TV gun stunt complaints rejected

Complaints were received about the show, which saw Brown hold the pistol to his head and pull the trigger after it was apparently loaded with a bullet.

It was an illusion, and care was taken not to glamorise guns, the BSC said.

They also rejected complaints against BBC News 24 for showing pictures of US prisoners during the Iraq war.

" Neither its content, nor that of the trails, had exceeded acceptable boundaries "
Commission spokesman

Eight complaints were received about the trailer for the Channel 4 programme on 5 October, and an equal number of complaints about the programme itself, saying it was distasteful, made light of suicide and promoted gun culture.

The commission decided the content and structure of the programme, and its place in Channel 4's Magic month season meant viewers would know it was a trick, and that Derren Brown was a professional magician.

They also said the 15 minute delay on the broadcast would have prevented viewers from seeing Brown harmed if the trick had gone wrong.

"Given the programme's broadcast post-watershed, on a minority channel and with unambiguous warnings, neither its content, nor that of the trails, had exceeded acceptable boundaries," said a spokesman for the commission.

A single viewer complained about pictures of captured American prisoners shown on BBC News 24 in March.

The commission rejected the complaint, saying they were: "In the public interest, because they clearly showed the methods employed by the Iraqi military in the treatment of their prisoners."

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