The Men with X-Ray Eyes
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Monday 17th May, 10pm, Channel 4
Derren Brown travels to Holland with Judy Dunk, a British lady who has been blind since 1995. Both Derren and Judy are intrigued by the claims made by Vyacheslav Bronnikov, founder of the Bronnikov method, a psychic programme that has its eyes set on world domination. Critics say it is fakery but practioners say it is an extraordinary psychic method which enables you to see without using your eyes.
Vyacheslav Bronnikov believes that he can create a new super man and everyone can benefit from this system. They believe they can teach the blind to see, even those without eyes.
Few claims come as large as this one so Derren goes on a journey to investigate the truth behind the method…
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That sounds great!
Really enjoyed the medium one too
loved ur docu last night! that so called psychic didnt have a clue and u proved it! Spot on Mr Derren X
I’m going to out on a limb here and predict that this Bronnikov method is complete tosh!
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.
Judy Dunk? I read that as You Debunk
Hey guy’s, Power is on twitter under the name of RealJoePower. Surely that’s an oxymoron!!
This one reminds me of something my philosophy teacher told me. He was at church when a famous ‘faith healer’ was visiting, and a woman came up with her baby, who had sadly been born without eyes. Then, infront of everybody, the guy put his hand over the baby’s face, took it away, and she had eyes. No idea what to make of it myself, because my teacher claims that he clearly saw it happen. Being a Pagan (witch, if you like,) I do believe that ‘miracles’ can sometimes happen, but I think people cause them, not God. However that story was a little too freaky!
world domination, eh? not too ambitious, are they?
Derren you did well not to lamp that obnoxious lying prick. And how much money does this charlatan fob off the grieving before he ‘God Bless and thankyou’s them?
Incidentally how did YOU know about the Hollyoaks poppet’s holiday and pussy preference?
Ah yes, ok don’t answer that.
Holland ? I thought that was Russia. But I remember there was a problem when you travelled to Russia .. so maybe Mohammed came to the mountain then huh? Ehehe … Oh well, I’m sure you had a great time in Amsterdam … red lights have been seen there .. very paranormal .. and people see more stuff around there than anywhere in the world. I’ve been there a few times … I met the Brood man. Pretty paranomal I’d say.
What, Schiphol? You did not get any further than the airport? Didn’t want you in the country?
I’m looking forward to this documentary. I hope the blind woman got something out of it, whatever it may have been. Something positive.
So has Stevie Wonder booked an appointment yet I wonder ?
This message is to Will Chaloner – Why are u talking nonsence? It isnt because he’s from Liverpool, you get loud mouths in every city that man was just an idiot, so don’t bring Liverpool in to it! Why is it typical? Thats very annoying the way you said that it was typical especially when you say your from Liverpool! You obviously don’t have a clue.
Yes, there is a training centre in Holland, Rotterdam. And the international conference of the method was held there I just read. London will follow soon I guess. As a few more cities.
Pretty expensive courses .. the same as with Reiki courses and such. The whole fee concept is really not my kinda thing. It rules out people with lower incomes. They say they don’t but they do. Doing choirs for someone who is a master (what type of courses can be decided about him/herself ….). I know a few who did do Reiki courses. Their way of thinking is not mine. Get your filthy energy out of mine, that’s more my idea about Reiki. It’s not universal energy (well, indirectly, but not the way they claim). But this is about something different and I do look forward to hearing what Brown and Judy think.
Really loved the show with Derren just showing that Joe was fake. I’m really looking forward to this next show i have just You Tubed Vyacheslav Bronnikov and seen how he does the blind reading! FAKE!!!! Youtube him it will be another great Derren Brown show.
may i be the first to say i hope you “see through” him…ho ho ho…
i just read the Bronnikov site – it sounds brilliantly crazy….i imagined his office to be full of those 50s spinning hypno-discs…
Really looking forward to this ep!!
