Russian Roulette - Derren Brown | FULL EPISODE! 

This is one of the most intense moments in television history for its time. A real show stopper as it were.

I don't think any form of media has ever gotten me to metaphorically and physically be on the edge of my seat. That was truly extraordinary.

He sure counted fast for someone who is asked to count slowly in a life or death situation.

even knowing he didnt get it wrong before because well.. hes alive. literally one of the most intense moments ever to be put on tv and the pure fear on face really makes it obvious that this is real. it just goes to show the genius of this man

"if it fucks up, its not your fault." is just so sad, im so glad that this didnt go wrong 🙁

Derren would make a fantastic Bond villain, especially if the character had the same sort of mind control skills. I'd pay to see that. :)

The whole thing becomes even more fascinating when Derren pulls back the curtain to explain his reasoning, with the cork and the last line-up... what an amazing man. His ragged "Thank you, you're extraordinary" really gets me. I'd love to see him live.

What if Derren Brown was suicidal and he had two possible outcomes. Take himself out in a cool memorable way, or perform a good show by surviving. Both suited him.

Three years ago one of my employees was on the evening shift at work and she asked if she could switch to the morning shift. I approved the move. Her first week on the morning shift, on her way to work when it was still dark out she was struck by a truck and passed away. I carry this weight still. Right before they play when Derren is speaking to James letting him know that it's not his fault and he isn't legally or morally responsible I got very emotional, even though I knew how it was going to end. Great show. RIP Jen.

The way DB breaks down James "The fear, he looks like a little boy in a Dept store who lost his mother" That was absolutely how he looked 100% I love this video DBs style is incredible and smooth. He's so talented and fun to watch. 🔥

I want you to choose one. Are you thinking of one now. The one you are thinking of, is it the correct one. You can choose one now. Is it going in the correct one..... ONE... One....

I love the way this ends with no music and the camera goes outside the building.

When the armorer dropped the casing out of the gun and it landed perfectly vertical, that was pretty impressive.

I like the way he used more and more people's names and made it feel more personal as the eliminations progress. It was a nice touch for them to feel like yes they were let go, but as a consolation prize, they got to know him and he them

Imagine if God forbid, the alternate would've happened, and they still rolled out the silent credits below Derren's body.

I noticed how he kept repeating the word "one" over and over again in his sentences when he was instructing James on what to do with his hands under the table. And he picked someone who was very suggestible. I think this trick was real, he did a very good job of picking the right person for the right task and giving him the right conditioning to make choose number 1 in the cylinder.

I remember watching this live, we were all so nervous

Derren's greatest trick is to make you think he pulled this off with the power of suggestion.

Today RU-vid decided I needed to see: The History of Orange Juice, Mongolian Death Metal (The Hu), Gilbert Gottfried driving a Ferrari with Jay Leno, and now, the piece de resistance: Derren Brown playing Russian Roulette.

Derren is truly an amazing individual! This has gotta be one of the riskiest things I've ever seen anyone do. So glad it worked out. U tha man, Derren!✌️

The fact he could have gotten his brains blown out in live TV was obviously the most tense moment ever broadcasted to television.

This is amazing! It tricks you into being entertained for the whole thing only before you realise that it's just been building suspence for a thrilling ending

I don't care how fake are those bullets....anything fired at that close range, will do damage. One of the nicest ones by Derren

Can we just take a moment to say just how good Darren is at predicting people?

Me who kept saying 5 in my head thinking it was 5 and him shooting 5 and nothing came out. Me thinking I accidentally made him think it was 5 though the screen. *__*

This was intense and I obviously knew that he lived through this. Wow, he would make an AMAZING criminal profiler.

MAN id love to meet this guy.

Mind blowing! Darren you amaze me every time I watch you, the amount of knowledge you have... it's amazing!!!

I called number 1 had the bullet in. I just could see 1. However, I wouldn't have to balls to do it. Two words to describe Darren Brown.... THE GOAT.

