Steve Zara on December 11, 2008 at 12:50 pm

Comment #300328 by Colwyn Abernathy

Yes, Derren is a bit of a dish, I think. Putting that aside, this was a really fascinating discussion. There are so many verbal tricks that aren't always obvious even to the sceptic (at least not to this sceptic). I was particularly interested in the discussion about the question of the degree of belief held by those who claim to be mediums, especially the matter of mutual re-inforcement. It was thought-provoking watching this after the interview with George Coyne. There are surely countless priests and bishops who don't really believe, but continue because they think it is best for their parishioners.

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18. Comment #300343 by EeekiE on December 11, 2008 at 12:57 pm

My heroes. Both of them.

It was Derrens' book, that I assumed would be all about mental tricks and secrets, that actually started me on my trip out of religion. Exactly because it superficially didn't look like a book about scepticism, but about magic.
In fact looking at his book now, it seems almost obviously engineered to teach scepticism of religion etc.
From this book I read The God Delusion that was recommended in it and here I am now.

So yeah, if you have any friends that are a bit in to woo, or think Derren can actually read minds, but would shun TGD, get them Derrens' book as a present.

It's a trojan horse.

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19. Comment #300346 by Matt H. on December 11, 2008 at 1:01 pm

Indeed, I remember in one of his early shows, Derren Brown did a seance, and I was completely taken in to the whole thing. Then at the end he just gave away the whole thing, and revealed it as an excellent hoax. He is basically a British James Randi, he shows how easy it is to trick people and shows these magicians and psychics for the charlatans and frauds they really are.

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20. Comment #300347 by bujin on December 11, 2008 at 1:02 pm

"Yes, interesting, but what's with the cameraman hooping around like Gollum ? It distracts from the interview. "

I'm with you 100% on that one, rod! Great interview, but the camerawork is quite annoying!

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21. Comment #300348 by Quetzalcoatl on December 11, 2008 at 1:07 pm

Come on, guys, remember that this is unedited.

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22. Comment #300349 by dead Yeti on December 11, 2008 at 1:07 pm

Further to comment 3, Despite having read god delusion first - Derren Brown's tricks of the mind book is actually what managed to confirm to me in my own mind that I wasn't a Christian and was in fact an Atheist.

Though it covers a lot of ground, the thing I took from the book was to think for myself something I had probably not done enough of in my 30 years on this planet.

Highly recommended

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23. Comment #300350 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 1:08 pm

Well think about it, this is the uncut footage, isn't it? If they only have one cameraman, he's gotta dance around them both. Then later they can edit the footage to focus on whoever is speaking.

EDIT: The feathered serpent beat me to it.

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24. Comment #300351 by Ygern on December 11, 2008 at 1:09 pm

Guys, unfair call on the camera work - this is uncut - i.e. unedited, bare bones, warts and all.

I actually quite like the naked honesty, its a refreshing change to the slickly edited collages that most televised interviews become.

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25. Comment #300352 by Southpaw on December 11, 2008 at 1:11 pm

It is jam packed with funny anecdotes about hypnotism and the various charlatans that he has encountered over the years.

'A list of fish' made me laugh like a drain. Tis worth a read for sure.

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26. Comment #300355 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 1:12 pm

I like the interruptions, it feels like I'm there filming with them.

And I need friends.

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27. Comment #300357 by evotruth on December 11, 2008 at 1:15 pm

I've got this on the uncut DVD. It's always great to see Derren.

Here's the man at work!


Cold Reading:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=haP7Ys9ocTk

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28. Comment #300359 by Quetzalcoatl on December 11, 2008 at 1:17 pm

Just finished watching the last video: all top-notch. Many of the examples he gave are discussed in more detail in his book, it's worth buying for that alone.