Derren is a lesson to be heard and learned by all.
this is cold reading and making stuff up! notice how the blindfolded guy can see the woman _before_ he puts the blindfold on. If he had truly this power, then why even need to be in the same room as this person, or need to see them beforehand?!
btw, Will, the twitter account RealJoePower is no longer active. Googled it, the tagline says for entertainment purposes only. Maybe he was getting a lot of lawsuits for not actually being a real psychic. Who knows.
Wow, coolness. The power of self-belief. Just a pity that most of the comments are coming from people who have chosen to believe they are obnoxious ass-hat’s, but I guess that’s just the consequence of ignorance. Anyway, looking forward to watching.
P.S, for all those who are not in the UK; where there is a will, there is a way. I’m in New Zealand and managed to watch the first one less that 12 hours after it was broadcast. Open your imagination. And google helps.
you know, if this was real, we would undoubtedly have heard of it before…
in any case, I’m sure the show will be wonderfully informative and entertaining.
He’s obviously wired up wrong…
I’m really looking forward to this….world domination using just a blindfold that’s a bit ‘Iffy’ lol
Really looking forward to tomorow nights programme. It will be interesting to see how he explains just how he can make blind people see. x
Interesting clip. I despise the way the sitter gets ‘blamed’ for their lack of knowledge, ‘We can discuss anatomy another time’. Explain what you mean man!
Joe Power did the same with his ‘ go away and think about what I’ve just told you’ attitude.
Looks very interesting. I loved the last episode. I guess it must have made Derren feel uneasy at times, doing something sneaky and cheeky behind someone else’s back.
I never stop to be amazed about the extraordinary claims some people put down, truly being unaware they use subconscious cold reading techniques. Or standard lines from palmistry books and can make a very good living from them.
We as entertainers take the effort to go to Ian Rowland’s masterclass to really get our nails behind the subtelties and nitty gritty and they don’t and some of them make a killing living in their delusion.
Loved the psychic one. In fact many years ago I visited a psychic and she did a similar trick on me about the car. I drove to her house for my reading and she said. ‘I’m getting this from the spirit world that you drive a red car…’ I had pulled up down her cul de sac road only 10 mins prior in my red car.
However she did say something rather interesting about the car – she mentioned that I would have problems with the front driver side wheel. And about 6 months later I had to get the front brake disks replaced and new pads because of a problem with the driver side disk. Coincidence or sabotage?
oooooooooooooooo this looks Juicy !!!
Yep I agree about Liverpool tbh, such lovely waml welcomin ppl =)
On a side note, well done Chelsea for London and the South !
Ha Ha Ha Ha…..and relax =D
I can’t help but chuckle seeing Derren taking this guy so seriously. It’s a superpower to be able to keep a straight face in such a situation.
Joe Power is going to the venue I work at- not sure how I should greet him! Also another well know “psychic” is comming to the venue and the management has booked a selection of seats all over the auditorium for “guests” – normally managers book guest seats all together not scattered about- suspect me thinks!
@crae : The power of self belief is so strong that they are living in a completed different reality and usually their ulterior motive is to make money in a very dishonest way. They are obnoxious ass-hat’s. I really couldn’t tolerate being in the same room as these people. I can barely watch Derren’s show wihout cringing and am somewhat surprised seeing so many suckers fall for it.
“You can be open minded, but make sure your brain doesnt fall out.”
“YIST”…OK, now my internal computer is turned on and I can comment…
I hope the show has the blind American man who was on a previous The Events episode and who uses echolocation as an “alternative form of seeing”. It would be a good contrast to this guy. That said, I’ll give this guy credit for giving very specific (verifyable) predictions, unlike most of the scams. He may actually believe what he is doing. Guess I’ll have to watch the show to find out, which, being in Canada, means I have to download it illegally.
Yist…
Chris
I wonder how it feels when you use their techique. Whether you are seeing it inside of yourself or more as if in someone else (as if you’re really travelling toward the other. Maybe a combination, and it might not feel the same for all people). Is it really different than what someone who calls him/herself a psychic does ’sense’ about someone else’s health?
