TV gun stunt to be held overseas

Derren Brown says his mum does not want him to do it

Illusionist Derren Brown is to stage a controversial Russian roulette stunt outside the UK in order to avoid tight gun laws at home, it has emerged.

Brown will fly to a secret location to carry out Sunday evening's stunt, which will be screened on Channel 4.

A volunteer will load a handgun with a bullet and hand it to Brown. He will put it to his head and pull the trigger - trying to avoid the live chamber.

But a senior UK police officer has voiced concerns about copycat attempts.

Rick Naylor, vice president of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, said he was "flabbergasted" by the stunt.

If I'm not 100% sure I will not pull the trigger. It will be humiliating but preferable to the other option Derren Brown

"You're going to get copycat kids doing this and we're possibly going to end up with some tragedies," he said.

Derren Brown is the star of Derren Brown: Mind Control, an illusion series that is returning for a second run this year.

Channel 4 says the stunt will be aired responsibly, with warnings dissuading viewers from copying it.

"[Brown] will use his mind control to determine which chamber the bullet is in. He will hold the gun to his head and pull the trigger until he comes to the live chamber," a spokeswoman said.

"With the strict UK gun laws we couldn't carry it out in this country," she added.

'Humiliating'

Brown said that if he felt unsure at the time, he could still pull out.

"If I'm not 100% sure I will not pull the trigger. It will be humiliating but preferable to the other option," he said.

His family - mother Christine and brother Dominic - are against his potentially lethal stunt.

"I had long chats with them and explained to them I'm not going to do it if I'm not confident. If I'm confident they should be as well.

"My mother will be, probably by crouching behind the sofa."

Around 12,000 people volunteered to load a single bullet in one of the six numbered chambers of the Smith and Wesson handgun.