Updates from Derren Brown and the Enigma Crew

Matt says:

26 Minutes to go!!

jack dunnett says:

watching this, i’m just seeing so much tension, i think derren really grinds joe’s gears because joe knows on some level that derren is right, poor derren. i’m glad of the fact that this is derren’s programme, if it was joe’s programme on psychic powers, shown on some silly sounding channel like “spirit talk” or “mystic haze”, it would only show the parts he got correct, and make derren look like a fool. go derren!

Slugsie says:

Great show, but I think you let him off too easily.

At the very end I had to laugh though. Why is it that mediums etc can be caught by surprise. He apparently talks to that woman’s relatives, not one mentions that there is a personal connection?

nigel says:

Nice show Derren! What an infuriating character. For a guy who emphasises the need to communicate with people he reads, he seems completely reluctant to effectively communicate with people who are investigating him. One question, did he always go to the bathroom before a reading in order to cop a view of family photos, which, are always in a hallway en route to a bathroom?

Nick Gribble says:

Good program, Derren. I’m very skeptical of the whole thing but did once get a chap say that I had a tendon problem with my left leg, which there’s no way he could have known; I have no limp or any obvious problem, it just clicks sometimes.

I just wanted to point out, however, that in the program this evening (man who contacts the dead) did you notice that he went to the loo every time he got to a house to give a reading? If that were me I’d have a nose around for clues. Interesting that the time he got it wrong he was at a house which did not belong to the lady being read; I wonder if he picked up clues that he tried to use but of course they didn’t relate to her. Just a thought.

Shelly Brown says:

I am pretty skeptical , i do believe in spirits and that there are the odd people out there what maybe do contact spirits in 1 way or another. I\’m just not sure who or what the spirits are. After watching the show i think he\’s more than likely a fake due to the mistakes he made and by how defensive he got when derren asked him fair questions which he had no reaon to get his back up about. When he performed infront of the 250 people audience as he had aready given readins too a few of the ladies already and could of been easily just taking the next step from that infomation and derren certainly had a fair point of the cold reading.
You never know he could be real but the way he acted and what he did does go against him. Ah well

Pim says:

Really enjoyed the doc tonight – Joe didn\’t come acreoss well tho – childish i thought, and he hardly let Derren finish a sentence whenever things didn\’t go his way. Guess thats what happen when cheaters get caught!!

Surzy says:

Absolutely brilliant.

Bring back the fraudulent Medium’s Act.

Thank you for exposing another fake.

SG x

Stephen says:

Great show as usual, for me it was over during the controlled session, when he kept throwing out random information when he noticed the client seemed disatisfied. As for the question at the end of the show, I believe a medium could do far more damage than good, for example. Someone watching this show may have had a reading from Joe, and because of the show may believe it to be false, that could have an enourmess impact if they start to realise that everything positive they got from the experience was a lie.

Sam D says:

Brilliant Show, why did Joe go to the toilet before the readings? Was he having a good nose around the place trying to get some information to use, photos of deceased relatives hanging in the hallways maybe?

andy wilkinson says:

Really good show tonight. A lot of people are scepticle, but so many more can be easily led by this sort of scam.
I appreciate that you are ‘making a living’, but I would rather pay you to show this than watch other, more vulnerable people, be mis-lead.

Kind regards

Claire says:

A really interesting show Derren, can’t wait to see next week’s! x

Mark says:

Anyone notice that Power asked to use the bathroom before the at home readings? Snooping for clues?

Hannah says:

Ah holy crap, if I ever saw that Joe guy in real life I don’t think I could do anything to stop myself from kicking him in the crotch. Half of what he said didn’t make any sense, I feel so sorry for you having to put up with that..lovely person..for an entire week.
I remember him saying something like oh but that’s not how the spiritual field works…so if he only knows how it works then he can never get anything wrong can he?? Grr..and he said something along the lines of “there’s a fine line and you people who come and mock these skeptics and believers you…that is where the line is drawn..” WHAT??? And how is that even a response to what was asked AHH!
I just love how he couldn’t do the test, how convenient that he wasn’t that “type” of medium…
Loved the show by the way

Hayley says:

I’m ashamed to say I was actually doubting the quality of this show cause it looked different to all his other stuff but I was so wrong – this programme was amazing! He’s so professional, so clever, so brilliant, he’s just amazing! I don’t know enough good adjectives to describe him! And that idiot medium, if he was actually genuine he would have been nicer about the whole thing – he would have admitted that what he does may look fake and then argued that he isn’t. The fact he was such a d*ck the whole way through shows he has the right kind of personality to be a fraud and manipulate all those poor grieving people out of their money. And Derren’s cold reading was so much better! Good work Derren! :D:D

Hazel says:

Fantasic programme tonight Derren! My friend and I had tried to arrange to see Joe and all I can say is thank god that we never. It now feels obvious from an objective view that he is making a living out of exploiting people’s hurt and loss. If only it was true! Congratulations on what will be a huge success, just an educated guess no special ability used Hope you’re enjoying the tour and thanks again for a great documentary. Hazel x

Fiona says:

Both slightly gutted and vindicated. Love what u do but u r so not invited 2 dinner, who wants 2 be easily read or grouped. What u r doing is so very right but…. What a fantastic passion 2 have, encompassing so many things, history, dark tales, human frailties and the capacity 2 exploit it and the right sort of non denominational brain 2 match and no apparent sign of autisum u lucky thing. It may be apparent Ive drunk a bit of vino and of course i will rest easy in the knowledge that u know i don’t text the likes of u ever. Well done kidder

JC Mac says:

Derren

I watched your show tonight on contacting the dead. There is no such thing and this is why. All existence emerges into form from an infinite feild of consciousness when conditions are appropriate. Mind is form, people are form everything you see and think is form all of which arises as a perception from a level of consciousness. At each level reality looks different. Then when one has done the work to transcend duality or the illusion of opposites you enter into a unity with all existence, timeless and with out space. Anyone claiming to be able to read the future or the past is in fact altering the infinite field of consciousness which then changes the so called future or the past that we perceive as illusion. For more info check http://www.jcmac.net.

Thanks

JC

Aleta Blount says:

Great show Derren, i’m a medium myself and as the show progressed i could see he was not telling the truth. Why did he have to go to the loo before meeting the people in the house ?. I don’t know any honest medium or light worker that does that. We don’t like to know anything about people or locations before we visit them either. Having a board between a clairaudient and another person would not stop communication either , they work by energy vibration, his guides would help him too. Sorry guys, but he is the reason people don’t believe communication with the spirit world is possible and us real mediums are talking out of our arses.

Thistooshallpass says:

Right Mr B……start making some more ‘Doc’s’ ….general census is… people just loved it. xx

Aleta Blount says:

Great show Derren, i’m a medium myself and as the show progressed i could see he wasn’t telling the truth. Why did he go to the loo before he met the people in the house ?, i don’t know any honest medium or light worker that does that. We don’t like to know anything about the people or locations we are visiting. We work by energy vibration so why he refused the test i’m not sure. Sorry guys, but he’s the reason some people don’t believe us mediums and think we’re just talking rubbish.

Terry says:

What a fake! Good work Derren. Loved the new show. And a huge thank you for such a brillaint time when I went to Enigma! An absolute cracker, as always.

Carl says:

Hi,
The show was top notch as usual. The psychic was a flat track bully and I didn’t believe a word he said. People need to realise that certain individuals prey on vulnerable people. I agree with Derren that he is messing with peoples lives and that Joe was trampling all over the cherished memories of loved ones, all in the name of a quick buck.
He wasn’t a people person and came across as very unethical.

If he’s going to mess and be aggressive with Derren then I would suggest booking himself on the next shuttle and get of the planet.

Thanks for a great evenings entertainment and keep up the good work (but you just knew I was going to end like that)
Carl.

Pretty Poison says:

The show was brilliant yet quite distressing. I am extremely open minded (despite acknowledging the skepticism) and have considered seeing a medium. But I found the man rude, aggressive and not at all convincing, and thought you were very dignified. It is sad that so many people will be effectively conned by him as it is a terrible thing to lose a loved one. However, I do agree with the person who said it would be interesting for you to meet Sally or Colin Fry as I find it almost impossible to believe they are not psychic. Then again my partner and I have also toyed with the idea that you are in fact psychic or the devil…albeit not the evil depicted version lol.

You are truly talented and hope you are enjoying your amazing tour.

Dave says:

Hey Derren, love the shows you do!