I think it’s not all a new technique .. there are lots of theories/methods which use a similar system, although surrounded with different thoughts/visions/ideas.
I myself do have some experience with going inside of my own body and check certain parts via another brain structure/system/self .. I could not keep it up longer than a few secs but experienced something in there which made me wonder .. if some1 could keep it up ..
Loved the debunking on the first episode, at no time was it directly said that there are any lies, all arguments were left for the viewer to make decisions. If all documentaries were so fair in it’s nature people would stop arguing that the program was “one sided”.
Derren listed facts and you were left to make decisions. Well Done Derren
If only it were all that simple… A quick ‘psychic scan’ and we’re diagnosed… Maybe nano technology will come up trumps in the future, but I doubt that a supercilious Russian is up to that task right now…
Let me guess??? Another exposed to be not exactly what they say?? Really enjoyed psychic episode. No doubt there are some people willing to take good money for old flannel. How does he keep a straight face?
All you need is a blindfold for world domination! Gezzzzzzzzzz I guess I can stop making my suit then. (Yes, latex, cape, optional coloured wellies.) Looking forward to this one, loved last week’s. He he
Really looking forward to tonights show, and by the trailer and what i have seen on youtube of this guy he is total Conman. If you look at his blindfold there is big gaps at his nose.
Going by this method, could I put on a mask, shout shush, break wind and fly through the ash cloud over the UK?
I think the Bronnikov thing is a case of the emperor’s new clothes. People are so desperate to believe in something that they delude themselves about their experiences. Also I think that when they are amongst other people who all seem to be getting it, experiencing what they are expecting to, then they are likely to claim to share that same experience, so as not to be the odd one out. It’s just sad that people are being taken advantage of.
What was in the box??????? That’s going to bug me for ages!
Well now – when this started I wasn’t nearly as angry about their method as I was about Joe Power last week- mostly it just seemed like a total joke and I found myself sort of judging the people who were buying into it… on reflection, looking at the young man in the wheelchair and thinking of other possible stories of the people in that room, again this is preying on people’s desperation, another bunch of con artists – completely shameful what they are getting away with, shouldn’t there be legislation to protect people from this kind of fakery?
Oh, also – what was in the box?
Hi Derren,
Just to say, please please don’t be offended because I really am a huge huge fan, I think you’re absolutely amazing and have loved all your shows – extra specially the live Enigma show that I saw earlier this year:) But…I don’t really understand the programmes that you’re doing. Why didn’t you do the research on the place on tonight’s show before you went (like when you phoned the scientist to see what he thought of Robbiknok and if there were any known blind people to have benefitted from it)? It’s almost like you’ve chosen people who were doomed from the beginning, it was clearly a scam this week and last week! Maybe there just is no such thing as miracles, mediums etc and that’s why you can’t find any believeable ones to put in your programmes. But maybe by…
Goodness me Derren. HOW you kept your cool during that last interview i dont know. You obviously cut out the part where you knocked him out. It makes me frustrated how they can charge that much money and insult people like that, the method to me, seems like a complete load of rubbish. Refusing to look ‘inside’ the box did make me chuckle, what was in there? Thanks again Derren for a great show, Looking forward to the next. x
I think this was easily worse than what Joe was doing last week. I mean this was on a MASSIVE scale, conning people out of thousands of pounds, and preying on vulnerable people who are just hoping for some kind of cure. I don’t know how you kept your temper with the guy at the end, Derren. Was not impressed when they called the poor kid with cerebral palsy ‘lazy’ either. Ridiculous.
