Derren Brown – The Secret of Luck: Tonight at 9pm Ch4
Just a little reminder that the final episode in ‘The Experiments’ series airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.
Leave your thoughts on the show in the comments section below, or click here to watch a sneak preview 🙂
The whole way through I was just thinking of Richard Wiseman – The Luck Factor
By being optimistic about our oppertunities we create our own ‘good luck’ for ourselves.
Does anyone have any idea what that piano song is called which is playing at the fireworks show at the end of the programme? It’s well-known piano piece that’s probably been in loads of films and adverts but I can’t seem to find out what it is!
Slight of hand, loaded dice and the help of strategicaly placed stage props (the covered cute, the step ladders/table) all forming the basic shape of a ‘4’, not to mention Derren’s uniquely ingenious methods of convincing people to ‘choose’ for themselves. Often emotional and absolutely amazing from start to finish.
These experiments have honestly changed the way I look at my life and the decisions I make. I would like to thank Derren for opening our eyes to the incredible complexities of the mind and look forward to seeing what unbelieveable stunt he will come out with next.
Your going to think im crackers for saying this… but I think the will of everyone watching had an effect on the outcome lol… i had my figers crossed (superstision again) and was whispering under my breathe 4, 4, 4 please, be a 4
So happy he got it tho, moving story. I find luck a point of view, being shot at is unlucky but not being killed is lucky… being stabbed is unlucky… surving is lucky…
Life can’t always be rational. Sometimes ya gotta let go and live a little.
I think it’s obvious that having Wayne win the money was the best outcome for the show. Whether Derren controlled the outcome or not is almost irrelevant.
Assuming that he DID control the outcome (and it’s a reasonable assumption), I reckon the magnetised die is probably the most likely way he’d do it.
Simply editing the footage later on isn’t really his style – he’s too much of a showman for such a banal solution, and it would discredit the show if people found out (which they almost certainly would).
Knowing that a room full of people will prefer the numbers 3/4 on a die, I bet he slipped in some neuro-linguistic programming to ensure they leaned toward 4.
Let’s not forget – while he often manipulates events, Derren rarely lies on his show. He didn’t say it was a normal dice.
I doubt the dice was loaded, because it had to land on four only at the third roll. So magnetized sounds the most plausible. I suspect Derren always knew what that roll would be, it was a question on manipulating a whole town into making it happen. But it’s really just manipulating probabilities, it could have gone wrong. Sometimes it has, maybe Derren likes the risk of it all going wong.
Well, it certainly proved unlucky for Sally Morgan – her own ego and greed to get her face in front of the cameras is proving her own downfall now. Well done Derren.
Hi darren you are amazon in what you do never know someone to be so good at there job like that other people try it and they are the biggest fakrs going ur not you sre the best
the strange thing is that my husband was born 27 /2/1972 and you are born on 27/2/71 strange he wants to met up with u if you dont mind all the best thanks
steph
Why the scribbles in the pad when Derren had the interview with the reporter? Seems unusual no one is talking about it!
Yup the die was obviously magnetised and Derren was quite fair in allowing us to see the slow motion of the die in the bowl, so we could see how its rotation was arrested unnaturally when 4 was uppermost.
Why is there no “There’re no actors or stooges used in the program” line?
How come you offered the Butcher £5,000 against his £1,000 stake and noone seemed to notice (edited?) that this was a raw deal for the butcher? Surely there would have been som gamblers there that would know that you should have staked £6,000 to make it “fair”? Or is this another Derren trick to be revealed later?
I was very uneasy watching the episode Secret of Luck. I have recently found out that my dad has a gambling problem which has caused the family a lot of upset.It seemed like Derren was trying to say we make our own luck by being open to opportunities. This is fine valid theory, but why promote gambling? I really didnt think it was right that Derren took his money to bet on the roll of a dice. £1000 is far too much money to gamble away. And yes, it was almost certainly rigged so the Wayne would win the money. This has left the message that if you gamble more, you are more likely to win big someday!!! This is a TERRIBLE message to send out to vulerable people who believe that one day there number will come up. I was so thankful that my Dad was not watching this programme!
