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http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/uk.cfm?id=1105462003
Illusionist criticised for 'deplorable' television gun stunt
GREIG CAMERON
THE illusionist Derren Brown was branded tasteless and irresponsible for playing Russian roulette on television last night.
A hand-picked volunteer loaded a revolver with one bullet before handing it over to Brown. The entertainer asked the volunteer to count from one to six. Viewers then saw Brown point the gun at his head and pull the trigger of a Smith and Wesson four times before correctly electing the fifth chamber as containing a live round.
He claimed that using "sophisticated psychological techniques" he was able to tell from the voice which chamber contained the bullet.
The performance, shown on Channel 4 "as live", with a short time delay in case of tragedy, has been roundly criticised by senior police officers and campaign groups. It comes in a week when gun crime has gripped the nation leaving two people dead and several others injured in a series of street shootings.
The Conservative councillor for Dunblane East, Ann Dickson, said: "It’s not just to do with where I live, but I think it is deplorable. I cannot believe that a television company would transmit that.
"Most people I know will not watch, as there is no entertainment in it. It’s difficult to know if children will copy him, but I would hope not."
Philip Hodson, a spokesman for the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: "It has made even more of a fetish of guns than we first feared. The gun was seen to be almost lovingly caressed and all the drama centred on it."
Gun enthusiasts were also quick to criticise the programme. Alan Phillips, the secretary of the UK Practical Shooting Association, said: "It has got no relevancy to sport shooting at all; it is just entertainment. We run training courses in gun safety and one of the things we always say is never point a gun at anything you are not willing to shoot."
Channel 4 defended its decision to broadcast the show. A spokesman said: "We are not glamorising guns in any way. The message of the programme is about how scary and terrifying guns are and the quest to avoid a violent result.
"We have been in dialogue with anti-gun groups, like Mothers Against Guns, and we are mindful of their views.
"The strict gun-control laws in this country mean that nobody should have access to a handgun, however, if an individual did get a hold of a firearm that would be of far greater concern than Derren."
The show was filmed at a secret location outside the UK to make sure gun rules were not broken.
Brown, 32, abandoned a career in law to pursue his brand of psychological magic.
©2003 Scotsman.com