…using subjects who are slightly more believeable might have been better. Having said all that I have enjoyed watching both of them, and I though you were very gentlemanly last week when that man was shouting at you (and this week actually!) and I think you’ve dealt with everyone fairly and open-mindedly:) You’re still my favourite… magician/psychologist/wizard!! xxx
Thought provoking funny and sometimes very disturbing programme. You must keep making these ‘investigative’ programmes Derren and I just want you to know that “I’m not playing anything with you” was the funniest thing I have ever head anyone say to ‘Derren Brown’ while keeping a straight face. My heart goes out to those poor people whose son is in a wheelchair and clearly very sick. Well done you for facing that ‘monster’ and keeping your cool at the end.
Wow… that was one of the most disgraceful examples of profitting from desperation that I have seen in a long time.
During the final ad-break, my partner & I took guesses at what excuses he would use for not answering Derren’s questions (“you don’t understand/believe”, “I don’t have to prove to you”, etc). I think we scored five out of five. My favourite response had to be criticising Derren for his English lack of knowledge! We could all learn some great insults from this man!
Thank you Derren for bringing another shame to our attention.
Is it too jaded of me to assume that they will all turn out this way?!
My only worry is that some poor idiots will watch this and somehow think it sounds like a good idea…
…I’m still fuming about what he said to the kid with Cerebral Palsy.
Amazing show by Derren! Absolutely love it! He made me think twice that I should not believe in any tarot reader, health miracle, Psychic reader and so on. I realised it is all trick and illusion by people who just only talk out of the mouth!
Well done Derren!
Another fraud unmasked.
Bronikof is one of the most self-deluded, passive aggressive charlatans I’ve ever seen. His claim that he was conscious before he was born had me choking on my poppadom.
What a git!
On a separate note, I’d love to see you do an investigation into reiki and the power of Qi.
I think an episode where we might get to see you interacting with people who are genuinely pursuing spiritual development would be inspiring.
Derren,
Seems like Bronnikov has taken a few leaves out of various teachings from martial arts and philosophy from the far east and threaded them together into a disjointed mess.
The way that everyone was accused of lacking something, especially the young lad, was just downright nasty.
Again, a predator of the vulnerable making money from the ones hoping for a miracle cure.
He will go down very well in the states ( well some of them at least! )
The Ukraine and (former) USSR have quite a lot of chaps who claim this type of ability ( must be the close proximity of a famous nuclear power station – hence X-ray vision ). Maybe they are trying to defect…sorry detect something psychically.
Looking forward to the next show!
Chris
Those people are a disgrace. I have alot of repsect for media who raise awarness of these scams. So thanks Derren! However, I strongley feel that it should go further then this. This company should be shut down. To be selling people false hope like this you should be forced by law to be able to PROVE your claims. Giving a 16 your old with cerebral palsy false hope that he can walk again and even telling him that if he can’t it will only be through his own laziness and incompetence should not be legal. Why is it that we accept these scams and nothing is done to put a stop to those running them?
Was the box empty, except for its contents? I used my special x-ray vision from my groinal region. Tell me I’m wrong…go on!!
Derren Brown “Men with X Ray Eyes” Bronnikov claiming to “help the blind see”. Derren was justified to prove this a sham & fraud exploiting the vulnerable. But I’m disappointed he didn’t investigate genuine sensory abilities experienced by blind and other sensory loss people. it’s easy to dismiss and disprove “fakes” exploring remarkable but less astounding sensory achievements would be more apt for a psychologist.
really good well done what a farce!
well done what a farce !
well done what a farce it was !
what a farce well done you are great!
well done !
Awesome show. The guy was clearly not impressed when he was asked to view what was in the box. His tone and mood changed. They always avoid any skepticism and become confrontational. Derren had once again proved that certain people should just not be trusted.
This is an excellent series but I am also finding it disturbing. As a medical professional I was particularly uncomfortable watching their claims and \’diagnostics\’. I really don\’t know how they sleep at night. The last programme on talking to the dead was interesting as it is, I think, more difficult to pin down if the claims are fraudulant. (Although I believe them to be.) This organisation surely can be proved wrong – it was no suprise to me that he refused to \’see\’ what was in the box. Quite simply, he couldn\’t do it. If he could then he would have – We all know that!