I feel like that he was 100% sure that the bullet is in number 1 and the firing of number 5 against the sack was a trick, only to make the scene more intense for the audience. You can see a grin on he's face when he "changes his mind" before shooting number five. That's a liar's grin when a liar tells a lie and he feels proud because he knows that he won't be caught of the lie. I'm sure Derren is a master at hiding these emotions and micro expressions but he MUST have been nervous at that situation and couldn't hide that grin. It was a situation of life and death any how. Sorry for the grammar mistakes, I'm just a Derren-fan from Finland!

i just realized that he planted the word one in james' mind when he was going to pick the number... "choose one of those numbers... choose one..." that's clever

My best guess is there were many levels of security for this trick. First, Derren subliminally suggests "1" as the number to pick in the instructions he gives to the kid. (I want you to choose ONE of those numbers. You keep that number to yourself but have a look at them now and choose ONE. This number you choose now it doesn't matter which ONE it is. You can change your mind as many times as you like which you make that decision for me and you settle on a number. Are you thinking of ONE now?) Second, I expect that after the armorer shot the gun, he was instructed to have it with the number 1 chamber out and facing the kid, so that the path of least resistance was for the kid to simply put it in the number 1 chamber. (Note, as I watched this, I was thinking that this nervous kid would just gravitate to picking whatever number he saw on the gun, the easiest number to choose, no matter what it is, so that Derren could not use psychology, like, "he'll avoid the extremes of 1 or 6, go for something in the middle..." because that kind of psychology is thwarted by the fact the gun chambers are presented to the kid in a way that makes it easiest to pick whatever number is ready for loading without spinning the chamber.) Third, he listens for the quiver in the kid's voice as he says the numbers. He was most nervous saying the first number, then it was all downhill. I myself guessed it was in chamber 1 after the kid's counting. As a fourth "safety check" he may have been listening for the sound of the kid spinning the chamber before putting in the bullet; the sound of the kid just opening it to the chamber available to him and putting it in is distinct from the sound of the kid spinning the chamber around then putting in the bullet then closing it. So, again, assuming the armorer was told to make sure the "1" chamber was the one facing outward toward the kid when he handed him the gun, the lack of sound of the chamber rotating would be proof where the bullet was. Fifth, when you open the chamber, it may be possible to load the 2 chamber, too, but by picking 3 as his starting point, Derren never had to test the 2 chamber. While he gives the impression he knows the bullet was in chamber 1, he really was only sure it was in 1 or 2 and if the gun had gone click when he shot the first chamber, he would have instantly fired the second chamber with a result only slightly less impressive. Note, I think he shot the 5 chamber toward the bag not because he was nervous about it, but to increase the nervousness in us, the audience, to think Derren was fallible, not sure where the bullet was, and that was also why he waited so long. As perhaps a sixth factor, I note that while the kid was given a chair with numerous spines/spokes in the back (5 I think), Derren's chair had just one post, which also might subtle suggest 1 to the kid. The different type/style of chairs was a bit odd, so I could see Derren saying "I don't care what kind of chair it is, so long as it has just 1 post coming up" for fear the kid might latch onto the number of spokes on his chair as the "path of least resistance" in choosing a chamber to put the bullet in. As a seventh level of security -- which I would definitely have utilized if I were doing this -- Derren could easily have a camera on the ceiling looking down into the kid's lap, perhaps on the kid himself (button camera on his shirt he is unaware of?) and you have a person charged with watching the kid put the bullet in the gun, make sure it is in chamber 1 or 2 and, if not, send a signal to report some technical issue to halt the show. I mean, checking the table for a hidden camera is kind of pointless when there obviously can be cameras set up behind and above the kid, or even on his person, that suffice to show what chamber he loads. Technically there could have been a spy seeing watch chamber the bullet was put into, and then communicating that to Derren, but I like to think he really tried to do this using suggestion & observation & psychology, and only used this failsafe person just as a back up (assuming he had such a fail-safe which, again, is my guess).

even thought u knew he survived i was still scared for him.

“Would you win in russian roulette?” Derren: “do I get prep time?”