Like many have noticed, both houses he visits he goes to the toilet first, is this his way of doing a quick information gather? I think more should of been made of that and Derren should of had a look at what information he could of picked up on a simple bathroom visit.

You can see with the second lady he gets names and numbers wrong, maybe the photo’s he saw was pointing to them names and numbers and perhaps his reading would of fit the actual owner of the house!!!

I think he figuired it out and thats why he got all angry about it and started blaming you Derren.

~Dave.

Mario says:

This show was absolutely brilliant. Its great that there is actually someone questioning the outrageous claims that these ‘psychics’ have. For me, the medium in the show 100% failed to prove that he had any supernatural abilities at all, and is basically, either a clever con man, or a deluded crazy man, and personally, i believe its the latter. I am constantly blown away with Derrens work, and i cant wait to see the rest of this series.

Sandra says:

Found it heartbreaking that these people are looking for some form of contact/closure and find this charlatan who is only interested in taking their money. Joe had an excuse for his failings though – blame everybody else , Darren and then even the poor people he was reading for !! How this parasite sleeps at night I will NEVER understand

dan says:

A decent show, like how Derren is raising awareness of these scam artists, as for Colin Fry, he\’d probably refuse to do a show like this, besides you\’ve only got to google his name to discover that hes not that brilliant. People talking about they\’ve got real psychic abilites, they why don\’t they take James Randi\’s 1 million dollars?
And why don\’t they ask the dead people they talk to any good questions like, what is the afterlife like? which religion is the true religion? and who shot JFK?

Derren gives a brilliant interview to Richard Dawkins on youtube about cold readings and barnum effects.

Julie says:

Rachel- I think some people believe they are truly psychic but they’re the ones who won’t get as far as people like Joe Power because their ‘readings’ won’t look as impressive as someone using cold reading.
At first it seemed that JP was going to be one of those who mean well but by the end he’d been shown up to be a prize idiot and in my opinion, a complete liar.

Bob Hoban says:

I’m glad that Mr. Brown is picking up Randi’s mantel and examining hacks.
However, I feel that the brakes were on way too tightly. A much richer tapestry could have been made from the whole cloth which was deeply provided by this Liverpool louse. Giving faint praise to the supernatural’s ability to comfort was a bit shocking to me. Legal reasons or professional courtesy may have been an issue, but I feel that, after all the courtesy, a point should have been clearly made, allowing some “open-minded” people a way to the truth.
The show left one with the feeling that they had just watched two performers have a bit of a tiff.
Well, when one of those performers is the most entertaining on earth, it was a good show…and a great disappointment.

alberto says:

At last… a real programme on what can only be the oldest scam… as Derren in his opening statement says “anyone can set up as a medium / there is no register” etc… i’ve studied cold reading for years and have used it in a social / fun context and can relate to all the “tricks” this conman used… as for the toilet visit prior to carrying out the sit? Derren missed a trick himself there-should have had hidden cameras all over the upstairs to check on him looking for clues into the sitters life… page one stuff from the “how to cold read and scam poor, vulnerable people”…yet again Sir Brown just proves that there is no proof in these scammers claims… anyone can cold read with a little practice.. its just having the balls to take it to a public level…KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK DERREN!

alan says:

After episode 1 last night, it seems all genuine clairvoyants would be keen to form an association. To pursue and expose those bringing that profession into disrepute. They could compile their own blacklist of fraudsters, complete with evidence. And in addition propose ways in which clients could confirm the authenticity of practitioners. Perhaps by affirming a single inaccurate proposed “fact”. To see if the reader will run with or recant it.
Once a pair of real clairvoyants have confirmed each other’s veracity, it would be a simple matter to provide them with the same unknown subjects sequentially. Then compare readings, and show that they match.
I don’t know about simulacrum, but questioning only serves to strengthen truth. Whatever fears testing, merely confirms its own fragility.

Rob Perkins says:

I did enjoy the show and feel it has been a long time coming that a show such as this reaches the airwaves. I recall years back Penn and Teller in the US covered this subject matter on their BS show. (Highly recommend it) I question what motivated Joe into doing the show and wonder what he felt that media coverage of any sort will help promote him and if he could convince Derren then that would have been real vindication.

I can’t help feel that Derren was a bit too lenient with him and there was no real condemnation for what he does. The fact that as yet no medium has proven their skills to Derren, Penn and Teller or the Randi foundation is evidence alone to the fact that these people are vile vultures that pick on vunerable people looking for closure from loved ones.

Iain says:

I am a huge fan of Derren and a massive skeptic of mediums, and have no religious beliefs what so ever however I\’m disappointed in Derren and the programme. So what if the guy wasn\’t genuine, so what if the guy was cold reading why try and belittle the man? The facts are that he was convincing to those who wanted to believe and he gave them great comfort in the information he gave them, so what is so wrong with that?. The other thing that disappointed me was that Derren talked about responsibility, but is Derren prepared to take responsibility for properly depriving that man and many others like him from making a living and upsetting a lot of people who believed their relatives were OK. Every church has a representative whose job it is spread the word of God, are they fakes Derren?

Simon S says:

James Randi could not have done a better job at exposing Joe Power for the charlatan that he is, and that is high praise indeed! During the show I suspected that Power’s first reading was a ‘hot reading’ (where the ‘psychic’ has done prior research on the subject to get their facts) rather than ‘cold reading’ as it was too accurate and he had no need to fish for clues. To have it revealed at the end of the show that the first subject was his sister’s next door neighbour was pure gold! I had wondered if Joe Power was a knowing fraud or simply self-deluded. As the show went on, the way Power angrily reacted when confrornted with fair questions such as about seeing the Hollyoakes actress in her Mini in the car park, proved him to be a fraud.
Kudos Derren Brown, you awesome skeptic!

S Swan says:

I thought the programme was very good as it exposed Joe Power who make lots of money out of basically gullible people. Derren has commented before on how callous this is especially for parents who have lost children which I agree with. However, my conclusion is that some people have a psychological need to give them hope that they are in contact with dead relatives and if they are prepared to pay for that then that’s up to them how they spend their money.

What I object to is the charlatans who pretend they have psychic ‘powers’ knowing that they are using clues and common statements (as was shown in this programme). But I suppose if they admitted using these techniques the punters wouldn’t pay up… in the end it’s about choice. In my experience people don’t always want to know truth

Peachykeen says:

I’m a little bit in love with a handsome mentalist Derren, what a great program. Can’t wait for the next one. I particularly enjoyed the way you were calm and dignified in response to his rudeness. I was slightly freaked out by the ‘stare-y eye’ thing he kept doing-as if constant eye contact somehow proved he was telling the truth?! In my opinion it just made him look slightly unhinged!! Also agree with Dylan, the affair comment was un called for and obviously really upset the poor girl. Stirling work Derren, hopefully now Mr ‘Power’ won’t be able to rip off so many bereaved people.

Dave says:

Yep, fantastc show, Mr Powers was obviously a fake and it was interesting to see how Derren handled himself from a psychological point of view whilst in “Pressured” conversation, You handled yourself very well Derren, as i expected and were certainly more than a match for his cold reading or should i say HOT reading since his readings were based on information he already knew about the sitters. lol lol. Look forward to next weeks show. WELL DONE.

Tina says:

And when I say ‘he exposed himself’, there was a moment when that was actually literal. One of my friends said “If he’s supposed to have spirits standing behind him, why haven’t they told him to pull his jeans up?”

I have been to a show by a rather well-known medium (I went out of curiosity after my interest in cold-reading was piqued) and whether it’s to a room of 200 or 2000, the script is exactly the same. It would be pretty fascinating if we could forget that the audience are made up of real people with real heartache. But I’ll admit, even as I sat watching and knowing it wasn’t real, a little part of me hoped that my loved one would send me a message, it was the strangest feeling. I can understand how people get hooked on going to see mediums.

Great job on show 1, Derren!

Vic says:

Derren you gave him the rope and by golly did he hang himself!! I do wish that you had gone to a “phsycic” with a reputation for accuracy and not obvious generalisations though.

Wonky79 says:

i missed the show….is there anywhere i can watch a repeat of it?

Iain says:

Derren, what an amazing show. It was so nice to see the different side of Derren; the non-performer as such. My favourite part of the whole show had to be Derren’s cheeky smirk when Joe was giving a reading to the guy from Hollyoaks, and it was all going terribly wrong. The camera pans to Derren, who glances and smirks tellingly. the type of smirk you given in a meeting when you and a colleague notice that the bosses flies are undone.