Mr Bronnikov is a bully. He is the very worst sort of bully, exploiting the desperation of vulnerable people, who are so desperate to improve their situations that they are willing to buy into his fantasy.
I was particularly disgusted by Bronnikov’s treatment of Tom, the wheelchair bound young gentleman, whose desperation was palpable. When Bronnikov suggested that his physical condition could, to some degree, be accounted for psychologically, the young man grasped at this straw of hope, eyes glistening with gratitude, which I found difficult to watch. Bronnikov told Tom that if he learned not to suppress his aggression, he could walk.
I felt terribly angry for Tom and his fellow participants and would have liked to show Mr Bronnikov some aggression of my own. Absolutely sickening.
We must know what was in the box at the end of the show?
WHAT WAS IN THE BOX?
Kindest regards,
Barrie
Superficially Vladimir appears a charlatan, a fraud, a crook. Since if he believed what he was claiming, he would at least take part in a test. Even if subsequently resorting to denial, concerning the outcome. He did not seem to appreciate what he was attempting to explain. Or possibly, he was ineffectual in devising a means of explaining it. Consider the fact that our brains are sealed inside bone enclosures. Therefore, what we “see” is no more real than the image on a television screen. It could be generated by input from our audio sensors, as bats do. Visually, if what we experience was actual reality, there could be no colour blindness nor optical illusions. This internal rendition we create can be shown to be a facsimile. The problem is, most embrace this simulation as the real thing.
I know you benefit from the money Ch 4 pays you for making a watchable show, but I’d like to thank you for using your knowledge to expose another lying conscienceless nasty person.
I couldn’t believe how low the guy was stooping in claiming it was lazyness that stopped the cerebral palsy sufferer from walking. The whole course was absolute bollox.
I guess you illustrated how gullible humans are and how peer pressure can be capitalised on in group training situations..
The groundless insults the ‘level 6′ guy threw at you in response to your reasonable comments and questions perfectly illustrated what sort of nasty people capitalise on others’ desperation and logic free aspirations.
Good work, well done on keeping your cool.
Well done Derren for uncovering another charltan. Really enjoy these documentaries. Bronnikov seems to graze his way through Europe – US of A will be next…Something fundamentally wrong that people can take advantage of people who are desparate for help. When the boy turns 25 and still cannot walk who will pick up the pieces then? Bronnikov certainly won’t. But then – we are not scientific. Brilliant Derren how you manage to keep your cool in the face of these self-deluded, rude and obnoxious individuals.
I was absolutely gutted to see the teenager Tom, being given targets that are pretty much unattainable for him. I am worried that this bumch of shysters will end up damaging his morale far more, with their stupid techniques.
Bronnikov is a slippery customer, I really hope that he doesn’t end up running courses in the UK.
I’m impressed that Derren manages to keep such as straight face when dealing with people like Bronnikov and Joe ‘must dash to the loo and poke around your house for clues before doing your reading!’ Power.
Great shows!
As a photography graduate, I know there is absolutely no way anyone can see without eyes. Light bounces off subjects, revealing shape texture, size, colour and distance, but only if there is a lens to focus the images into sharpness. Otherwise it is an absolute blur.
Try holding a pice of paper up opposite a window. Does it show an image of what is in front? No. Same with our skin.
Furthermore, receptors need to be able to take the focused image for it to be ‘seen’. E.G. optic nerves, light sensitive film, or a digital sensor.
