o watch 20 years of the physical and metaphysical evolution of Derren Brown compressed into 130 minutes is to realise that the man is honing himself into the purest essence of … something. Possibly something good. Possibly not. As it goes on, the head of the illusionist/magician/mentalist/arch-manipulator/huckster/hypnotist is shaved, the silhouette becomes leaner, the charm more vulpine, the eyes more searching, the shows more unsettling, the sadism more pronounced. It’s going to be a relief, overall, when he finally achieves transcendence and reveals the plan he had for us all along. Even if you didn’t know that Derren Brown: 20 Years of Mind Control (Channel 4) was written and produced by Brown and Andrew O’Connor, the man who gave him his first television show and has worked with him ever since, it was clear from the off that we were in for an unchallenging ride. Even if you didn’t suspect anything, any programme about a man whose life’s work is all about controlling environments and people was unlikely to be a ruthlessly interrogative affair. Essentially, this two-hour retrospective was a compilation of Brown’s greatest hits. And why not? They WERE great, and remain so in the retelling, all the “how the hell?” moments as thrilling as ever. How the hell does he do any of it, from the seemingly simple card tricks to talking people into sitting in potentially fatal ice baths? How the hell did he persuade the dog track teller that a losing ticket was a winning one and hand over the money (Mind Control 3, in 2002) or take all those phones and wallets from suddenly compliant passers-by? How the hell did he do that thing with Simon Pegg and the red BMX in 2005’s Trick of the Mind? Or get people to become glued to their chairs in The Events: How to Control a Nation, or, or, or, or … Past footage was interspersed with clips of Brown being interviewed in his home which, pleasingly, looks exactly like the home in which you would hope and expect Derren Brown to live – leather club chairs, mesmerist paraphernalia, masks, stuffed animals, glass cabinets … basically an antiques shop with a really good cleaner. I say interviewed, but of course it was just him being asked a few leading questions and being allowed to answer as he wished without any follow-up. The lack of pushback became conspicuous by its absence as we moved through the early years when, as he says: “It was a bit more ‘Look at me, I have secret powers!’” and on to the more elaborate and increasingly dark TV work. Russian Roulette (which appeared to do exactly what it said on the tin) garnered the most publicity and controversy. But there were equally troubling stunts, such as The Heist, which saw him persuade (if that’s the word – one of the greatest tricks Brown has pulled is to make it impossible to know which verbs to use when talking about what he does) a group of middle managers to stage an armed robbery. In Pushed to the Edge, three out of four unsuspecting victims (victims? I think so. He makes choosing nouns tricky, too) were manipulated into pushing a man to his apparent death. Brown’s assertion that they were done to make valuable points about human nature and frailty, and his insistence that everyone was glad they had taken part, rang a little hollow. The latter was backed up by remote testimonies from former participants, but even allowing for the dystopian feel that Zoom-style technology imparts to appearances, it felt unconvincing, and certainly ripe for a bit more in the way of genuine questioning. Does Brown, for instance, select only people who can bear that much knowledge about themselves? And if so, how the hell can you be sure you’re right? Or does it not matter because – despite his repeated rejection of the idea throughout his career – they are all stooges, there only to make great television? There are so many rabbit holes to go down, you have to stop yourself before you go mad. As well as a new live illusion, 20 Years of Mind Control was to be followed by one of his greatest stunts according to the great British public, who cast their votes for one of Russian Roulette, The Heist, Hero at 30,000 Feet, Apocalypse and Pushed to the Edge. Their choice had not been revealed at time of going to press, but I hope it was Apocalypse, in which a man was convinced that he had woken up amid a zombie epidemic, which seems less of a stunt now than a survival manual. Whatever Brown has planned – godspeed, humanity, godspeed.