Harvey says:

Louie Theoroux should look out. Not only was last night’s programme great entertainment (which I expected it would be) but it was also a very well made and well led by Derren. Seriously – Derren should make more of these – after the three that are scheduled. Derren’s documentary style and presentation was up there with some really great documentary presenters/makers. Also, as has been mentioned by other’s, Joe’s toilet habits are odd to say the least. Anyone who knows cold reading would spot Joe’s game and the way it was explained on the programme was great. Also, brilliant decision to leave the info about Joe’s sister’s neighbour until the end, a lesser documentary would have shown that info straight after the reading.
When are we going to see proper regulation of psychic practice?

Neil says:

Really enjoyed the show Derren, well done. You did an amazing job of remaining calm and composed when Joe “thefake” was becoming ever more offensive. He was well and truly exposed. How about working on all the other charlatans who claim they speak to the dead?
Loved the killer punch left till the very end regarding Joe’s sisters neighbour. Well done.

Will Chaloner says:

Lot’s of people are talking about being amazed on how Derren kept his cool from the Power vitriol. The answer is simple, Power is simply a typical Liverpool loudmouthed lying chancer. I know this because I was born in Toxteth and now live in Bootle and see, and unfortunately hear, people like him every week. Derren, as is obvious to see, has intellect.

jezlucky says:

I really enjoyed your programme but was extremely saddened as it did not portray our profession in a good light. I am a full time psychic and medium. I only do my readings via e-mail so I cannot get any clues from people. Therefore how can I do this? I sit in my lounge and just write as it comes to me. That includes any messages that may come through from spirit. I then type the reading and send to my client. So I do not need to do anything special before hand. Just to sit quietly and wait for the information to flow. I believe that everyone is psychic to a certain degree. It is just more developed in some than others. My first experiences were at a very young age as children are more open before other influences and thoughts come into their lives. My vocation in life is to help people.

Scott John says:

Good show, great insight.
I appreciate that people get comfort from this kind of thing but these charlatans play with minds and lives.

Looking forward to seeing next documentaries and the live show in June.

Terri says:

Thank you for the programme Deeren.
I was brought up as a Spiritualist and actually married a well known medium. I also worked for a time at the Spiritualist Assn of Grt Britain in Belgrave Square.
Now I am an atheist and doubt the existence of the spirit world, even though I really want to believe in it.
I have seen many \”convincing\” things, some I cannot explain but my open mindedness does not allow me to accept things anymore through wishful thinking.
I wish though, that you would explain how you manage to get accurate information on people.ie the TV lady (with the mini); how did you know she had gone to the Maldives with her boyfriend; had you read it in a magazine or was it a lucky guess? It would help to know your methods; I suspect they are obvious but it would help to know.

chris says:

What is this rule in the spirit world where you are not allowed to precisely give out your name to psychics! according to joe he can see some of them very clearly but the poor cursed souls can only speak gibberish, I know if i possessed such a power as Joe would like us to believe Id take any test to prove it, come on Joe you were well and truly busted now go and get a proper job.

Hayley says:

Loved the show last night Derren, that man was so far up himself, again, congrats on stopping yoursef from flooring him XD

In the words of Tim Bisley on Spaced “What a prick.”

darren says:

Astounded that these so called psychics have the gall to put themselves on a programme like this.

They have the peverse front to take money of distressed individuals and then actually start to believe their own filth. End result is they look like bafoons and their “sitters” look like mugs – highly distressing for them I’m sure.

Would have like to have seen a greater level of aggression from Derren in cornering this louse. Does that make sense love? Oh $hit! Now look what you’ve done, I’ve come over all psychic….lol!

David Hunt says:

Went on Power’s web site and he is claiming that the producer of the show was told by him before the sitting that his half sister lived in the road but it went ahead anyway. If this is untrue someone needs to refute this.

jameshogg says:

I seriously don’t understand why the dead never talk about the undiscovered laws of the universe to the mediums. That would be some serious proof right there, and oh yeah, it would be such an obvious thing to happen!

I wish people out there would be modest enough to consider they could be wrong about things. I mean, what moron would think they are right about everything all the time?

Peter too says:

Haven’t seen it yet, but I’ve been around psychics quite a lot. Everything human in them for sure, messages never come from the death, that’s my opinion. Unless you would consider those who live on in someone’s memories as being on the other side .. and communicating via the holder of that brain. Pretty normal communication most of the time. It’s the way you get into that type of communication that will influence the outcome, so in a way .. you can make them say anything you want them to say. Not that I see the use of that., but many do.
Why would we, do some, need the death to tell them stuff? Whatever makes them think that the death changed, are different than alive. Why don’t try communicate with the alive. Aaaah … that’s why ..

ScreamingGreenConure says:

I hate how Power bullied that poor “Pam” woman for having the temerity to not gush over him when he failed to give her the consolation she wanted. It’s bad enough that he was cheerfully using peoples’ stories of suicides and murders to make himself look clever, but when he can’t get it right it’s all her fault? She just wanted to believe in this guy, and he let her down and blamed her for it.

Daniella says:

Hi Derren, In my opinion Joe ‘Power’ came across as defensive and behaved as if he was being attacked. By doing the show he knew that he was going to put himself in a position where he was going to be judged on his ‘abilities’ yet clearly didn’t like the judgements nor being questioned about whether or not he was just in fact a liar. Clairaudience has common meanings but there are still differences in what it means to the individual. Regardless of what clairaudience means to Joe, his behaviour was odd (toilet visits, competing with you, saying that you/’Pam’ lied about not having met before, not sharing about where his sister lives!) and he didn’t come across as truthful. He really shouldn’t need to ask questions but purely give the information he claims is coming to him.

Hannah says:

Ok the man is a complete doofus. He tells lies everyday, and makes money from it. But it is his main source of income, and he probably doesnt have another job. I think Derren has just exposed Joe on national television, not thinking on the repercussions on his way of life. A little bit of a Shylock situation, me thinks.
Of course, all very entertaining, Derren.

Craig F says:

Superbly well done show DB. How gracious and “extra-milesy” you were with Joe and how childish and condescending he was with you. Please do make more programs of this sort and please have me along as a guest.

Steve says:

I hate the thought of somone speaking on my behalf after my death to anyone who knew me… Shouldn’t he get done for fraud or something?

JHY says:

Enjoyed the show and Derren’s neutral approach to Joe, who really volunteered more flaws than Derren revealed.

If you can face his self aggrandizing, Joe’s response to the show on his website really doesn’t help his cause (Believers only to apply, please!)

Although clients may feel better or relieved by a medium’s words, I can’t help feeling that because they are (always/often) being lied to they are still victims of the mediums (aka emotional vampires feasting on the grieving and gullible.)

For a lighter view on such things see Tim Minchin performing “Storm” on you tube etc. Wonderful.

Oh..Napoleon and Houdini both tell me they enjoyed the show…….

suze says:

loved the show, just wondering why Joe ever agreed to be on it, what did he hope to gain from it? His reputation is in tatters now, as is his career. I\’m curious to find out his response though, does anyone now if he has a website of his own?

Also why do these spirits who want to contact their loved ones give the psychics such vague information- such as numbers- which need to be unpicked by the person having the reading; from watching programmes like this, it seems that all the spirits ever seem to tell the living is that they\’re happy and watching over them, do they ever say that they\’re in constant pain and very unhappy?
I guess that wouldn\’t be good for business

Annie says:

Mr Power was, in my opinion, rather creepy and made my flesh crawl. Sadly because people do want to believe in the spirit world, it makes it easy for people like him to work their ‘craft’. I am pleased to see this series because it does show how it can be done and how easy it can be to con the vulnerable. ,

Rachael says:

That Guy was Bizz ! Seriously.

Defensive, guilt ridden man, who blamed everyone but himself. He called your methods disgusting ? He lies to people about there dead relatives and friends.. or has already given them a reading.. or has relatives that live next to people who is going to give a reading to .. Duuuuh.

Its a morally wrong profession that feeds on the emotional state of there client, at what point in life did they suddenly realise they have the right to decide what people want or need to hear. Grr.

Plus he had the nerve to shout at the lady who wanted to contact her sister! He had a hit with her dad, yes.. Spooky. Proberly had nothin to do with her age and abit of simple common sense…

Looking forward to the rest Dez !