It might be possible for your skin to feel lightness or darkness through existence or absence of warmth, but to be able to see images without eyes would be impossible.
what was all thet flashing about, look at somthing, put a blindfold on and say what it is. stupidness. he prays on people who are desparate like the cerebral palsy guy, he had no other option but to belive, a cure for and incurable disease, and the bloke bronnikav blamed him and his parents. it makes me sick, sat there with his smart suit, its all about confidence and trickey, getting people to belive ‘theres a man in russia with no eyes, he can ‘see’ better than you’ no evidence or anything just words, but desparate people will belive this cas they got nothing else,
oh well im, ment to be in a lesson but i dont know which one,
welll done derren, if they come to britain i have every faith that you wilkl protect us. thnx
Another excellent program debunking paranormal claims, Derren. Putting the box on the table in front of Vyacheslav Bronnikov and asking him to prove his so called psychic method by saying what was inside it was such a beautifully simple test to cut through all his BS claims. Watching him squirm and say “you are not a qualified scientist to test me” was pure bluster. You don’t have to be a scientist to employ the scientific method or do a simple blinded test (no pun intended). Emily Rosa, aged 11, for her school science project devised a blinded test to test therapeutic touch therapy and had her research published in the Journal of the Amercian Medical Association, even though she has no academic qualifications (yet).
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapeutic_touch
P.S. Derren, never reveal what was in the box. If you do, Vyacheslav Bronnikov might try to claim he knew but didn’t want to say.
P.P.S. Lucky horse shoe?
I found it all very funny! Had a feeling that there were one or two books in the box – would love to know if that’s correct!
How can the man sit there and claim that the person with cerebral palsys have 55% cellular, watnot and social abilities? Up until that point I sat laughing. But a person with Cerebral Palsys might have ways to live with that difficult disease that makes their life rich and full of love – their life quality is not necessarily at the same level as Bornikovs imagined “cellular level of 55%”.
Bullshit.
OK if they fool rich people with nothing to loose who wanna spend money and time on crap – Like Derren. Soon they’ll be accepting cancer patients at their school of life.
Ah, what was in the box … something from metal .. something shiney ..
No, couldn’t see the documentary .. it’s not being aired here, but as people all go on and on about the box …. I thought .. let me be fierce .. let me put my piercing eyes into that box …
Come on .. simply think outside the box …
Now then .. we on the other hand will try to guess what was exactly in this documentary (the clip is not enough ofcourse, though makes me want to see it ..
I thought it was both fascinating and upsetting. My main point of concern about the whole ” con ” being that he can target someone like the kid with CP and his family and sell them his product on a lie. If he can keep them interested, they are going to waste thousands in the next several years believing that it’ll be alright by the time he’s 25.
Misdirection and lies, even in his answers to Derren. According to his techniques, Bronnikov should have been able to pass the box test easily.
The look on the assistants faces as they rubbed their hands and waved them around in the air as the group followed – they can’t believe their luck.
Sad.
I’ve been a big fan of Derrens for while now and seeing him use his knowledge to debunk people like the psychic and Bronnikov is brilliant because worryingly both of these men are preying on the desperate like leeches sucking blood and deserve to be uncovered as the frauds that they are.
Keep it up Derren because i don’t think 3 programs is going to cover the vast amount of fraudsters , conmen and snakeoil sales men that are out there.
Another wonderful programme. I find the whole Bronnikov method disgusting & distasteful in the extreme. And Derren, to show calm restraint is a much more powerful weapon against these people than going in with all guns blazing. Such an admirable trait…..but probably very hard to do!
LC x
Well done Derren ..luvd it as usual!. How did Patrick know the contents of the box, he wont tell…annoying guy!
I must have accidentally mastered the technique without trying as I could see right through Bronnikov!
Another theory discredited, unfortunately there are a lot of people grasping at anything that might give them hope. And these people know just how to manipulate them and take there money .
Perhaps the bronnikov method could be used to sense the energy fields around Joe Power during his psychic readings….
this asshole is a fraud!! good on you derren for being as objective as you could be without wanting to assault this ‘man’. bronnikov needs to be internationally denounced as a fraud, and soon!! what he said about the UK was totally ridiculous. with the skills and talents you have derren you could very easily have proven him wrong on screen, which i suppose isnt necessary as this ‘superman’ refused to participate in the most simple of scientific experiments, to look through a box. fraud!! cheat!! scum!! arsehole.