First time I watched this, I had to keep reminding myself not to worry Derren is alive! Wow

When they say no actors or stooges are used that is an outright lie, the illusion begins before the show starts

He added more security layers than most people realize. At the end he says out loud which he thinks contain the bullet and which don't. That was so the crew could respond to it when he would get it wrong. Then he waits for about 30 seconds before firing the final shots. That waiting was to misdirect you into believing he was really taking a risk. But the point is, the crew already knew where the candidate would put the pullet before he would take a seat and would cancel the whole thing if Daren would get it wrong (when saying it out loud). So yes he can guess where the bullet will be by reading people, but there are show and extra security elements added to it. He did not risk his life, basically. Also the person he selected was not an actor I believe that. But it could be any person with good intentions basically, since, again, he did not risk his life in the end... (He only had to trust his crew and the person telling the truth to the crew). So the pre selection was basically to give you the impression that he was serious and his life would depend on it, while in fact it didn't. He did not want it to fail however, since it would harm is reputation and it would cost money that went into producing the show. But yes, that reading of people throughout this video is impressive.

Man, I watched this years ago and still have nightmares about it. Dude is unreal…

Imagine showing up to university of westminister on that day and seeing a hundred people milling about in front of a “Russian roulette check-in” desk

It's funny to me when "psychics" and "spirit mediums" claim supernatural powers, yet they can't do a tenth of the shit Derren can do.

I remember watching it live and when he took ages before pulling the trigger on 5, i thought he had messed up and didn't know which number it was at the time. My heart was in my mouth. After watching it again now and after seeing other Derren Brown shows, i know how he can plant things in to peoples heads. He used thrases like, just choose one, only choose one etc.

The fact he chose the most nervous person out of the six to be responsible for his life-

Amazing. And yeah he was suggesting him number 1. And also the very first time when the armorer showed them the gun, he put the round in chamber number 1. Still this is crazy

In a different world he blew his brains out

Step 1: Find an easily suggestible, submissive participant out of many possibilities Step 2: 43:07 "I want you to choose ONE of those numbers; you keep that number to yourself and have a look at them now, and choose ONE. This number you choose now, it doesn't matter which ONE it is... Are you thinking of ONE now?" Step 3: 46:50 Listen for cues when recited. Perhaps "one" was the least confident sounding? Perhaps a predictable outcome but not something I would risk my life on! Perhaps there's an extra layer I'm missing?

Bruh you took his bracelet n he didn't even care or notice

That was one of the hardest things I have ever watched. I nearly couldn't complete this video. Did anyone else feel the same? just before the last two bullets, I nearly tuned out. I think I still feel traumatised LOL

You can literally see the instant smile of relief on the guys face as soon as Derren shoots the bullet

Even though I was on stage with the man 2 nights ago, watching this still makes me panic

Derren , you are the man . sending all our love and respect from, Belfast ,Northen ireland . FTS QS

48:13 That is the biggest 'Oh shit' face I've seen in my entire life

You know when he misfired the gun and took a long deep think before pulling it again he was thinking that he fucked up and only had a 50/50 change to live

I KNEW it was no1. He kept saying "Put in the ONE you want", "Keep thinking of the ONE you put it in".. "It doesnt matter which ONE it is"..."Keep checking it goes into the ONE chamber your thinking of correctly"..."I want you to choose ONE of those numbers"...... Very smart!!!! and Brave to say the least!

5:28 notice how he says fair and even he is implanting the number 4 in his head

I have watched the final part of this show so many times and it STILL makes me nervous.

I am entirely convinced that he knew from watching the video submission who he was going to pick and knew before they left the country for the secret location which chamber he would choose for the round. Very impressive but it’s all good showmanship he knows how everything will play out so far in advance.

bro has probably got some steel balls to do this on live and making it out alive

on the edge of my chair here . Absolutely fantastic . FTS

You can kind of hear it when he counts, 1 sounds intense, then 2 he breaths a sigh of relief as he speaks and it's even fainter by 3 and completely not there in later numbers. He didn't try to give any hints, it was just his instincts

I'm hoping this phase of Derren Brown as a performer is well and done. I'm glad it got his name out to the world but please, less of the self-harming material (knife stamping, glass eating, nail in the face). And MORE of the psychological mischief!

what i would give to have actually seen this live on tv - peak television

I knew it was in 1 when he said "Choose 1" during the instructions.

