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CreativityTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:06 Well, welcome back to Mind Control Night, and in the next episode you'll see two people draw a picture of an angel.
00:15 And notice when they do that they draw the angel from a particularly secular perspective.
00:19 And I'm certainly not one to begin to criticise the religio-artistic viewpoint of my two charming volunteers,
00:24 but it does make you stop and think what spiritually vacuous times we live in
00:28 when two young people instinctively draw an angel with a halo attached to the back of its head with a stick.
00:33 [Music]
00:59 At home, stand up. Do this now. Stand up and close your eyes.
01:03 Stand in front of your chair so that you can fall back safely onto it.
01:06 With your eyes closed, just listen to me. Imagine a force pushing you backwards,
01:10 pushing you off balance, pushing you back into the chair. Do that now.
01:13 Imagine the force pushing against your face and your chest and your shoulders,
01:17 pushing you back, pushing you back into the chair.
01:20 Let the force get stronger, let it push you back more and more until it pushes you right back,
01:23 don't fight it, right back into the chair.
01:26 If that didn't work and you haven't fallen over, then try it in the break.
01:29 If it did work, I hope you haven't broken anything. Enjoy the show.
01:33 [Music]
01:39 Fairgrounds. Amidst the swirling, hypnotic appeal of lights, rides, candyfloss sugar highs
01:45 and sticky waltz of vomit, we come to test ourselves and find our limits.
01:50 There are certain situations which are so intense that people caught in them
01:55 achieve perfect synchronicity with each other.
01:58 Horror films and fairground rides are just two examples.
02:02 Oh, look at you two standing there. Can I borrow you for a minute?
02:04 Come stand up on these stools. I can put you there. And you there, what's your name?
02:07 Lewis.
02:08 Lewis, I'm Darren and?
02:09 Beverly.
02:10 Beverly, very pleased to meet you. Are you two going out together?
02:12 Yeah.
02:13 Perfect. How long have you been going out for?
02:14 Two years.
02:15 Two years. Now you must probably find during that time that there are moments
02:18 when you both know what the other person is about to say.
02:21 Or that you find yourself almost sort of so in tune with someone that you, yeah?
02:25 Do you both come out with the same thing?
02:27 Some people put that down to a psychic connection, I don't.
02:29 It's about understanding people. And when you've been going out with someone for a while,
02:32 you know, relationships are all about knowing how to make other people react in situations.
02:37 That's what this is about. I want to try something with you.
02:39 I'm going to give you each a pad. You take that for me.
02:41 And I'm going to give you a pen. All right? One for you and one for you, Beverly.
02:46 Now I'm going to put you on opposite cars of the water and I'm going to spin you around.
02:50 And I'm going to tell you at a specific moment to start drawing.
02:53 And when you do, you're both going to draw a picture.
02:55 Don't decide now what you're going to draw. All right?
02:58 Don't decide that until your pen touches the page. Okay?
03:01 I just want to try this. Does that make sense?
03:03 Yeah.
03:04 Okay. Come on. You come around here for me.
03:06 Beverly, I'm going to put you here.
03:08 In you go, sir.
03:10 I'm going to get in the booth.
03:12 Can you both hear me?
03:14 Lewis, Beverly, you ready?
03:19 Both of you clear your minds. Do not start drawing yet.
03:22 I'll tell you when I want you to start.
03:26 Imagine in front of you a screen.
03:29 A blank screen.
03:32 I'm going to get a little faster.
03:34 See that blank screen.
03:36 Imagine a picture starting to appear on that screen.
03:38 Get ready to draw.
03:40 Change your mind a few times about what you're going to draw.
03:42 Do not draw until I tell you to.
03:44 Get a little faster.
03:46 See the screen in your mind. Keep it blank.
03:48 I'm going to get a little faster and faster.
03:51 Spin it round and round.
03:53 Now, draw!
03:55 Draw what you see in your minds.
03:58 Quick as you can. Don't even think about it.
04:00 Just draw. Don't even think about it.
04:02 Draw what you see.
04:04 Can you both come out, please?
04:11 Picture up against your chest so I can't see.
04:14 Keep the picture hidden.
04:16 I've sent the pens back.
04:18 All right.
04:22 Are either of you religious?
04:24 No.
04:26 No? The only reason why I ask is that the lights and the rhythmic sounds
04:30 and the music of fairground rides is known to activate the frontal lobe of the brain.
04:35 The frontal lobe of the brain, when that happens, is often the one that activates the frontal lobe of the brain.
04:39 The frontal lobe of the brain is often attached to religious hallucinations and things that people have.
04:43 This is just something that happens.