As one who has suffered from bad health (from, as it turns out, an incurable condition which I will have for the rest of my life) the show actually made me really angry. Over the years I have been told by ‘helpful’ people that I’d get better if I just ‘pushed myself more’ and ‘wanted it more’. To watch that poor boy with cerebral palsy being told that he was lazy, being promised that he’d walk by 25 and paying god knows how many Euros for the pleasure of being lied to, I just wanted to reach inside the screen and throttle that wretched little con artist. I know what it’s like to be SO desperate that you cling to ANY chance (I even went to a faith healer once.. yeah I KNOW ) so I don’t blame them for bringing their son to the centre. I DO blame Bronnikov for peddling false hope. Just Vile.
Derren You are truly awesome.
Derren you are awesome. Thanks.
Am still furious after watching this last night. Well done to Derren, how on earth he sat there so politely and seemingly interested during all that rubbish with the “energy balls” and stuff I don’t know. Four days of it, was there?? Good lord. That man is a horrible, nasty charlatan and I feel so sorry for the poor lad with cerebral palsy, I do hope that he and his parents see what a load of nonsense it is and spend their money on something useful instead.
I love Derren’s investigative pieces. Although, to be honest, you woulnd’t need Derren’s powers and abilities to realise this was a load of nonsense! Even they didn’t seem to be able to do it. I will not tell you what is in the box – heaven forbid you should prove to the world that your technique actually works!
I’m loving the series so far. Derren is being very fair. He’s not trying to prove these people wrong, he’s genuinely trying to find out if paranormal things exist.
So far its not looking hopeful for the paranormal people, but its great TV. =]
Hate to say it, but these investigations are basically shooting fish in a barrel.
People don’t “talk to the dead”.
People without eyes don’t see.
There are no ghosts.
People can’t bend spoons with mental powers.
The unpalatable truth is that when we die, we die, much though we would like to believe differently.
I understand WHY Derren does these investigations, but the sad truth is that there will always be gullible people who will get ripped off by such people as Bronnikov and his ilk, peddling false hopes, and ludicrous, empty promises.
James Randi has been debunking claims of “magic” for years, exposing charlatans like Uri Geller , and STILL people believe that these “powers” exist.
The old saying about “fools and their money, are easily parted” rings a true as ever.
PS:- can’t see why anybody is interested as to “What was in the box”. The point is simply that Bronnikov couldn’t “see” what was in it. Could have been empty, as far as I know.
But that complete fraud simply can’t do what he claims to be able to do.
End of story
Timbo: We want to know because we’re curious, and because Derren tweeted that there’d be a prize for guessing it.
And there’s always the hope that said ‘gullible’ people see these documentaries and start to think BEFORE they’re ripped off by these vultures. They’re not fools, as the documentaries show. They’re desperate people grasping at straws, or people in pain who want to feel better. They deserve to be protected.
You should take a look at jujitsu meditation, they meditate in the dark and have the ability to “feel” the light waves to have a sort of pseudo blind sense. I wonder if the Bonnikov method is somewhat similar to this
both powers and bonnikov have been exposed before…i have really enjoyed both shows, but i do think better people could have been picked…there’s some great footage on youtube of a dutch show visiting bonnikov, and they hand one person these huge white ski-goggles with tape around them…she puts them, and suddenly her powers leave her…funny that…
Brilliant show, Derren. The ‘Mediums’ one was the most interesting as it’s already wide spread in the UK and so we could relate better. It was also more your field, which made the show flow seamlessly. The ‘Bronnikov’ was interesting as a documentary, but as pointed out before, no one seemed to know what was going on there – even the people ‘running the show’, to use the pun. The web site is humorous too, claiming, “The method has undergone large number of examinations and scientific validation and is considered as an established scientific practice.” I’m sure that’s almost libellous.
I think that in the box there was either: a teddy bear, some glasses, a blind fold or a note. I am verging with the ‘note’ at the moment.