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29. Comment #300363 by alovrin on December 11, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Comment #300331 by rod-the-farmer

Yes, interesting, but what's with the cameraman hooping around like Gollum

Besides being unedited, the footage is shot off the shoulder, perhaps thats the style the director wanted or likes. So its the directors call how something is shot. And the cameraperson follows instructions, He did a good job of shooting it I think. And Im sure the Director would have had a monitor(little TV screen thing) or would have some knowledge of lens sizes and it is possible to tell what size shot is being filmed when.

Personally I think this style of camera work has been overused, remember Hill Street Blues, it all started with that show. To give the show a kind of immediacy, or gritty reality.

Anyway if you dont like it blame the director not the cameraperson.

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30. Comment #300364 by AllanW on December 11, 2008 at 1:26 pm

I've enjoyed Derren Brown's approach for ages now and absolutely echo what others have said about his book 'Tricks of the Mind'; it's a revelation about the rational and sceptical approach. I've picked up a few good books after being suggested by Derren. Francis Wheen and Dick Taverne were the two most enjoyable for me.

Great video. Thanks again to the site for making it available.

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31. Comment #300365 by d4m14n on December 11, 2008 at 1:36 pm

For anyone griping about the camera work, you would do well to check the finished product.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hQDf0rj6nXc (3:24)

It's actually quite interesting in itself. What footage they actually used. How little of it was actually broadcast. How they splice in footage from other sources. And the use of generic back of head shots in place of the "roving" camera. Fascinating stuff.

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32. Comment #300370 by bujin on December 11, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Ok, finished watching it all now.

I'm glad Derren finally mentioned Ian Rowland's book - it's absolutely superb at detailing exactly how Cold Reading works. If you're interested in that sort of thing, I would recommend it highly:

http://www.ianrowland.com/

(He's also a very nice chap. When I bought the book a few years ago, the p&p price on the website was not quite correct, so I had to pay to pick it up from the post office. It was only about £2 or so, so I wasn't too bothered, but I emailed him to tell him so he could update the site, and he gave me a £5 refund on the price of the book! :oD )

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33. Comment #300372 by Dow on December 11, 2008 at 2:06 pm

How about those psychics who are known to be "good" and "accurate" but are just merely good with these silly tricks.. and don't charge a dime? I never understood what they're getting out of it except almost ruining my parents' marriage, oh and perhaps the ego trip..... I despise this to the core.

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34. Comment #300375 by NormanDoering on December 11, 2008 at 2:13 pm

Dow asked:

How about those psychics who are known to be "good" and "accurate" but are just merely good with these silly tricks..

I don't understand those kinds of people either.

I've always wondered what would happen if you could hook up a psychic to a "real" lie detector. Or perhaps something like this:

http://www.physorg.com/news148193433.html

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35. Comment #300380 by the great teapot on December 11, 2008 at 2:35 pm

Camera work reminds me of s"h"aving Ryans privates,
oops sorry can't believe I said that. I,of course,mean Debbie does Dallas.
Nearly embarrassed myself there, just spotted it in time.

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36. Comment #300384 by Muetze on December 11, 2008 at 2:41 pm

The jittery camera work is annoying the hell out of me. I was just listening, not watching very soon. You should really have used two stationary cameras here.

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37. Comment #300387 by Sargeist on December 11, 2008 at 2:44 pm

teapot,

You of course mean shaving Ryan's privates.

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38. Comment #300389 by skyhook on December 11, 2008 at 2:44 pm

Tricks of the Mind doesnt seem to be available in the US from the usual online book sellers.
I prefer hardback, but all of the used ones are softback. Not sure I want to trust those...

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39. Comment #300391 by phatbat on December 11, 2008 at 2:45 pm

fantastic interview.

Thank you Richard. I'm a big fan of Derren Brown, here are a couple of my favorite examples of his work, there's so much to chose from though:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=f-TURhK90_8

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=II_-QcW4Q4I

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40. Comment #300392 by Sargeist on December 11, 2008 at 2:46 pm

I once trusted a paperback. Invited it in to install a new bathroom, found it in bed with my wife. Never again. If I catch another paperback in my house I'll break its spine, you just watch me.

