I in fact edged closer to thinking it was real during the stunt itself. Halfway through the actual gun to the head sequence; when he started by firing empty chambers 3 and 4 into his head, and then shot an empty chamber 5 away from himself. Until then I was very sceptical, but the seeming failure at 5 did quicken the heart. For the first time it felt real. He might just be doing this, I thought. And suddenly I wanted him to stop, because although it was tense, it felt sick. As long as it was just a jolly jape in the same way that David Blaine levitating was, then it was interesting, even a curiousity, but once it felt real I couldn't turn it off, but was still mildly sickened by the spectacle. He then shot an empty chamber 6 at his head, and guessed correctly that chamber 1 was the 'live' round.

So he survived. Predictable? Probably. But then lets not forget that others have actually died playing Russian roulette for real. American rock musician Terry Kath was killed in 1978 playing Russian roulette. His last words? "Don't worry - it's not loaded." And even when the gun contains a blank you aren't safe as actor Jon-Erik Hexum might attest to if he were still here. The actor was fatally injured by a prop gun that discharged driving bone fragments into his skull that sent him into a coma from which he never recovered.

In any case it will inevitably put ideas in some peoples heads for a new parlour game. When the film 'The Deer Hunter' came out in 1978 and showed a graphic Russian Roulette sequence, Dr. Thomas Radecki, a psychiatrist who often spoke on behalf of the National Coalition on TV Violence, in 1981 stated there had been 28 shootings and 25 confirmed Russian roulette deaths in the United States involving persons who watched the movie on television or videotapes. In 1989, columnist Paul Simon was quoted in a Louisville Courier-Journal article as stating that this number was then up to 35. Now, I am not saying that 'The Deer Hunter' shouldn't have been made. It is a fantastic film. It is however at least an 18 certificate, and doesn't glorify the russian roulette sequence. It is gruesome, but ultimately the Russian Roulette in the film is making a point about the nature of humanity and hopelessness. The focus of Derren Brown's extravaganza seemed to be that Russian Roulette was fun, and suitable viewing for a 9 o'clock start on a Sunday night. Have a cup of tea. Play Russian Roulette.

I did find it compulsive viewing, but surely we can do without compulsions of this kind? The next step in TV history is to have a real version of 'The Running Man' on our small screens where we chase criminals with guns. They get a shot at their freedom, and we get the chance to watch them being sprayed with bullets or burned alive with a blow torch. Morbidly compulsive to watch no doubt, but on balance I think we can live without it.

Copyright - Stuart Brown