04:45 Did either of you draw anything remotely religious?
04:48 No.
04:50 Yeah?
04:52 OK. Turn the pictures around. Show me what you drew.
04:57 What is this?
05:01 It's supposed to be an angel.
05:03 An angel? And what's this?
05:05 An angel. It's supposed to be.
05:07 What's this here?
05:09 That was the skirt and that was the wand.
05:11 And that's the halo. Angels have wands, don't they?
05:14 Is that the halo there?
05:16 It's quite hard to draw in waltzes.
05:18 I was just in the waltzer car and he's saying, "Let your mind go blank."
05:21 And then an angel popped into my head, so I just drew it.
05:24 And he drew the same. It's just weird.
05:26 It didn't look like an angel, but it was.
05:28 So, I don't know. It's just a bit freaky, you know?
05:31 Oh, I don't understand how he does that.
05:34 Maybe we're just a perfect macho.
05:37 Here at the Royal Holloway College,
05:44 every look, every gesture is designed to influence.
05:48 You're all psychology students, right? Yeah.
05:50 Does that mean that when you're talking to people
05:52 that they think you're constantly trying to analyse them?
05:54 Do you get that? No, it's OK. Everyone says that.
05:56 It's great.
05:58 I'm going to play this game with you. This is my favourite game.
06:01 Simple game. Two envelopes.
06:04 A £5 note.
06:06 I'm going to seal this one on the envelopes.
06:08 The three of you have to look the other way while I do this.
06:11 Right the other way. Literally face that way. Go.
06:13 OK. Go.
06:15 OK. Turn back and look.
06:21 Very simple. Alex, if you touch one with the money, you can keep it.
06:24 If you miss it and go for the wrong one, I'm afraid you can't.
06:26 All right? Go. Touch one.
06:28 See what I did there? I'm saying if you touch the one with the money in it
06:31 and I move this one, I'm consciously signalling to you that's the one with the money in,
06:34 which of course isn't this one over here.
06:36 I also brought that one towards you as your finger came in.
06:38 Get the idea? Uh-huh. This is great.
06:40 We'll play with a tenner. You missed on the fiver.
06:42 Go. Perfect.
06:44 All right. £10.
06:49 I'll give them a mix under the table so you can't see.
06:51 Free choice. Just put your finger on any one you like.
06:57 It's a free choice. The one you choose is the one you have.
07:00 Now, can you see what I'm doing?
07:02 Can you see this with my hand? Exactly.
07:04 Which of course it isn't. It was in the other one.
07:06 Did you get the idea? Yeah.
07:08 Fantastic. You missed on the ten too.
07:11 We'll play with 20. All right?
07:13 £20.
07:17 It's great.
07:19 Again, a mix still.
07:23 OK.
07:26 I'll do that.
07:28 Now just think, all right? Am I trying to make you pick that one
07:30 because I put the money over here by doing that?
07:32 Or is it a kind of bluff,
07:34 and actually I know you'd never go for that one
07:36 and I had in fact put the money there.
07:38 Or is it a double bluff, and I know that you'd be able to second guess
07:40 that one, that you would go for that one,
07:42 and in fact I put the money over here after all.
07:44 So is it a bluff or is it a double bluff?
07:46 Or is it a triple bluff? Exactly. Choose.
07:48 What do you think?
07:50 That one.
07:54 That one? Yep. Sure? Yep.
07:56 Actually it was a complete bluff because I forgot which one it was.
07:58 OK, that was luck on my part.
08:02 It was in the other one. Very good though.
08:04 £50.
08:06 You play with me. You play with me.
08:08 All right? Tell you what, I'll look the other way.
08:10 Get another envelope.
08:12 Keep your finger on this one because you want to keep track
08:16 of where it is, all right? Keep your finger on that one.
08:18 I'll look the other way. Mix them around.
08:20 When you're done, lift your finger off so you know the one that it's in.
08:22 OK, I'm going to look over here.
08:24 OK. Mix them around. Go.
08:26 Done? Done.
08:30 All right. I'm going to ask you,
08:32 is it here, is it here, is it here?
08:34 You have to say yes to each one.
08:36 All right? Is it in this one? Yes.
08:38 Is it in this one? Yes.
08:40 Is it in this one? Yes.
08:42 Is it in this one? Yes.
08:44 OK.
08:46 You have better ideas there.
08:50 That's right. Let's do this with...
08:52 We'll do this with 50, all right?
08:54 50 pounds.
08:56 Mix them up.
09:02 OK.
09:06 I'll tell you what,
09:08 I'll put the rest of the money on it as well, all right?