Further, I could be very interested to see if you cover anything relating to alternative medical therapies, especially Homeopathy, since it’s so widespread and some is even funded by the NHS – despite having no tangible evidence in support. It reminds me of the phrase, “If an alternative therapy is scientifically tested and found to provide tangible benefits then it is no longer considered alternative, but is considered, quite simply, therapy. So called ‘alternative’ therapy either hasn’t been tested, or has failed those tests’.
P.S. Wasn’t it ironic when the boy with cerebral palsy said, “I’m angry when people do me wrong [are dishonest]‘!
Great… however, there are people who can see accurately using sound, including an American boy with no eyes in (who can skateboard!) and a woman who can ‘see’ frequencies her camera phone converts from images in real time.
what is Derren writing down while the guy is talking? does DB know Russian now? or is making a grocery list?
Derren seemed to be a little bit too reserved this time.The guy really had the nerve to threaten Derren in front of the camera. Ts, ts, ts… bad karma.
Chris N., in the last scene, if I recall correctly, they both had an earpiece in (at least the Russian guy did, and I think Derren did as well), which makes me think there was simultaneous interpretation going on. In that case, Derren is being a good journalist and is making notes to refer back to when formulating new questions.
To quote Ian “Mr Bronnikov is a bully. He is the very worst sort of bully, exploiting the desperation of vulnerable people, who are so desperate to improve their situations that they are willing to buy into his fantasy. I was particularly disgusted by Bronnikov’s treatment of Tom, the wheelchair bound young gentleman, whose desperation was palpable. …” Ian I couldnt agree with you more!! Derren if you ever read these .. thanks for exposing this guy and I hope so much he doesn’t bloody come to England!!! Being a Type 1 diabetic with chances of my mascuvascular muscles being damaged and fearful of becoming blind this theory could easily convince desperate people to ‘believe’ they could be cured. The guy is sick and by God I despised his attitude towards you and the Western society!!
Oliver btw I agree if only that poor guy knew. That sod was doing him wrong and the parents were willing to carry on with hope there was a cure. I am not saying there isn’t a cure btw just that Bronnikov’s version of it doesn’t wash with me!
This episode gnawed on me for days. Again, Derren’s calmness was remarkable. That Derren didn’t laugh out loud some of the time or smack Bronnikov at the end is beyond me. His voice didn’t even show disgust at the end. What a class act, Derren. I was shocked at how rude the leaders were. I was very disturbed about the way the leader talked to the boy in the wheelchair, least of which was his smart remark about him just staying in it if he didn’t want to get angry. That man should be prosecuted for fraud, and this show could be used as evidence against him. I hope that your production company has a contact address for that boy and his family. You could send them a free copy of the show, on the face of it because he was in the show, but with the real motive of showing him what that awful man said at the end—that his method is not for ill people, etc.
Derren may also want to investigate a very similar phenomenon occurring in China: the “Genius Mind Academy” claims to be able to train children to activate their midbrains in a 2-day event called the “Brain Activation Workshop” and in so doing enable the children to do many different kinds of tasks blindfolded. They also make many more claims of creating personal development enhancements for the kids. They do not say very much about training adults though. Here’s their web site; I hope Derren gets these people in his crosshairs soon as they are apparently only doing this with children.
http://www.geniusmindacademy.com.sg/
P.S. when I said “crosshairs” I of course meant “investigative crosshairs” and did not mean to imply any direct violence to these people or this organization.
I watched Derren Brown Investigates ‘The man who contacts the dead’ on 4OD and found it fascinating. It really made me start to think about how many scams are around us and that many of us put our money and our hopes into it. I think that it is good that Derren is choosing certain aspects of physic ability etc to expose and look into. I can’t wait to see ‘The men with the X-Ray eyes’ and I really hope that it will be put on the internet for viewing soon!! But honestly love watching the episodes that he has done of these!! X