Tonight at 10pm on Ch4 – the second episode of Derren Brown Investigates.

Many modern day forms of spiritualism, life skills and self-help systems have taken on ‘pure science’ motif. They claim to have discovered unique techniques, based on scientific methods that deliver actual results, but only when you attend their 6 week course at a special introductory rate.

Scientology focuses on the nature of personal development at the core of it’s spiritual message, NLP claims to give you life tools to help improve yourself or rid yourself of phobias and many new age spiritual gurus like Deepak Chopra will commonly feature their own slant of quantum physics in conjunction with enhanced human capability.

In this show Derren visits Europe where he engages with the Bronnikov Centre, a school that claims it has managed to create a bio-computer you can install programming on, to achieve incredible results. From blindfolded reading to diagnosing illness without the use of any equipment – Derren Brown Investigates.

Derren Brown, the phenomenally popular psychological magician, and star of the Channel 4 shows DERREN BROWN: MIND CONTROL and the recent four-part series, DERREN BROWN: EVENTS, where on the first episode Brown predicted the national lottery numbers, thus securing him 3.1 million viewers, is currently in the midst of the second leg of his ENIGMA tour across the UK. Playing ninety-four dates, Brown’s goal with ENIGMA is to, “Create a theatrical event that shocks, surprises and defies explanation. The audience will be taken for a roller-coaster ride, and I hope it’s an experience that they will never forget.”

Brown recently sat down to discuss the tour as well as his exceedingly busy schedule.

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Derren Brown divides opinion. To some, he is the ultimate modern showman, adapting old fashioned music hall tricks for the digital age. He is one of the few personalities in contemporary broadcasting who creates water-cooler TV – remember the lottery numbers trick? And the Russian roulette? Had us going, didn’t it? To others, though, he is the devil incarnate.

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(This is an abridged extract from Derren Brown’s entry in The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas as it appeared on the Guardian website in December 2009)

Kindness at Christmas is as transparent as a dodgy magician. We should aim for generosity without religions or calendars.

I have at home a box of old teeth. These are arranged by colour upon a wheel: unnaturally white through familiar cream, through the tobacco stains of yellow and brown to the foulest greens and grey that are hard to imagine in the mouth of any living creature. They constitute a dentist’s guide to colour-matching, and accompanying the grisly colour-wheel are some small medical bottles, hoses and other whatnots.

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