Rachael x

Wayne says:

a few things:
For any of you that say you can really do this, then James Randi has £1million dollard awaiting your proof – oh but hang on you can’t do it under test conditions, only when you are being paid for it! (and have had enough time to do research, or can bamboozel people with Barnum statements etc.)

You can’t prove fraud, as none of the so called psychics will ever subject themselves to a test – That was where Joe really failed. Surely if you can do it, you can do it. You claim to be able to perform on queue whenever required for the right fee!

Great series, very well done and left the decision up to the audience. Fantastic!

The best quote I heard was Randi who said that the people with the closed minds are those that go to psychics as they refuse to belive it may not be real.

Gareth says:

I don’t think that Joe himself will suffer much as a result of the show. I guess those who want to believe will see it as an evil attack of skepticism but it’s important that this debate is aired in a mainstream setting.

I wonder whether someone like Joe could geniunely believe in their (ahem) power and ascribe spirit voices to each new idea for a question. Would this come under cognitive dissonance? Hopefully someone out there can fill the gaps in my knowledge or point me in the right direction.

@Gordsky I think even if Derren was employing some esoteric observation skills and deduced Joe was lying, it wouldn’t be deemed fit for the investigation as it wouldn’t qualify as empirical evidence.

I’d be interested to hear Derren’s views on the recent ‘news’ of breatharian Prahlad Jani.

glen says:

i think derren brown is brill. i watched his show. the man who contacts the dead. i take my hat of to you for having the balls to highlight these people who con people esspesaly when there touching into peoples private lives. shame on them. i would like to put them all and i mean all of them. on a lie detector machine. i bet 3/4 of them would refuse. and why would,nt you take the test??. well,would be no problem if they were telling the truth.

Scott says:

It was different, and I enjoyed different. Not the norm from Derren, but very good and he is a good judge as to what is and isn’t right.
Derren is very talented and has the trust of most people. Although we do have to remember when he is doing his shows, misdirection is a key to throw us off what he is doing.
This was straight forward, and I applaud DB and Crew for creating this. Maybe Derren will be a real life Quincy Jones MD!
Fraudsters are everywhere and you did post a link on this site ages ago with a reporter being with a psychic and he said his dad was dead (as the gentleman was oldish and grey) and the reporter said he had to leave, when asked why by the psychic, he replied, because my Dad was alive this morning when I saw him so I must go check on him (or words to that affect).

John says:

The show was as I fully expected it to be…shallow & cliched from all involved. Nobody came out of this with credit imho.
Derren had a predictable & barely concealed willingness to disprove and discredit the “medium” Joe Power at every opportunity. Joe Power obviously volunteered to be analysed in this way purely to gain national exposure but ended up looking like a stooge in the end…no medium ever comes out of such a TV show smelling of roses. After all, how can you ever truly prove what ultimately is the unprovable??
As far as shows like this are concerned we have seen them all before. Derren is a cynic who was posing as a sceptic (there is a massive difference) & Joe Power is clearly yet another flawed “medium” who craves attention, fame & cash. Derren & Joe, give me a break!

Angelina says:

I watched the show, and was disappointed that they chose a “Psychic” that refused to be tested, as a Psychic that works daily doing shows and readings I am tested everyday by everyone who comes to see me, and by Newspaper reporters who have given me write up’s in their papers. People test me with their own ideas of what I should do and how I should do it, to fit in with their ideas of it. Whilst people like Derren Brown go out to disprove what I do, it will never be accepted, and I will never be able to put my ability to better uses like helping the police find people, or help people who have been abused or raped etc.

John says:

I’m assuming that Joe’s trips to the bathroom upon arrival at each lady’s house were a chance for him to garner extra information about them e.g. family photos hanging on the wall could tell him how many brothers/sisters they had or how old they might be.

However, I would be interested in hearing Derren’s response to Joe’s statement. Of course, every documentary is edited in a certain way to get a particular point across but I think it would have been crass for Derren to bring up the point about Vanda living next door to Joe’s sister if Joe really had brought this to the producer’s attention before he did the reading.

Pete Wills says:

If ANY medium or psychic had genuine abilities,
their information would always be 100% accurate, not hit and miss, or wrong.
Now, that would be worth seeing.
As for Joe Power, what a nasty piece of work and a complete no-mark;
I now understand the true meaning of the term ‘charlatan’.
Go Derren!

David Gowkins says:

A great programme Derren. A few questions I found myself asking though. Why did Mr Power (or the spirits) have this fixation with numbers. I think on nearly all readings, early on a number was thrown out – eg implying how many children there were in a family. What with the going to the loo business, there was something ‘formuleic’ about the whole thing. Plus I’m always confused as to why the supposed spirits seem to only want to convey trivia? Bizarre! And there’s always a line about how they want to let the person know that ‘they’ are fine.

I really wish you had pressed Mr Power on what tests he would be happy to be subjected to to prove he was genuine after backing out of the planned tests though.

SarahW says:

Great progamme there and what an unpleasant piece of work the dodgy medium showed himself to be – arrogant, insensitive and manipulative – that aside about “the affair” to the Holyoaks actress just a nasty little power ploy.

The statement on Joe Power’s website includes this deceptive sentence about his failed reading: “It was interesting to note both “Pam” and Derren couldn’t remember if they had met earlier. Any reading was always going to be distorted with such variables.”

Derren clearly told him before that they had met briefly that day, and Joe’s question to “Pam” was vague enough to also mean “did you meet before today’s session?”

And how could any of that (recruiting her via an ad, changing her name and location, meeting Derren) prevent her sister coming through?

Scott says:

Today, while at the beach 3 Indian gentleman approached me and one of them took me to the side and started telling things to me about my life. He started off with giving me a piece of paper and then proceeded to ask my name, age and how many brothers and sisters I had. He then made me touch my head with the paper and blow on it, opening it up, it was what I said.

I thought that was quite impressive, but I really am a sceptic, and I tried so hard not to give anything away to this person but I think his statements were Barnum style, saying things like – in the past you had a love but she didn’t love you. You have lots of ideas about business but you are not a wealthy man. These things are true I am sure they are true for many as well.

continued…

Alison says:

Hi

Somebody has probably already picked this up- but I have just watched the Joe Power interview on 4 on Demand, He obviously goes to the toilet before each ‘reading’, gets as much info as possible from photos/home content and then goes down and does the reading! That’s why on the second reading he could not do the reading, as it wasn’t her actual home! Only a idea of course!

robbie says:

@Alison compleatly agree with you there i would of like to see if any of the information hit about the person who actually lived there

kat smith says:

excellent show on monday, very good and I can’t wait for the next one! well done Derren

JOhn says:

oops and i loved joes builders bum as he got out the car

still there are tons of gull-a-bulls out there

Ian Jones says:

joe no-power’s now on twitter as psychicjoepower, can’t find ‘realjoepower’- he must have crawled under a rock.
I’m following him for a laugh, he’s not tweeted YET, so far 26 credulous ‘I’m getting the word nonce’ types are following.

I’m disappointed how many people on here still claim to have ‘some psychic ability’ or know a REAL medium-but can see joe’s a fake. Can you not see how they all operate? Did you actually watch Derren’s programme?? Some are just better at it- ie better at faking.

HOW MANY OF THESE ‘REAL MEDIUMS’ ARE MILLIONAIRES COURTESY OF JAMES RANDI’S $1,000,000 PRIZE?

If you were psychic, Really psychic, that is the easiest million you could EVER , EVER earn. End of.

julie carter says:

Hi Derren,

I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU CAN TELL WHEN PEOPLE ARE TELLING THE TRUTH AND WHEN THEY ARE TELLING LIES.

I have had what is commonly referred to as a ’NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE.’ At the age of twenty, due to terrible childhood abuse, I was in the gutters with drink, drugs, crime & prostitution. My habits had caused me to lose a very well paid job in the Civil Service. I was so filled with self- hatred & loathing that I took my own life. I found myself cocooned in a light that loved, healed, cleansed & forgave me. Eventually I was taken to sit at the foot of a beautiful tree. I was told to give all my love to the tree & that the tree would give me everything that I needed. I became absorbed by the tree and saw & understood much. When I was returned to my body I was told to Have Faith & Wait.

I am not a medium for people; I am a medium of the Light. Everything that I write, though it will sound un-believable, is 100% true. I would be more than happy to be hooked up to a lie detector. I do not seek fame or fortune; only to give conformation that life continues after the death.