09:10 So it's 50 plus 20, 70, 80,
09:12 85, and that... Andy,
09:14 have you got that... Where's that watch?
09:16 Take that off you.
09:18 And his watch as well, all right?
09:20 So that's 85 quid and Andy's watch
09:22 for the last envelope, and I'll tell you...
09:24 I feel bad
09:26 because you keep losing.
09:28 I don't know if it's in this one.
09:30 I trust you.
09:32 If you don't trust me, it's up to you.
09:34 I trust you. It's in that one.
09:36 But I will also give you five seconds to change your mind
09:38 so you know this was completely fair,
09:40 and you don't feel manipulated in any way.
09:42 That's the money if you win. You've got five seconds.
09:44 Does that feel right? That feels right.
09:46 Do not change your mind if that feels right.
09:48 Five seconds to change your mind there if you want.
09:50 Five... No, don't.
09:52 Four... You stick with it. Yeah.
09:54 Stick with it, I'm telling you.
09:56 Three... Trusting me.
09:58 Two... One...
10:00 Stick with it. Zero.
10:04 I can't believe you believe me.
10:06 It was in the other one.
10:08 Thank you so much.
10:10 I think he was predicting the way I was going to behave
10:12 before I knew I was going to behave like that.
10:14 (MUSIC)
10:16 Shopping malls.
10:18 Modern cathedrals to spending money.
10:20 They're designed to disorientate us
10:22 and make us stay longer than we need to.
10:24 Every brick is there to manipulate us to buy.
10:26 It's the perfect place to find a large number of compliant people to affect.
10:28 Welcome to the Wiccan Centre, Croydon.
10:30 We hope your shopping experience has been uplifting enough,
10:32 and I'd like to bring to your attention
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11:10 Details of our special offers
11:12 can be found handily by the list,
11:14 so why not come right up
11:16 and see for yourself.
11:18 These offers will only be available
11:22 for a short period of time,
11:24 so all customers wishing to reach up
11:26 and grab this exciting opportunity
11:28 should do it now.
11:30 [Sirens]
11:32 I was shopping around with my friends
11:42 and all of a sudden my hand just went up
11:44 and I don't know what happened.
11:46 It was quite embarrassing, but I don't know.
11:48 It just feels weird.
11:50 We were just walking around
11:56 and we heard him speaking
11:58 and we got there and up at the same time.
12:00 It made me feel better because everyone was
12:08 doing it at the same time, but I just didn't know
12:10 why I'd done it.
12:12 I'm being brainwashed.
12:16 Coming up after the break,
12:18 I'll give ex-SAS soldier Chris Ryan
12:20 the opportunity to out Whitney on an assault course.
12:22 Be as nasty as you like.
12:24 And I'll give a ghost train operator
12:26 a taste of his own medicine.
12:28 Do you like to see people coming out scared?
12:30 Yeah.
12:32 Very good to meet you.
12:48 How long have you run the ghost train
12:50 for here at Margate?
12:52 March last year.
12:54 I've run it a number of times.
12:56 I guess you've been in it to check it when there's stuff wrong.
12:58 Does it at any level, do you still find it scary?
13:00 No.
13:02 Did you ever find it scary?
13:04 No.
13:06 Do you get a kick out of scaring other people when they go on it?
13:08 I usually stand at the other end and shout at people
13:10 when they're coming out.
13:12 Do you like to see people coming out scared?
13:14 Yeah.
13:16 Just come and show me the front seat here.
13:18 Show me how that works.
13:22 Can you just get in there for a second?
13:24 Yeah.
13:26 And then that just comes down like that.
13:28 Excellent.
13:30 Thanks for showing me.
13:32 It's just that it's interesting sometimes to know
13:34 why we do our jobs
13:36 and to think about the things that
13:38 affect us, haunt us, and the things we really scare about.
13:40 Look straight ahead.
13:46 [Sounds of a car crashing into a building]
13:48 How was that?
14:14 What?
14:16 I can't move.
14:18 Why not? What happened?
14:20 How are you feeling?
14:22 That's weird.
14:24 No, it shouldn't be that scary.
14:30 My hands are sweating,
14:32 my heart's pounding,
14:34 and my stomach's doing cartwheels.
14:36 This thing is not scary.
14:38 It is the unscariest ghost train in the planet.
14:40 I'm going back out now.
14:42 What?
14:44 I'm not going back out now.
14:46 I've fucking shit myself.
14:48 The next piece is genuinely dangerous.
14:56 Chris Ryan was in the SAS for 10 years
14:58 and escaped from behind Iraqi lines
15:00 during the Gulf War.
