Derren’s Evening Of Wonders show was on C4 last night. Having seen it twice live (Plymouth and Torquay), and subsequently deciphered it to death on a little-known corner of the internet, it was interesting watching it again. The thing that always interested me most about Derren was the psychological implications of his work, e.g. The Heist had me thinking all about where to draw the line between influence and responsibility with regards to crime, Messiah had me thinking about about the fragility and self-deceptive nature of belief systems. The early stuff, those first shows on C4 which were edited into the first DVD Inside Your Mind, were just so intriguing and inspiring, and I think really did influence me into studying far more about the mind (and suggestibility).

But recently, the move into more solid, out-and-out trickery has left me feeling a little cold and conned, and not as interested as I used to be. There is less of the psychology and more of the tricksy, although the overall psychology of crafting an impression, lying, misdirection etc is still great fun and there is plenty of it in the show.

It also contains one of my favourite ever Derren moments – involving a gorilla – but I wouldn’t want to ruin it if you’ve yet to see it.

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