I died as an atheist; I returned as a knower. My life was totally changed, as many others like me have reported. Dr. Penny Satori p.h.d. from Wales has documented some amazing accounts. For the past 34 years I have tried my best to serve THE LIGHT & I don’t mean Jesus or any other Prophet. Sincerely Derren I do have One Amazing and Mind Blowing Story to share with you.
Thank You for being You.
Miss Julie Carter.

spiderabc1 says:

@ julie carter – I had a similar NDE/ODE etc, only without the tree. I almost fell for it, as in I started to think I really was somewhere. I decided to take a look into science and by one glimpse knew science was the answer not the light. Perhaps you too could have a look before you spend more of your time on Earth thinking there really is something else after. Be well : )

mystic joe says:

http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/2009/06/psychic-joe-power-and-the-two-man-mob/

An informal interview from last year with the maddening mystic joe.
And I agree with the previous people who have asked, why are our “dead loved ones” have travelled through time and space to ask after our dodgy knees and drop hints about the number of brothers our mothers had.

dave says:

It is annoying that all you can do is investigate. People need to be educated, and this show made a great start. I realise that people are actually making livings doing this, so I am not sure if the economy would benefit if those people were put out of work, so the government is unlikely to step in. And the law is not on the side of truth, it is on the side of whoever has the most money and resources. Anyway. I think educating the masses is the least you could do. Whether it helps or not is another question. Thanks for the informative show.

Gary Robertson says:

Just been on tubby Joes site for a look and the link to his response can be seen here http://www.joepower.co.uk/joe-power-news/99-joepower-latest-news.html
Regardless of his petty complaints ,he was blatantly not contacting any dead. It sickens me to see that he makes a living from telling people what they want to hear. He still has a large amount of support on his site , but its obvious why-Josephine Bloggs gets told by the powerful one that her dad has contacted and says he is doing fine.she then watches this programme ,and despite all evidence suggesting the readings are fake, she ignores this and focus on anything Joe comforts her with to cling on to her fathers “contact”. Very well done DB as always.
1 last point – pull your trousers up Joe, your ass crack is ming.
psychic? joeking.

Patrick says:

But what was in the box…I saw a cream coloured dish possibly an ashtray or an olive dish!
Do tell Derren!

Jacqueline says:

…But that doesn’t stop me trying to find possible causes. Trying to replicate experiences is one, together with trying to find a good hypnotist who might be able to replicate my experiences would be a good start. It’s one of the reasons I go to DB’s shows, suggestion. Pah! All in all a good show and very entertaining. Maybe I should use my Genital Urinary Tract, which reminds me, I need a whizz. Keep up the good work, & debunking, I do listen attentively, but I’m not there yet. Tara bottom burps

PS When you have saved the world from it’s madness, what will there be to do a show on, write a book about, and basically make a bloody good living out of

Andrew says:

Whats in the box???? I see Gwyneth Paltrow’s head…Am I right

Peter says:

Haha, nice Se7en reference Andrew xD

Morag says:

Blood pressure rises to possibly unhealthy levels as I watched those charlatans who fouly exploit people like this! Maybe I shouldn’t watch these shows as it just makes me angry to think that people pay money to listen to so-called ‘psychics’. Don’t know how Derren manages to keep his cool when interviewing these conmen either. For instance, when Derren asked the founder of this uro-gential sight system to ‘see’ what was in the cardboard box the response was that it wasn’t a scientific experiment…what difference is there between him being able to see the contents in an experiments + him being able to see the contents in front of Derren?! Argh, these people make me so angry! Felt the same last week…Joe is blatantly up to something when he goes to the loo before the reading. Rant over…

JayKay says:

Derren, have you ever found anything that has really stumped you? Where you really are wondering if a claim might just be real..? I hope you show us if that’s the case.

Great work for uncovering these conmen. Any conwomen about on future shows..? I’d like to see what goes on behind a woman’s eyes as she chooses to do wheelchair-bound blind kids out of thousands of pounds. I wonder if there’s more conscience somehow; that a woman might ‘hurt’ more under the strain of the lies..? Or whether they’re more likely to actually believe in their ‘gift’.

I’m sure we’ll find telepathy was/is/will be possible, maybe even that already generated/existing thoughts can continue in some form after death, but for people to lie and cheat and give false hope is just disgusting.

Keef says:

The part at the end when the guy told the lie about a boy born with no eyes that could see is typical of this kind of charlatanism. I was a born again Christian for a few years and there were always these amazing stories of miracles and healings, but they always happened somewhere else (usually a far away country) and no-one ever researched into whether they were actually true. Everyone just assumed the stories were true and used them to bolster their faith, mainly because they were told by a pastor/leader who was assumed to be trustworthy. Makes me feel cold now when I think of how badly I was lied to by people I thought I could trust.

Unfounded stories like these can be so powerful in making people believe BUT they also provide a simple test to see if someone is trustworthy or not.

John says:

Watched the latest DB investigates last night – “the man with X ray eyes” …I have to say that I’m very disapointed with the series so far. It was another damp squib. The latest episode barely held my attention, Derren could spend the rest of his life debunking such scamster’s as this Russian “Rasputin” & his follwers…but what would be the point, you or I could do just as good of a job ourselves. It didnt make for compelling investigative viewing unfortunately!
From the opening ten minutes it was obvious that the whole organisation was a scam…we dont need DB to investigate something that even your average blind person would find blatantly obvious.
This series has promised so much but delivered so very little. Derren, I’m disapointed:-(

Raoul says:

I keep clicking to here .. apparently part of my brain can’t take it in that I can not watch these documentaries in Holland. Pls sell the documentaries to Holland .. Try John de Mol ..

Glenmoranjie says:

I would recommend reading Christopher Brookmyre’s book “Attack of the unsinkable rubber ducks”, which is about people’s desperate need to believe in fake psychic phenomenon. It is funny and very cleverly plotted.

Shane From Croydon UK says:

There was something about the scepticism in the show that I didn’t like. It was telling me what to think rather than informing my thinking. Were you saying that Bronnikov’s customers in Russia, Europe and the US are all deluded fools? Or, are you saying that when you approached Bronnikov your mind was open but in the event you found the whole thing to be a con? I couldn’t tell what your premise was nor the object of your enquiry?

It reminds me of your programme about the guy who talks to the dead – some how you seemed to miss the point under a wave of scepticism that allowed nothing knowable to be transmitted to the audience.

How many people reported success with Bronnikov’s method – did you do any follow up research?
Did you do any statistical research?

Keef says:

I’m never sure if the kind of people in the 2 documentaries so far really believe what they do or are complete liars. I wonder if they know they are frauds deep down but manage to lie to themselves each day. The obvious defensiveness and anger they display when tested is either caused by them knowing they are about to be caught and trying to protect themselves or a built-in defense of their minds to stop them being able to realise the truth. It’s all very sad really. I only really get angry when I know they are taking advantage of the vulnerable, especially when they do so financially. Otherwise, if you want to pay your £s on something that is probably false, well it’s your money.

julie carter says:

Dearest Derren,

I have just tried to repost my last letter to you but as you know i couldn’t. I so much wanted you to read my letter that i thought if i kept reposting it you would understand the depth of my desire to talk with you. Following my ‘NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE’ many strange and unexplainable events have happened in my life. My story could bring so much comfort to so many people; especially those who are close to death. Derren, how with words can i convey to you that i am telling you the truth. My friend has held a crystal pendulum over my chakras and they are all open; this is not common at all. I still have a connection to the light that i entered into over 30 years ago and was sent back to carry on living.

Once again THANK YOU FOR BEING YOU.

Jim Bliss says:

Hi, Derren. I’m a fan of your TV shows, up to and including the “investigates” series so don’t want to come across as a kind of gratuitous killjoy. However, I feel you’ve chosen rather soft targets. Ghost hunters and profit-making psychic cults are, almost by definition, going to be kooks or frauds. I’d have thought that a better test of such phenomena would be to investigate Sufi mystics or Buddhist ascetics or indigenous shamen who claim – or have been accredited with – superhuman abilities. Certainly there’d be issues of cultural sensitivity involved that don’t crop up when investigating the subjects you’ve chosen, but you’d probably stand a better chance of discovering something truly inexplicable. On the other hand, exposing charlatans is a worthy pursuit in itself. And entertaining.

Lauren says:

What the hell? The man died? How did he die?!

Av says:

I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t help but laugh all the way through it. It started out fairly creepy but then Derren’s disbelief turned infectious.
Thanks for making these programmes and being totally honest.