Hi is soo talented and true to his art, wow

"I wouldn't dream of showing any of those clips" editor: you were saying?

I wish people who watch this would actually understand that there is no risk or jeopardy involved. ITS A TRICK. Real bullets or not, it doesn't matter as there was no risk of him shooting himself. Do you think Channel 4 would ever air something LIVE even if there were a tiny chance of him shooting himself. I love derren a lot but he should be more honest on how his shows work. Its so ironic because he criticises mediums for saying they have powers and yet Derren has huge amount of fans who think he actually does all this crazy shit for real and defend him like a messiah figure. This is exactly the same as the lottery one: a magic trick with some filler to somehow create a false narrative for how he "figured it out". This one is far superior though as its way more dramatic. I remember watching it as a kid and it was incredible.

The five names that he had on the paper was not the 5 names of the guys sitting in the seats just over a minute afterwards there was only one Daniel on the paper and two Daniels sitting in the seats after🤔

You are a great human derren ..

great acting

He stole the kids bracelet at the end of the cups routine. 🤣🤣🤣

There is another camera that sees what number the bullet is. And a operator messages the magician the number via a remote tap inside his shirt. The rest are just actings to create suspense for the TV audience.

That’s some great timing, it’s been like two years since I watched this and decided to rewatch the old clip, but then you uploaded the full episode! Crazy right?

Right after, he needed to hug life.

Intro Music was Amazing!

You know he had to have had a big ”oh shit” moment when he tried to shoot the 5th chamber and it didn’t go off.

Ok so I studied Darren brown alot AMD one thing I understand is he is very ethical and honest so common sence tells me the under the table gum switch with a garrenty bullet wouldn't be fired until that final shot = 1 great show . Russian roulette = 50 50 chance and to a magician 50 50 % are not good odds

I'm glad he let them all know up front what they were competing for; there is no way I would have wanted to end up across from him knowing he wanted to point a gun at himself. :(

Bro, how you got the balls for this?

The cork game was so cool

He is Reading Your Mind, 😂

The grand old days of going through video tapes.

The fact that this was on live TV freaks me out.

I was kinda surprised 1) that he lived and 2) that they even allowed this on the television.

Starts at 46:45

reading these comments with a British accent is hilarious.

Derren's real magic is making you think everything he does is mental manipulation and readling body language and tones of voice. There is no way that he did this by how James said the numbers. I don't want to know how he really did it, as where is the fun in that?

my god why did they do this to the aspect ratio

Notice Derren's duping delight expression at the start where he says the words "Russian Roulette". He knows it's nothing of the sort. He also gives a small duping delight expression just after he says that no stooges are used, probably because it was irrelevant who he chose to do the trick anyway. Notice the armourer says "These are live rounds" but doesn't say if he was allowed to examine the gun. The gun is specially designed, simple as. The sand bag might have an explosive in it too rather than it receiving a bullet.

when hes just sat there shaking thinking is insane

48:29 can anyone else hear someone speaking in the background?

That's absolutely insane!

People that were born in the 21st Century will be asking What are Videotapes? L O L

He was asked to choose one, and by golly, he chose one

This person's knowledge of common sense is crazy.

did the "instructor" want his face blanked because he flagged every single student with his "safe direction". They all walked past the muzzle of that in training. and he pointed it at feet.

my life is one question HOW TO BE LIKE DERREN BROWN Derren will make me your student

I mean Derren was fully aware of what was in that gun and where but it was still awesome. More of a test on the public rather than him.

I figured 1 was safe due to him counting rather quick after 1. For some reason, 3 was coming in to say hi but then Derren selected 3.

37:55 Warren what’s your word? *S h e e p*

Love this!!!!

holy shit i just realized that if this went wrong, Derren's brains would have splattered on the glass in front of the contestant.