Kakynologyst: Because the initial stunt (with the song) involved some acting, the survey girl handing out twenties was an actress as was the girl playing the PA with the flat tyre, and Dawn Porter could be seen as an actress/stooge/confederate in the whole scheme as well.
Wonderful end to the Experiments!
I do agree that taking opportunities is positive, but maybe not encouraging folks to gamble their life savings on the roll of a dice. Gambling your life savings on the roll of a dice when Derren Brown is in charge doesn’t seem like a bad bet though 😉
I am about the least superstitious person I know, but if I ever make it to the UK the Lucky Dog will be on my list of things to see. In that way I think this episode was a bit of good luck for the whole town. I’m sure Mike’s sudden boom in revenue had a bit to do with all the publicity surrounding the dog.
Now, I have to pull a bit of pedantics. Contrary to some comments here, the payout for the dice roll was completely fair. 1/6 is not the same as 1:6. Understanding maths can help your luck too.
Liz@ you do not understand. He didnt take his money, and no it was not rigged, It is the very people like you who do not have the mental capacity sufficient to understand these things, you do not know the message behind this, look at it like this
Taking more oppotunities = more luck.
BUT ALSO MORE FAILURE.
but the failure is disregarded, it is much easier to remember the time you won some money, than to remember the times you didnt. (unless there was something significant about the loss)
If you buy more scratch cards, will you win more? OBVIOUSLY
will you loose more? YES!
its the POSITIVE THINKING aspect that makes it feel as if you have won more, same as negative thinkers thinking they have lost more… Only a retarded individual would think that derren is saying, GAMBLE MORE
Finally got round to watching this last night. I really enjoyed this episode as I find this whole field interesting (placebo, mind over matter, positve mental attitude etc). I also fully agree with Derren’s view that these oddities are so much more interesting when we consider that it is us, as human beings, having the impact as opposed to some supernatural force (God, Lady luck, magic etc.).
A real bonus for me was that Sally Morgane (?) made out that the ‘whole area had a vortex’ despite it all being made up….brilliant.
I appreciate what Liz said above about gambling (scratch card, blackpool, roll of a dice) as there is an irrational element to gambling which this would feed. To overcome this, I was expecting Derren to reveal the trick.
Not sure if these are read by the production team but thought I would put down my thoughts on ‘the experiments’ for the next series.
These certainly should continue! It is clear Derren et al have a real interest in social psychology and these programmes are not only entertaining but help lay people (everyday people like you and me) understand how people behave, why we do the things we do and how to change our perception to make us happier.
I think there should be a little more focus on ‘control’ over the experiments wherever possible. The murder mystery is an example of how this was done really well. The gameshow not so much. As for ethics, I’m confident behind the scenes this is done but as reflected in the comments, there are concerns. Perhaps report what was done on this blog?
Loved the way you got Sally Morgan involved to spout her infinite wisdom on the lucky dog .!! It`s about time these people were taken more seriously by Trading Standards etc , making wads of cash out of pretending to hear message sfrom dead people….its laughable. The TV companies that give her [and all the others , yes you Colin Fry ] a platform & enable them to line their pockets from gullible & vulnerable people are just as culpable IMHO but “that`s entertainmment” I suppose .
Hi Derren
Recently returned from a holiday in mexico where I read your new book, I did the Q & Z mind trick you explained , i was amazed when it worked on some other people we met out there.
this is my new party trick (“,)
@Amo, it’s shorthand
@Amo The scribbles in the reporter’s notepad was shorthand
I was slightly dissappointed with The Experiments. Just finished watching through my dvd’s of Inside Your Mind and Trick Of The Mind and it really hits home to me how much better he is at this type of material. I’m not criticising Derren’s ambition to branch out and try to progress from his earlier material but unfortunately for me he has become over ambitious. Perhaps I’ve never quite recovered from the remarkably misjudged lottery stunt and the “failed” casino stunt that followed to cover his back. Whatever it is, since then I just haven’t felt the buzz of watching him like I did before. It saddens me to say it because I love Derren and I love the majority of his work. I was hoping this series would change my dads mind about Derren but it’s only annoyed him more and I can kind of see why
Awesome episode! Loved it. My only issue is with Derren’s repeated use of the phrase “a dice”. What? Surely “a die” or “some dice”. From reading Derren’s books, this can’t have escaped his masterful grasp of vocabulary and grammar. Dumbed down for the viewing public, maybe?
