I'm sure he was perfectly OK if only because of the negative publicity if he wasn't! I think the stunt was done by making the subject think he was in a dark box rather than had become the dummy. The next one features a 75 year old lady. I won't give anything away but don't worry, this one is much nicer!

The latest episode of Brown's "trick or Treat" series, (seen only on You Tube in the States) is called "Ventriloquist Dummy" and is presented in 2 episodes. The young man in the "trick" is coerced, influenced, tranced and manipulated into becoming a live replacement of the puppet dummy. How much of what was shaped or influenced about it all was apparently created off scene, and not recorded. What remains is an exercise in a mean terror, and was an exchange of a real personality for one that Brown created in the young man's mind. It is brilliant, yet somehow very cruel. I understand that the subject recovered, but I cannot but wonder that the subject was somehow shattered. I hope that all of the parts of his psyche are still intact.

I do not have any adult fears that are assosciated with the plane crash that I saw ( I am a frequent flier), but the visually haunting memory of it is perfectly clear. I even remember the color of the marble that was in my 3 year old hand when the jet crashed. (It was canary yellow) As for heights, I still think a cautious attitude is best, especially as I have poor balance. I only meant that we all can remember being terrified at one time or another.
My latest squib was in reaction to the idea that Brown may potentially be the cause of later fear based "aftershocks." for the Marakesh Man,as well as for the "dead" housewife and the youth in the "invisible man" sequence. I do not know if D.B. has degrees in psychotherapy, or has the legal or moral right to manipulate people like he does.(waivers surely!) I do feel that some of what the Marakesh Man experienced must have been unsettling, even if it were only the feeling of being alone in an alien culture, or somehow confused and wondering why he could not remember going there. I know that all was explained to him afterwards, but I also hope that his mental bricks were all put back in their proper places.
I know that Brown is ultimately concerned with the wellbeing of his rearranged and reassembled subjects.

I once spoke to a hypnotherapist who said that if you can relate a fear/phobia/trauma to a specific event then it isn?t actually the cause. Fear of non-threatening situations is usually caused by a trivial event that can?t be rationalised by the young mind. The memory enters the subconscious and causes the phobia. Later on an event occurs which triggers the phobia and, as the child is older, they remember the event and establish it as the cause. As a phobia is, by definition, an irrational fear of something the cure involves using hypnotism to regress the person back until they can remember the actual event that is the trigger. As an adult they can rationalise the event and it ceases to provoke the response.

Well, that?s the theory anyway! What do you think?

Of course you are right in your logic, but I would be very surprised if the subjects do not have "after tremors" Most adults still bear scars from too exciting events that happened to them as children.. my seeing a plane crash, and my being suspended from the waist up over the balcony of the Statue of Liberty base still haunt me in rare flashbacks. I would not at all be surprised if the participants in Brown's stuntsdo experience similar scar tissued memories. Brown is amazing. I guess that I am just not in need of that much stress.

I'm sure this series will be on dvd before too long! I'm not sure if you can get it but channel 4 has an 'on demand' service which allows you to watch programs on your PC. I should think it will be better quality than on YouTube and, at the moment DB's shows are free! Check it out at www.channel4.com/4od/.

I think the whole thing about 'evil' Derren Brown is something that he plays up deliberately. I mean, if he wanted to be soft and fluffy he'd get rid of that goatee for a start! I' m sure that there is no real danger involved as a fatal coronary or a long term psychotic event would end his career. An accident happened live on television some years ago when a bungee jump went wrong. That show was cancelled and few of the presenters have worked much since. He always makes clear at the end that everyone who takes part enjoyed the experience and there are no after effects. I'm sure that there'll be no change to the style he uses because of good old market forces; while people continue to watch him do his 'nasty' stuff and producers keep commissioning new series would will he stop. I could only see him making a change in direction if the viewing figures dropped off.

As for the cards, I think the printing is just a nice effect. I can't imagine for one minute that someone with DB's manipulation skills is going to be suprised by the results of the choice!

YouTube, (alas) is the only venue where a Yankee can see what Brown has been up to with his new "Trick or Treat" episodes. I still find many of the sequences to be brilliant, but now there is also a stronger level of cruelty in them, with Brown making people profoundly afraid without any concern for the after effects. The kidnapping of a tranced and catatonic young man to Morocco and leaving him to his wits was bad enough, but that stunt paled before the sheer anguish and terror of the man trapped and kidnapped against his will in a taxi cab. That was an exercise in sheer sadism. Brown's latest tricks seem to getting noticeably nastier. What would have happened if any of his subjects had a heart attack as a result? I understand it is all psychological manipulation, chiccanery, illusion, and "entertainment", but what long term effects will his subjects experience? I wish he would do something gentle for a change, something that would not scare or scar the participants. Did You notice that the "Trick or Treat" cards were lettered in a biaxial script, so that it reads as "Trick" or as "Treat", depending how Brown flipped it over?

There's been a couple of stories on this site that demonstrate that people are that stupid. Here and here.

Have you noticed that Brown is now being ragged for his 2 seasons ago "tranced Robbie Williams gets needles through his arms " episode? One YouTube viewer seems to think that the real meaning of Williams' participation was to become a Jesus-like blood sacrifice on a "cross." He also stated that Brown mentioned the number 666 (Gasp!) during their pre-trance, pre- piercing discussion . The horrified viewer is now calling Brown "anti-Christian!" I cannot believe that anyone is that stupid.

I can vouch for him on that point.