Derren Brown Investigates is a three-part British documentary series in which mentalist and illusionist Derren Brown examined specific individuals' claims of paranormal or extraordinary ability, testing them through direct, firsthand investigation rather than the general demonstrations that made up most of his other television work.[1] The series aired on Channel 4 across three consecutive Mondays from 10 May 2010.[2]
Episodes
"The Man Who Contacts the Dead" (10 May 2010)
Brown travelled to Liverpool to examine the claims of psychic medium Joe Power, who says he can communicate with the dead.[3] The episode included Brown reviewing footage of Power's stage readings, sitting in on celebrity sessions, and arranging independent private readings to test Power's claims directly, including a reading with Hollyoaks actress Claire Cooper in which Power appeared to correctly identify the car she drove — a detail Brown noted one of his crew had separately observed her arriving in.[3]
"The Men with X-Ray Eyes" (17 May 2010)
Brown travelled to the Netherlands with Judy Dunk, a British woman who has been blind since 1995, to investigate the Bronnikov method — a programme developed by Vyacheslav Bronnikov that claims to teach blind people to "see" through non-visual psychic means.[1]
"The Ghost Hunter" (31 May 2010)
The series concluded with Brown travelling to Philadelphia to meet Lou Gentile, an American ghost hunter who claims two decades of experience helping people rid themselves of unwanted paranormal presences, and who has stated that some hauntings can be powerful enough to be physically dangerous.[4]
Reception
Reviewing the opening episode, The GuardianTemplate:'s Sam Wollaston noted the format's departure from Brown's usual audience-demonstration style, describing the direct engagement with Power's own claimed evidence as a more pointed approach than his other paranormal-adjacent work.[3]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Derren Brown Investigates."Channel 4.
- ↑ "Derren Brown Investigates — Episode list."IMDb.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Wormwood Scrubs and Derren Brown Investigates– The Guardian, 11 May 2010.
- ↑ "Derren Brown Investigates: The Ghosthunter."Channel 4.