15:02 He'll clearly be a tough person
15:04 to read and manipulate.
15:06 I took him to a bunker at Greenham Convent
15:08 and he was in there for a while.
15:10 I took him to a bunker at Greenham Convent.
15:12 The purpose of me being here today
15:14 was to see him fail.
15:16 I was trying to push him the wrong way
15:18 right through until the end
15:20 when he actually fell from the podium.
15:22 If he hurt himself, it's part of the game.
15:24 What you see here, Chris,
15:28 is a network of planks.
15:30 Planks that were five feet
15:32 above this solid concrete floor.
15:34 You are going to booby trap these
15:36 to form an assault course for me,
15:38 leaving one safe path
15:40 from the start, which is right over there,
15:42 to the finish, which is here.
15:44 Let me show you what we've got here.
15:46 There's broken glass,
15:48 razor blades,
15:50 careful,
15:52 razor wire and nails.
15:54 Now bear in mind when we do this,
15:56 I will be barefoot,
15:58 so be as nasty as you like.
16:00 I can do that.
16:02 The end of the assault course is here
16:04 and there are three concrete podiums
16:06 for me to fall off
16:08 and one crash mat
16:10 for me to land on.
16:12 You position that crash mat
16:14 by one of the three podiums.
16:16 Does that make sense?
16:18 Yes, it does.
16:20 Good.
16:22 Come with me down the end.
16:24 Let me show you the start.
16:26 Stand face down for a minute for me.
16:28 Now, would you be happy
16:30 walking down that?
16:32 Absolutely.
16:34 You would? Yes.
16:36 What about now? Absolutely not.
16:38 Not at all? No, not a chance.
16:40 For me, I can assure you,
16:42 this is a genuinely frightening prospect.
16:44 Will you tie that for me, Chris?
16:46 Nice and tight.
16:50 Great. Okay.
16:52 Fantastic.
16:54 Okay.
16:56 Alright.
16:58 I'm going to leave you to make the course.
17:00 Could you see through this blindfold?
17:02 Fantastic.
17:04 Whilst I know the shape of the course,
17:12 I have no idea which path Chris will leave safe for me.
17:14 And to restrict my balance even more,
17:18 I ask him to tie my hands behind my back.
17:20 Chris, now I cannot see a thing,
17:24 but just so that people at home trust that,
17:26 I'm going to ask you to do one more thing for me.
17:28 As you leave,
17:30 you'll see there's the box on the cables
17:32 and plugs for the lights run into.
17:34 On top of that is a key.
17:36 When you turn that key, all the lights will go out.
17:38 The room will be plunged into absolute darkness.
17:40 Then you'll go out, you'll close the door,
17:44 sealing me in alone,
17:46 and you'll be taken through to the control room
17:48 where you'll be given a headset, we can carry on talking.
17:50 Darren, can you hear me?
17:52 Yeah, I can hear you, Chris.
17:54 Are you ready? I'm ready to go.
17:56 Okay.
17:58 You should have in front of you
18:00 four monitors connected to night vision cameras.
18:02 Correct.
18:04 That's three cameras that are fixed along this course,
18:06 and the fourth one is a remote camera,
18:08 which can be controlled by Aaron,
18:10 who should be sat next to you in the control room.
18:12 Can you see all of that? Does that make sense?
18:14 Yes, I can see it, yes.
18:16 Okay, fantastic.
18:18 Now, Chris, listen very, very carefully.
18:20 I'm going to ask you for directions
18:22 across this course.
18:24 When you give me the directions,
18:26 you can lie,
18:28 or you can tell the truth.
18:30 It is up to you.
18:32 My job
18:34 is to correctly read your vocal signals
18:36 and maneuver myself safely across the course.
18:38 Does that make absolute sense?
18:40 Yes, it does.
18:42 Okay.
18:44 Now, I may try to trick you
18:46 into telling me the truth,
18:48 but no matter how much I plead,
18:50 or beg, or cry like a brownie,
18:52 don't buckle.
18:54 Your job is to mislead me.
18:56 Does that make sense?
18:58 Yes.
19:00 Then we shall start.
19:02 First one, though, I would like you to be honest about,
19:04 just so that I can hear what you're like
19:06 when you're telling the truth.
19:08 So just to start with, just for the first one,
19:10 is it right, left, or forward?
19:12 Then that's my right and my left.
19:14 Right.
19:16 I go right. I cannot believe you fell for that one, Chris.
19:18 Okay.
19:20 All right.
19:22 Now, you've probably been in a position
19:24 where you've had to tell whether or not
19:26 somebody was lying.