Oh no, “a flies” has come in through the window while I’ve been writing this. Just off to eat “a pies” for lunch. Etc.
Pedantic, moi?
Thought provoking, fantastic series, really making people think about how they live and how the slightest thing can make a massive impact x
I have chronic depression and severe social phobia, I’ve spent the last three years in a small flat barely leaving, usually only to buy necessities, often not even able to get out of bed. I don’t often open mail and rarely answer the phone, any social interaction has been rendered almost impossible. However after watching your show on Friday I wondered if a change of luck may help that; that taking an opportunity might be in order, both my doctor and therapist agreed. Today I answered the door for the first time in over two years; turned out to be a bailiff. I called my friend afterwards she said “Better luck next time.” I lost an Xbox but feel great because I answered that damn door.
I wanted to say thanks.
Hello from the USA. I’m a big fan of Derren. I wish we had a talented, educated, and brilliant performer such as Derren here in the states.
THANK YOU DERREN for doing what you do.
amo says:
13/11/2011 at 11:17 PM
Why the scribbles in the pad when Derren had the interview with the reporter? Seems unusual no one is talking about it!
That’s shorthand.
Amo: The ‘scribbles’ are shorthand, a system used a lot by journalists, secretaries etc when they have to write a lot of information quickly, no trickery there.
Brasidas: Why on earth would the toy shop owner give Derren a magnetised die?
Why do some people have so much trouble believing that Derren’s programmes are legit? No matter where I read about them there are always loads of comments alleging some kind of trickery or, worse of all, that he’s lying about what he’s doing. That wouldn’t be in his interest plus if he was lying someone would have come forward by now and exposed it. I loved The Experiments and cannot wait to see what his ‘evil’ little mind comes up with next!
I wonder if Derren could turn an athlete into a world beater through the power of the mind.
“Lauren says:
Your going to think im crackers for saying this… but I think the will of everyone watching had an effect on the outcome lol… i had my figers crossed (superstision again) and was whispering under my breathe 4, 4, 4 please, be a 4.”
You are exactly the type of person Derren was reaching out to during the programme, and you’ve completely missed the whole message of the show. It is clear that the audience had no effect on the outcome – magical thinking has been debunked many times over and yet, undoubtedly people will still cling to their beliefs. People in Todmorden will now be coming to terms with re-attributing any good luck they had during those 3 months, but I guarantee there will be those who refuse to accept it, and will still believe the dog to be lucky.
Jason,
Odd that isn’t it? How about my £1,000 against your £6,000 on the roll of dice? We’ll run the bet a couple of thousand times. Actually, I’m feeling lucky. My £1,000 against your £5,500, and we’ll bet on the outcome 2,000 times. How about it?
Seriously how many people on here can’t do basic maths.
If a dice has a one chance in six of winning then you pay (as Derren did correctly) 5/1.
Brasidas says:
14/11/2011 at 1:14 AM
“Yup the die was obviously magnetised and Derren was quite fair in allowing us to see the slow motion of the die in the bowl, so we could see how its rotation was arrested unnaturally when 4 was uppermost.”
I agree with this, and the fact that he let us see clearly the slow motion replay shows he’s not trying to trick us there, but just making the town happy being a good showman. Someone else mentions that he never claims the die is not altered, he’s not known for lying. And how did he get a magnetized dice from the shop owner? Well he obviously switched it while no one was paying attention, this is one of his favorite tricks. He would have also had to know which die the shop owner would bring. Easy for him to figure out. Great show, as always.
Hey Derren, my name is Shing Tak from Hong Kong. Like all the people here I enjoy all of your shows. I dreamt of meeting you the other night and asked you questions that have been in my head for long. Well, I have been playing magic for a while (never a pro! damn!) and I have to say you just mess up people heads so cleverly even with some simple tricks. I leave a message here because like everyone else, I would like to make friends with you. Just taking my ‘luck’ here lol. You gonna make me the next Wayne?? lol!! You have my email! I’ll be waiting!!
Alex – the piano piece is Au clair de la lune by Debussy, although I think the version played in The experiment was being played on harp. Hope this helps 🙂