David says:

I thought tonight\’s episode was particularly good. Although, it appeared that there were paranormal things going on, good old logic provides a perfectly reasonable explanation which Derren made clear for us all. During the episode I had to look around my room just to check for ghosts which is really sad but it played tricks on me. Sad about his death though, the fact he believed in it and he was doing some good, even if it was \”pretend\” is good enough for me. I personally don\’t believe in it, but if other people do leave it to them. Very good series altogether I thought, hopefully there will be more in the future.

Jessica says:

An amazing end to this series.
It\’s a shame there are only three episodes but I suppose quality is better than quantity

I was so sad to read of Lou Gentile\’s death at the end of this episode, that shook me a little.

Caroline says:

What a weird ending to the 3rd show! I found the entire show quite amusing with more priceless comments from Derren – love the fact that no one knew the date!! The end message though actually kinda got to me, not sure why I think just the fact that it was a really funny show and then got kinda serious at the end there.

Spirit photography was without doubt my favourite part – its a reflection in plastic mate! Brilliant how Derren found a bigger, more obvious face in that fog photo, just to point out how stupid the whole thing was!

Tim says:

It was a good show. I thought he was going to show great ghost pictures. The best ghost picture ive seen is from Harry oldfield with his oldfield lens.

Andy says:

I think I prefer it when you target scammers – this guy almost certainly believed in what he was doing, unlike those Russian scammers.

Kirsty says:

I managed to miss the message at the end. Can anybody tell me what it said? Thanks.

Andy Fahey says:

Hi Derren, loved the show tonight – much more than the weird one the other week involving hand movements . I like the idea of giving the people involved in these beliefs a chance to explain the rationale behind what they believe in and how they got where they are today. Look forward to the next series! Cheers!

Danielle says:

That pastor was funny. This creepy atmosphere and religious chanting and then announcing he has to walk down the stairs sideways due to his club foot.

A great show. Derren was on particularly great cheeky form.

Smiffy says:

Why do all Ghost Hunts have to be at night?? surely its because the darkess fuels a persons umagination? if there was real paranormal activity then they would haunt in the day too

Bennett Wolfe says:

A wonderful series. Derren demonstrated real professionalism, and was more open minded than he needed to be (to his credit). The episode about Joe Power infuriated me! He was so aggressive when his readings weren’t going well. Considering how vulnerable his clients are it was excruciating to watch. Plus I wanted him to pull up his jeans.

Great stuff, and way beyond the usual sneering debunking programmes that are all too easily made. X

brian says:

derren i completey beleive and trust in your interperatation of the things you have explored.
i am a man of science ie. i totally eccept darwins theory, my beleif is the bible is a collection of story’s.
i beleive people should be allowed to have their own views/beleifs.
i work in engineering in the uk. i generally mistrust people stories about ghost etc.
i dont beleive something my sister saw years ago as a child was really our late grandfather.
more something more answerable. i once saw something in my house similar to what you had dascribed.
and witnessed something weird with 4 other people that i cannot put in few words. i have reasoned what i saw/witnessed during the day with others inc my mother has some other explanation but can’t find a real reason.
nothing since say 1998

Mark W (@UKCybernaught) says:

I was sad to hear that the man on the program died after it was made. I wonder if the man had temporal lobe epilepsy which sometimes results in feelings of connection between unrelated events and Deja Vu, was there any info on what killed him? Hypoxia and restricted blood flow to the brain can also lead to perception problems,or maybe a unconscious awareness of his health problems motivated his deep held belief in ghosts.

Adam says:

Great Programme , biggest complaint only 3? come on channel 4 get your cheque book out befor sky nab him .

Took some balls doing what you do and all the harder when its someone who belieaves in what their doing and not, out and out trying to make money from it.

Now get back to work and finish this series i want a four five and six.

JayKay says:

Derren, you hold in laugh well. But that slight turn to the camera and the twinkle let us know that you are a cheeky wee imp!

StuartH says:

Great show again and a valuable series. More please.
A quick note regarding the lady with the cats who had the help from Lou at the beginning. Clearly she had plenty of decoration in her house and on her arm to suggest an interest in the occult. It has been my experience that people with such an interest are sensitive to (more easily affected by) anything that has overtones of the unusual. With a vested belief in such matters there is a good chance that there will be some psychological residue, leaving individuals vulnerable to bumps in the night. I’m not without my own stories and don’t exclude myself in having experiences that certainly convinced me at the time, but like the ghost photos demonstrated, I know that you can see what you want in clouds or lurking in shadows.

brian says:

derren over the years i think the people in the uk trust you so much in what you say, you do have that power to absorb beleive in you, and i for one totally accept what you show us. you have proved that you are honest as person and don’t ridicule peoples beleifs, you just accept that they begin to believe them more strongly.
thus giving the public 100% beleive in your views.
i feel that even understanding the power to manipulate view the way you do i still totally accept your reasoning on your findings.
somewhat deep but simple question do you reply to any messages here?.
thats a question and not a contradiction.
you just seem to show that you or your production team can teach us how the human brain can misenterup things.

F says:

Why was that guy using such a poor sounding recording device? or was it something special?
Given that you can buy portable recorders for not much more than £100, shouldn’t he upgrade?

Andy Williams says:

I caught the end of your show tonight and I completely agree with your views on the evidence provided for the existence of ghosts. I have, however, had a paranormal experience myself, alongside a group of others, and have a photograph you may be interested in seeing, which i believe is evidence of paranormal activity. My experience has made me more sceptical of other people\’s experiences, because they can be disproved, but affirmed my belief in the paranormal, because my experience cannot be disproved.

Davey_Stewart says:

Great series! Loved all 3 episodes! Derren always manages to reveal how suggestable human beings can be. He\’s a marvelous man… did he just make me say that???

JohnJoMickybo says:

Don’t look behind you!!! Having watched tonight’s episode with poor old Lou, I joked to my wife that we might, if we looked close enough, find a demonic image in a dozed double glazed window in our conservatory………guess what we did! You’ll forgive me derren but it looks a bit like you! I’d love to let you all see it! Derren you would get a good laugh at this!

Andy W says:

Good show tonight, I enjoyed it and found it interesting.

The strange position that I find myself in is that I am Agnostic, a natural sceptic but have 100% definitely seen a ghost.
It was in a hotel in York in 2006 and a male appeared above me as I laid in bed. He appeared angry and kind of…hard to describe…charged me as if trying to make me jump.
What made it weirder was that I know that I was definitely awake, the room very quickly turned refridgerator cold despite being in the middle of a pretty warm summer (and no air con in the hotel!) and I had a bizarre metallicy taste in the back of my throat during this incident.

Even to this day, my mind wants to deny what I saw but I know it was real.

Bizarre.

brian says:

there is a film called the truman show with jim carey as the main character.
i and a friend have often used this films plot as a reason for why somethings go really bad in life.
my point is ….lets just say we can all be manipulated in beleiving in what someone else wants us to beleive.
the bible, darwins theory of evolution, gravity, the moon landings,etc .
many of us ever try to proove or disproove what we are told, if the news told us tonight that a major celebrity had died tonight fighting a long illness we would instantly beleive that news. not questioning.
my point.
we all generally accept what our tv’s, computers, papers, radio tell us…
when the sun printed “kinnock priminister, last one in britain turn the lights out”
WE BELEIVE MORE WHAT WE SEE WITH OUR EYES OR BRAIN

BaldySlaphead says:

So, the coin dropped by one of Derren’s crew during the EVP… It struck me it might have been deliberately done in case Lou was someone going to try and swap in another recording – say he’d learned his part down pat, and faked responses.

Or is this too cynical?

Ruby says:

watched tonight could see Lou getting frustrated i am a believer in life after death however in all my years & experiances & there have been a few i always try to find the most logical explanation first 9 times out of 10 there will be one, as for Lou\’s spirit picture (mist face) i wasnt sure as i have a picture taken Nov 09 in my home that i just cant find a lodgical explanation for & i have tried i would love Derren to have a look & come up with one as you can clearly see what looks like a ghost child watching my daughter in the mirror as she tried to take a pics on a mobile for her bebo have a look let me know what you think (Ruby Red at facebook) profile pic.Derren if you have time id love to hear what your take on it is.