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41. Comment #300393 by the great teapot on December 11, 2008 at 2:47 pm

God dammit, Sargeist, I always ruin a gag.

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42. Comment #300394 by Sargeist on December 11, 2008 at 2:49 pm

Well, teapot, I laughed. Especially at how you spelled "salad".

I love Derren Brown. And, and, and, would you believe that I once stood 5 feet away from him after Richard's talk at the Institute for Education a year or two ago. Claim to fame!

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43. Comment #300397 by SharonMcT on December 11, 2008 at 3:00 pm

Comment #300389 by skyhook

I could not get Derren Brown's book in Canada either, so I had to order it from the Amazon UK site. Well worth it though, even though I only got the paperback. :)

Other Comments by SharonMcT

44. Comment #300398 by Stuart Paul Wood on December 11, 2008 at 3:03 pm

Thanks for putting this up it was an excellent discussion.

I thought Derren's recounting of his personal journey to scepticism was quite moving.

What I cannot fathom after seeing discussions like this is how the "supernatural" industries are allowed to operate in the first place when they all demonstrate such (retrospectively) obvious fakery and charlatanism. Typically it's vunerable people who use these "services" and the thought of them being ripped off maddens me. It's too easy to say that they are stupid or gullible people - many are simply so desperate to have some contact with lost loved ones that they will try anything. The government is failing these people, in my opinion, in allowing them to be ripped off (and unknowingly insulted) without hinderance or sanction. There is no other branch of industry that would be allowed to get away with this sort of false selling; imagine an eletricity supplier blaming one of its customers for "blocking the energy" when the company had simply failed to provide the service!!

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45. Comment #300408 by Clairebear on December 11, 2008 at 3:30 pm

I'm skeptical about Derren Brown's hypnosis, though... I mean, I find it pretty hard to believe that he just says 'go to sleep' and the subject just blacks out. Or that he could make a woman forget her entire career as a pianist. I mean, you can go on about the 'power of suggestion', but something in me just doesn't believe it could be that easy every time. It seems too simple. I'd love it if Richard had been hypnotised by Derren, or if Derren could try and hypnotise a lot of skeptical people.

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46. Comment #300411 by Mark Jones on December 11, 2008 at 3:37 pm

Wonderful stuff. I do think Derren Brown's shows are actually underrated. They are superb as entertainment, but he also very often makes clear the ramifications of the tricks that he does, for science and faith.

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47. Comment #300412 by dermot on December 11, 2008 at 3:37 pm

really enjoyed that! thanks for posting it!

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48. Comment #300423 by Kiwi on December 11, 2008 at 4:55 pm

One of his best also given above:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=f-TURhK90_8

and a good analysis of the method

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ybmOlQRuaYM&feature=related

Other Comments by Kiwi

49. Comment #300427 by Eshto on December 11, 2008 at 5:05 pm

@Clairebear:

I agree, I thought in my psychology classes we learned that there wasn't much evidence for it, but the AMA and BMA both accept it as having medicinal value (not sure if it's as a placebo or not though).

I don't know though, if we think mind is all physically generated then, like any computer, there should be ways to.. um, mess with it, for lack of a better description. The various theories on how it could be explained are interesting, they range from social to very materialistic, treating the brain exactly like a computer and so planting suggestions is akin to inputting certain commands, or altering the method of input itself.

...

Yeah I really want to hear Richard (or anyone with more experience) comment on hypnosis now.

EDIT: After watching video Kiwi posted:

O.M.G. I want that power so bad now.

(begins practicing on friends and family)

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50. Comment #300429 by Matt H. on December 11, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Derren doesn't claim there is any supernatural or psychic power behind hypnosis... he does it all by suggestion and body language. His work is based around the human psyche. I recommend you watch some of his shows where he demonstrates this. Search for 'Derren Brown' on YouTube.

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