Derren Brown Best Apocalypse Prank

[Sionyn]

dave mentioned he liked a prank about the end of the world

well here the ultimate end of the world prank



and



hopefully you guy can see this channel 4 blocked it in the uk (i think its still on 4od for us uk guys)

[AlfBaz]

Thanks for that, very entertaining.
Personally I call bullshit. The victim is an actor as well

[Sionyn]

dave mentioned he linked a prank about girl and the end of world and it reminded me of this.

as for a actor possibly but the Derren Brown so he most likely just picked a very gullible person 

[cwalex]

I doubt derren brown would use a stooge! He is one very impressive guy!

[RCMR]

Thanks for that, very entertaining.
Personally I call bullshit. The victim is an actor as well

I agree -- I was almost believing until the guy was hypnotised in an instant when on the bus, just before he was transferred to the hospital -- that's impossible to believe.

Also, the panning of the "hidden cameras" gave it away.  The hidden cameras were "fixed" and viewing through small holes so how did they get those pan/tilt movements out of them?  I call bogus!

So many people are so gullible -- it's no wonder those Nigerian scammers make so much money!

[tom66]

Also, the bit near the end of part 2. Phone call and he just collapsed.
I don't know whether to call it completely faked or just creatively edited (possibly real, but added later/edited...)

[Sionyn]

he could of just been super gullible ?

[EEVblog]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/derren-brown-apocalypse-frustrated-star-1412695

I have not seen it, but the mention of the word hypnotise says it all 

Dave.

[EEVblog]

Proof he was an actor it seems:
http://derrenbrownexposed.net/2012/10/28/derren-brown-apocalypse-is-fake-steve-brosnan-is-an-actor/

Dave.

[EEVblog]

Derren still claims it's a real:
http://derrenbrown.co.uk/apocalypse-qa/

Dave.

[cwalex]

Derren responds to some of the criticism here: http://derrenbrown.co.uk/apocalypse-qa/

EDIT: you posted while I was typing 

[jucole]

It was pretty good; but for me it still doesn't top the "Hero at 30,000 Feet" which was just superb!    The people chosen are very carefully selected because they are highly suggestible.

[MikeK]

I just watched the first part.  It all hinges on the hypnosis, which I'm always suspicious of.  I think the "susceptible" ones here are the audience.

It's good entertainment, though, but too much liability if it was real.  The guy could have hurt himself or others.  And, of course Derren Brown insists it's real; who would watch his future endeavors if he admitted this was a fake?

I always enjoy DB's stuff.

[EEVblog]

I just watched the first part.  It all hinges on the hypnosis, which I'm always suspicious of.  I think the "susceptible" ones here are the audience.

I haven't watched it, but if it does hinge on hypnosis, then yeah, it's bunk right there.

It's good entertainment, though, but too much liability if it was real.  The guy could have hurt himself or others.  And, of course Derren Brown insists it's real; who would watch his future endeavors if he admitted this was a fake?

That's the business, you have to sell the lie convincingly.
And then there are ways to do it by technically not lying. i.e. the guy knew he was involved in something, but didn't know what, and was never told to "act", nor hired as an actor. Then you can confidently go around saying that a) He's not an actor, and b) He didn't know anything about it, and wasn't "in on it".

Dave.

[MikeK]

Just so you know, since you haven't watched it...  The kid wasn't hypnotised into believing anything.  He was hypnotised on a bus and put to bed so that he would wake up in the "apocalypse".  A bit dodgy, that.

[EEVblog]

Just so you know, since you haven't watched it...  The kid wasn't hypnotised into believing anything.  He was hypnotised on a bus and put to bed so that he would wake up in the "apocalypse".  A bit dodgy, that.

Yep, don't even have to watch it to know that's just bunk.
But I just found and watched the bit where he got "hypnotised" on the bus   
I can't see how anyone who knows about such things could possibly think that's real.
You can't put someone into a "hypnotic" state (not that there is really such a thing, it's actually just conscious suggestion) instantly like that, especially during an event like that when (if you thought it was real) your adrenalin would be pumping. Simply not possible.
It's not even stage hypnosis, it's staged!
I don't need to watch any more to know it's 100% fake, the guy was in on it completely.
Derren is a stage hypnotist and magician, so he had to incorporate hypnosis into it to sell the lie to the general public. The problem with that is that using hypnosis as he did, that instantly exposes the gag for anyone how knows anything about such things.
He went too far with the quackery, and as result, blew it.
You could make something like this work, especially given the lengths they went too, but only for so long and so far before the game is up. Just like in most "hidden camera" gags. But that wouldn't have made for nearly as dramatic a TV special as this one.

Dave.

[cwalex]

I haven't watched this ep either but derren doesn't just use hypnosis he uses NLP as well which is like a branch of behavioural psychology I believe. I don't know if that makes it more or less bunk 

[jucole]

For someone to enter sleep state that quickly he would have to have been worked-on for a good few sessions before-hand by Derren;  which they probably don't show because it makes boring viewing.

"Hypnosis has 'real' brain effect" - BBC article link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8359170.stm

Are you running in "default mode" ?   you think that's air you're breathing ? ;-)

[EEVblog]

For someone to enter sleep state that quickly he would have to have been worked-on for a good few sessions before-hand by Derren;  which they probably don't show because it makes boring viewing.

"Hypnosis has 'real' brain effect" - BBC article link
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8359170.stm

Impossible under those conditions of adrenalin in a real life scenario.
It's totally fake, he's an actor, it was all staged.

Dave.