Jackson Booth-Millard
This is one of those really good magic trick shows, except it's not magic, it's illusions. This is a sometimes creepy show with a sometimes creepy host called Derren Brown. Basically Brown travels asking people to help him perform or join in his illusions and every time, they cannot believe what they have seen or experienced. We can't either. He has done card tricks, tricks with objects, and convinced someone to give his wallet without them knowing and made someone believe they are in a zombie filled game (which was brilliant). Brown has even done it to some celebrity guests, Simon Pegg, Jonathan Ross OBE, Matt Lucas, Dame Kelly Holmes and Robbie Williams. Brown is a genius with very good techniques to shock, amaze and astonish people. Very good!
TheUnholyArmpit
What a breath of fresh air from Channel 4. Not only does this show break up the 24 hour Friends-a-thon that Channel 4 has become over the past few years, but we see a magician (if thats the right word) who doesn't just meerly perform tricks, but leaves you with an unforgettable experience. No showy assistants, very few props, but a bucket of skill.The shows are literally jaw dropping, and diverse. He can go from whispering someone to sleep in a few seconds via a phone, to stopping a wallet stuffed with money being picked up in a busy London street, to showing strangers how to read minds effortlessly. All this is done with a genuine smile, not a smug scowl like David Blane, or David Copperfield's fixed Californian grin.Now we are also seeing that Derren is trying to disprove certain...... beliefs. This also is done with a certain persuasive, subtle style that Penn and Teller could only dream of in their Bull.... programme.I also have to say that if you have the chance, go and see him live. He is the most genuine and down to earth bloke i have met since Michael Berrymore ( i know a lot of people wont like that last bit, but it still is true). Derren seems to have an easy going way with people, it might be because of his act, his real personality, or a mixture of both.If you get the chance, watch him. You will be hooked.
darwiniantheory
Long gone are the days of Paul daniels and having to watch people bring things out of hats and confound us with yet another card trick.The last BIG mentalist on our screens was the ever STRANGE looking Max Mavern, so thank god for Derren who is bringing back a little class to the genre again.. with hardly a TRICK of the CARDS in sight.Also Derren is an accomplished artist, so check his work out.If your fed up with the tacky magic that you normally see and are fed up with waiting for David Copperfield to accidently float into a rotating fan in the air conditioning on a milllion dollar stage and actually want to be inpressed, I advise you see Derrens work on dvd or on tv.. LIVE if you can.