Freddy says:

After watching the show, although I found it enjoyable to watch, I couldn’t help but think it was unfair in principle. I am not at all religious, and I think it’s easy to say that ‘ghosts’ or other paranormal things don’t ‘exist’

Freddy says:

After watching the show, although I found it enjoyable to watch, I couldn’t help but think it was unfair in principle. I am not at all religious, and I think it’s easy to say that ‘ghosts’ or other paranormal things don’t ‘exist’, but I think in a way, if something is real in someone’s mind then it is real, it exists. If the man in this episode is doing what he thinks is helping to get rid of ‘demons’, and the effect of his work comforts his clients, then he has effectively got rid of the ‘demons’ – whatever the method, if this man has done something that both he and the client believe has been helpful, then why must he be shown as a fool to those who disagree with his methods? When I read that he had died after the filming, I was saddened that perhaps the most significant record of his…

Freddy says:

…focus seemed more like criminals) came across as a little unfair.

Tom says:

“one thing to think about Lou died after filming of a sudden illness, and by not saying what the illness was adds to imagination of other worldy.”

I was saddened by hearing of Lou’s death, though I’d like to know what the cause of death was. Sure, it would be poetic to imagine something supernatural going on, though I would be less surprised to hear that his illness was caused by or aggrevated by depression.

Remember, this guy’s entire life had been invested in this paranormal ‘research’. You take that away from him and you take away an enormous amount of meaning from his life. Should he have been inspired to look at his paranormal ‘evidence’ more critically, and what he found could have caused him a great deal of turmoil.

Or it was mere coincidence. Coincidence is never to be ignored.

Neil says:

Another great episode from Derren, thank you very much!

Have to say my favourite part of last night’s episode was when the pastor claimed to be in possession of a piece of wood from Christ’s cross. I couldn’t stop laughing. The clubbed foot started me off (no offence to anyone with a clubbed foot, but the pastor delivered this line with great comic timing) and is there WERE any slivers of wood remaining from the Cross, what would one be doing in the hands of a loony pastor?

alan says:

Part 2
What if Lou’s recordings were reedited, to place different “ghost responses” against different questions? Would he reinterpret those sounds to create words that made sense in that new context? Or would he stick with those words he initially identified, which would not now make sense? What if his pictures were viewed in different orientations? Would his mind identify “faces” that he had not “seen” before? Because it was searching for clues that were the right way up. Imagine how much the world of humans would alter, if we all examined the validity of our own individual “realities”. For example, would fear of death be ameliorated by familiarity? In which case, where was I before I was alive?

richard bown says:

I have to say how much i loved this series, and I’d love to see more.
Derren made a great point last night on the Ghost Hunting one, about how the persons own beliefs alter how they approach the subject and how data is perceived.

I have seen this before, when I was interested in UFOs – before the x-files ruined it – genuinly interested in finding out more about the phenomena. The biggest problem was that those who believed in aliens went looking for them, rather than looking at the evidence scientifically.

I looked into one for a lady who had seen low lights in the sky, and I concluded it was an Air UK plane practising approaches – I spoke to the captain and ATC who independently confirmed it. However if this same info was given to a ‘true believer’ it came back as alien spacecraft.

aLLY says:

I love the stuff you do. I;ve seen you several times live and think you have taken the world of magic and trickery to a new level…but this new series stinks.

To be honest you come across like Louis Theroux of the spook world, which isn’t a good thing. Standing there incredulous at what is obviously ridiculous. It is easy TV. It is bad TV. Watching for an hour to hear you say ‘we didn’t really find any evidence to suggest that this is true’. No shit sherlock.

If you wanted to do something different then why not a mini series on something art related?

Anyway, you asked for a comment and this is mine. Still think you are fab. Just give the person who suggested this a tiny slap on the bad of the head..

Ally

- The shows have been quite popular and lots of people emailed saying they believe a little less in the paranormal, or that it needs proper investigating. Mind you can’t please everyone all the time can we. – Phillis

Berber Anna says:

Ally, do you think that if we point at the believers and scream that everything they believe to be true is OBVIOUSLY AND BY DEFAULT stupid, ridiculous and untrue, do you think that will make them reconsider?
Personally, if someone did that to my beliefs, I’d go into defensive mode — dig myself in and get angry.

Calmly showing and explaining that there is no evidence to back up said beliefs, on the other hand, might make people think about them. If you don’t want to just preach to the choir, you can’t get too aggressive. Showing people the how and why in a nice manner is a much better way to go about educating them.

Alastair says:

Watched The Ghosthunter. Why aren’t school kids taught the power suggestion has over the credulous? Why aren’t they taught how Rorschach tests work? Why aren’t they taught about placebos? Or schemas? And if they are… why isn’t it packaged so as to help them interpret the natural world?

Why did Lou – no doubt a nice guy and an altruist – fall into thinking he saw ghostly faces and heard ghostly voices? Didn’t the ghosts’ victims realise they needed psychiatric help, not a modern-day shaman?

Must have been hard for Derren to endure the self-defence mechanisms Lou’s rational mind threw up to stop him accepting he’d been thoroughly duped by himself.

Respect to you Derren … but get this stuff into the school curriculum and I’ll be even more impressed!

Love the show !
x

Jess xxx says:

…animals always seem to have some kind of ‘sixth sense’.)

Anyway, fantastic job on the series, Derren, and a great deal of sympathy for poor Lou’s family.

Kat says:

Loved the series, with the final episode being the most saddening for me, I just wanted to reach out to poor Lou especially when he started effing and blinding towards the end, the man needs therapy. Well done Derren and all the team, although the comical music during the ghostbusting ep was a bit naughty. Who knew Derren was allergic to cats?!?

Rory says:

I enjoyed the shows but feel that each claim was disappointing. Good ol’ Joe was at first very convincing, until the ending when I rofled at the street thing. As Derren said in the Richard Dawkins interview, it was “disappointingly transparent.”

I thought that the Bronnokov thing was a laughing stock. I was very disappointed with the sheer lack of evidence for it. I’m amazed that people subscribe to it. They may as well be claiming that they can promise immortality.

I do think Derren did the right thing to back away from the self deluded Lou. Clearly Bronnokov and Joe Power know deep down that what they are doing isn’t 100% honest, even if they do partially believe the ideas.

On fine form as always Derren. Charismatic and charming, if a little sneezy with the cats. More please! x

shauna says:

just watched Jo brown and i have to say the man comes across as a narcassitic sociapath. He seems to not empathise with his first client we seen him with (apologising for her emotion) was quite flippant about the \’don\’t think about the affair\’ comment, and really doesn\’t think twice about bringing up clearly sensitive issues with people over and over again . why is it, through human history, we have listened to deluded self prophets and continue to do so?

Ruby says:

i have a picture taken Nov 09 in my home that i just cant find a lodgical explanation for & i have tried i would love Derren to have a look & come up with one as you can clearly see what looks like a ghost child watching my daughter in the mirror as she tried to take a pics on a mobile for her bebo have a look let me know what you think (Ruby Red at facebook) profile pic.Derren if you have time id love to hear what your take on it is.
I created the facebook page to let as many people see the pic it totaly freaked my daughter out when she loaded the pics in to her bebo and saw this childs transparent face staring back in the mirror & so clear you can see all the facial features

Ed Critchley says:

Good shows Derren, but all felt like you were determined to disprove whatever was thrown at you, due to your immense feeling of being let down at losing your faith after being a happy clappy Christian as a teen (yes I have read your book). You now fee compelled to knock down other peoples’ beliefs, and this was proven by picking an idiot like Joe Power in your first program. There are far more credible mediums, this guy comes from a family of criminals, and was serially beaten at school, and once punched a woman on a bus who wouldn’t stand up.
I could give you 3 more credible people to investigate and you wouldn’t come to the same conclusions after spending time with them. Exorcism can cause poltergeist activity, this has been witnessed and is 100% real.
Shame for Lou.

Danutz says:

A very good series Derren,there was something about this the 3rd episode that made the situation seem more genuine. Maybe it was he was ‘apparently’ not in it it for profit (although 5 minutes with google and these claims could be questioned). Maybe it was the whole Atheist Vs Creationist subtext.

For those who wish to know Lou died of cancer in June 2009, the information from those close to him is different from what was stated at the end of the show though. Apparently he had forced the Cancer into remission ‘several’ times after a long battle, only to lose last June. He did appear older than his 40 years, and the look he had in is eyes when Derren told him he didn’t believe the taped voices looked like a man whose dying wish of acceptance had been refused.

RIP Lou you seemed a good man

MikeBridges88 says:

when the priest gets out the ‘piece of the cross’, didn’t you want to shout “IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM” then crack a whip?