19:28 What things in their voice would you listen for?
19:30 Maybe a bit of nervousness.
19:32 A bit of nervousness, hesitation?
19:34 Yes.
19:36 Is it forward, right, or left now?
19:38 Right.
19:40 You were so careful to hide any hesitation there, Chris.
19:42 I think it can't be left, because I've just been there,
19:44 so it must be forward.
19:46 You are obviously fibbing.
19:48 These are four paces long,
19:50 given my stride.
19:52 What size feet have you got, Chris?
19:54 Nines.
19:56 So at home, would you prefer a moccasin
19:58 or a more conventional slipper?
20:00 Never wear slippers.
20:02 Is it right, left, or forward here?
20:04 It is right.
20:06 You said that with a strange, conspicuous roll of the "I."
20:08 You're obviously a little self-conscious.
20:10 Let me do this one again.
20:12 Is it right, left, or forward?
20:14 It is left.
20:16 I'm going to go forward.
20:18 Chris, tell me your full name.
20:20 Chris Ryan.
20:22 What's your mother's maiden name?
20:24 Jackson.
20:26 What's your father's maiden name?
20:28 Is it right, left, or forward?
20:30 It is left.
20:32 Strange sort of hesitation there.
20:34 Don't believe you. I'm going forward.
20:36 I'm going to back up.
20:42 I think I was a little too cocky there.
20:44 Hang on.
20:46 Hang on.
20:48 Okay. I'm sorry.
20:58 Let me do this one again.
21:00 Okay, Chris, sorry.
21:02 Will you say right for me?
21:04 Right.
21:06 Say left.
21:08 Left.
21:10 Right. Left.
21:12 Left.
21:14 Right.
21:16 Left.
21:18 Right.
21:20 Left.
21:22 Right.
21:24 I'm sorry. Hang on.
21:26 Fuck.
21:30 Sorry, Chris.
21:32 I've genuinely got myself in a muddle here.
21:34 I need to genuinely hear whether it is right or left.
21:36 Can I just ask you just this one time to tell me honestly?
21:38 Is it right or left?
21:40 Trust me. Take a left.
21:42 Shit.
21:44 Are you being honest with me?
21:46 Is it really left or are you just saying that because you think I'm trying to catch you out?
21:48 I'm not trying to catch you out. Is it left? Is it really left?
21:50 Trust me.
21:52 It's left.
21:54 There's no way after I caught you out the first time that you'd do that again.
22:02 And I don't trust your trust me.
22:04 I'm going down here.
22:06 Jesus Christ.
22:08 If I've remembered the course correctly, I am now at the end of the course.
22:10 I think I'm on the middle of the three podium at the end.
22:12 Chris, I'm going to number these.
22:14 Let me just work my way across here.
22:16 This we will call podium number one.
22:18 And I'm going to go down here.
22:20 And I'm going to go down here.
22:22 And I'm going to go down here.
22:24 And I'm going to go down here.
22:26 And I'm going to go down here.
22:28 And I'm going to go down here.
22:30 And I'm going to go down here.
22:32 And I'm going to go down here.
22:34 This we will call podium number one.
22:36 Podium number one. Alright?
22:38 Okay.
22:40 Get back.
22:42 This is number two.
22:46 Fine.
22:48 And the next one is number three.
22:52 Now, Chris, you've placed the crash mat under just one of these three podium.
22:56 I need to know which one of these is safe for me to jump off.
23:02 So I'm going to ask you the same question three times.
23:06 Chris, you give me the same answer three times.
23:10 And the answer is always yes.
23:14 Podium number one, is it safe?
23:19 Yes.
23:21 Podium number two, is it safe?
23:24 Yes.
23:26 Podium number...
23:31 ...two...
23:33 ...three.
23:39 Usually you can tell by their eyes or possibly body movement, but obviously he didn't have any of them.
23:44 It was absolutely amazing. I would have liked to have seen him fail.
23:47 That was the whole idea.
23:49 And I would have liked to have seen it happen.
23:51 But unfortunately it didn't.
23:53 I was just, "What? What's going on?"
23:56 I don't know. I feel kind of sick from that, to be honest.
23:59 No. That's really... no.
24:02 Every double bluff or triple bluff he pulled, I thought, "Okay, look back. Think more about this."
24:07 And I still fell for it.
24:08 No. I shouldn't be opening. I need to drink.
24:12 ...coming, sat there in his white jeans, wanting me to fail.
24:15 I don't know what he had against me. I'm sure it was nothing to do with my overuse of the word "podium,"
24:19 which I hoped would irritate him a little bit more than it did.
24:22 Some people.