Mike LeGassick says:

Like all Derren’s work, both my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed his latest series. Watching him challenge and disprove their theories was fantastic. Like Derren, I am a skeptic and have wanted him to do a series like this for some time. Those poor innocent misguided fools had obviously not done any homework or research on Derren’s vast experience and skill sets in these areas. I very much look forward to all of his work. It has been great discussing this series with my friends. Like many people, some of them believe that some of us can talk to the dead. This was my favourite episode. After reading Ian Rowland’s brilliant book on cold reading (highly recommended) I have successfully carried out some basic cold reading on some of my friends getting many ‘hits’. Continued success, Mike.

Ruby says:

the pic is the profile pic on facebook for Ruby Red has teal wall showing top of large pine mirror click on profile pick to enlarge u will see face as well as my daughter trying to take the pic on the mobile.

bara says:

Please do more ‘Investigates’!

Yasemin says:

the last ghosthunter episode was AMAZING. i am speechless. i was one of them fools who always believed the existance of ghosts. BUT is still believe in energy cycles in our surroundings, buildings.. our feelings and actions create energies and they affect us, make us feel weary sometimes.what if you were locked up in a gas chamber not knowing it is a gas chamber and you were forced to spend a day there? thinking about how many people that have died in there… it is not the people that would affect you. it would be the magnitude of the pain and thus the energy of that pain which would be permenantly nailed to that place. not the souls. not the ghosts.
my view at least. nobody has to believe, but yes you would definitely feel dodgy spending the night somewhere quite disturbing!
yasemin

Berber Anna says:

Yasemin: I used to believe that, and it IS true that electromagnetic fields can cause uncomfortable feelings. But I no longer think that our brains, with their tiny electric currents, can actually create those fields.

In your gas chamber example, even if you don’t know what happened there, you’d be locked up in a fairly threatening environment (enclosed, concrete all around you, scrawling on the walls), which would be frightening all in itself.
We are essentially a prey species that has evolved an easily triggered fear response (which is a good idea if you don’t want to be eaten by something large with big teeth). If we can’t escape an unfamiliar environment, our instincts tell us that there’s probably some imminent danger.

Why do ghosts come out at night? Because predators do. Instinct.

Berber Anna says:

Ruby, I just scrolled through 5 pages of people named Ruby Red on facebook (the profile name rubyred has a picture of two teenagers on it, no ghosts in sight). A link might come in handy, as I’m not planning to scroll through the next 20 pages of Ruby Reds.

Picto says:

Just catched up with last episode and derren done a great job with these 3 investigates. I believe in ghosts but maybe i what to believe in them i don’t no. I think there lots of reported events that have happen but still no big proof. Maybe we all don’t what leave earth when we die so believing in life after death is comfort thing.

Milos Jordanov says:

After watching all 3 episodes of the series I must say that I changed my mind about the meaning of the series and I think overall its rather good. First episode solved nothing. Bereaved will sadly continue to give their money and open themselves intimatly to fake mediums who are really challenging dignity of those poor souls and taking their money. People of science and reason kinda already knew about the technique of the scam. Second show, however can stop the scam program which seems to be harmless but on the long run giving people fake hope is very negative. Ironicly I think blind people will see through the that scam,Third show was really hearttouching. The guy really believed in what he was doing, he didnt profit or exploit anyone and I’m really glad Derren was kind to him.Derren ftw

CamillaK says:

I noticed Joe going to the toilet before each reading aswell. Especially when he realised Derren had met that lady before he was very determined that he had to go to her toilet before her reading. You can learn alot about peoples lives from there house. He could of atleast tried to hide his tactics. Awesome series, shame theres not some more episodes, probably my favourite series with Trick or Treat. Top marks for holding back the laughs Derren. Your awesome!!!!

P.S Had a lecture on your lottery show, unsure thats how you really did it haha can’t have everyone winning now can we.

Rachael Alderson says:

To quote Phil “Hi Derren I had a near death experience when I was ten so I know that there is an afterlife. I am now 53 and can still remember meeting my grandmother who had died before I was born,but reconized her by photos I saw later….” Phil I will check out your website goodcircles as I myself have had an out of body experience… I have to say it was NOT pleasant. I was thirteen .. now 31 and remember it clear as day, I have also had premonitions and a very very clear dream of the Paddington rail disaster amongst others. I have had pictures coming off walls synchronised with my dreams and my parents told me at the time I did it on purpose when I didn’t. I could go on and on… and my siblings experienced certain phenomena similar at around the same time…..

Rachael Alderson says:

Oh btw doing the palm reading in the pub was interesting for me one day. I read a bit about it and well had a few drinks.. got bored.com and decided I would read peoples palms. People are so gullible and gave me so much information which I just elaborated on .. I found it rather interesting entertainment and couldn’t believe how just by touching someone’s palms etc I could extract so much info and get people to ‘believe’ my predictions were true. One friend of mine is still convinced I read her palm to this day. Its 11 years later roughly. I just laugh each time. I feel sorry for Lou though, he was so convinced and really wanted to believe in the afterlife.Maybe I will do an EVP tonight but connect to him through the power of thought. If he is that spirit in the sky. We will see………..

unmevsworld says:

Just wanted to put in my two cents. These shows were lovely. As with other people, I was very impressed at how Derren conducted himself. His calmness and tact was a marvel. That’s what has made this series better than others of it’s kind. I do hope you do some more of these. There are some good suggestions in other comments…the angel lady, a shaman. I would like to see a naturopathic doctor. I have a friend who believes she allergic to stuff dissolved in little bottles of water she holds on her hand (using applied kinesiology, I think). She also does the blood type diet. As a former Christian, I would like to see intercessory prayer investigated. I read a book by Dutch Sheets once who was very convinced about it. Perhaps you could look at him. I’m also curious about what the heck actually is taught in seminary.

Simon S says:

Hi Derren !

Let me just start by saying I am a huge fan of yours, and have seen most of your work! You are absolute brilliant.
BUT, when you extracted the truth from Joe “The man who talks with the dead” in Investigations. WHY OH WHY did you not point out he was lying at the last part of the show?! It was so obvious, and your fans deserved to see you rock that fake ass!

His voice went up high, he repeated your questions and generally was an open book. It would have been alot cooler ending to the show, if you explained that these factors are typical signs of direct intentional lies!

Anyhoot, thumbs up brown eyes – looking forward to see your upcomming work!

Sincerely
Simon

Simon S says:

Hi Anna

Oh well that one is right, we would not have liked that to have happened : ) Though , he could have explained it in the ending of the show. Mabye as a “gift” for us, to tell whom are often lying – like politicians though most of them are trained in this sort of behaviour ( ;

Cheers

Simon S says:

Ashlee:
Mabye in you next life you will come to see things as they are, peace on you way through this life though.

Sincerely

Gareth Naylor says:

Excellent idea for Derren to use his talents to investigate unusual psychic claims. I wondered why Derren didn’t investigate telepathic ability. Could it be he’d risk revealing his own genuine ability? The series didn’t quite work for me because it was obvious from the first moments of each show that the subjects were either charlatans or just misguided. I’m hopeful that Derren won’t give up on the investigation theme and he’ll be brave enough to look at people who claim telepathic and telekinetic abilities. If there’s new science to be revealed then that’s where he’s going to find it. A genuine telepath would be invaluable to police investigators although I admit life expectancy may be quite short.

Gareth

Richard says:

Really angry!!! that i missed the other two episodes. How can I watch them espeacially the Ghost hunter episode.

Dan says:

Hi Derren,

I really loved this series and especially the psychic episode.

I have a few questions about the hollyoaks reading you performed…
How did you know about Mauritius? Was this a good guess too?

Also “Psychic Sally” seems to get direct hits all the time?? Is this because it is edited in a way that makes it look like this?

Laura Wilson says:

I love all of Derren’s shows and I am really interested in the the Derren Investigates series, but I can’t find ‘The Man with the X-Ray Eyes’ to watch anywhere. Is there any reason it is not on 4OD and is there anywhere else I can see it i.e. DVD releases?

Many thanks

Laura.

Leah says:

This was such a good and really interesting series. I especially enjoyed ‘The Man Who Contacts The Dead’. Joe Power, who just ‘nipped to the toilet’, of course you weren’t looking at photos! And of course at the end we found out that his sister was his next door neigh bough was the icing on the cake, it was hilarious! And the revelation that he saw the ladies mini. I am not criticising the people with these beliefs, but I feel sorry for them being so easily manipulative. Well done Derren, I absolutely love all of your shows and what you do! Your awesome, and your family guy impression just cracked me up!