Derren Brown: The Events (Lottery)

What have Doctor Who, Simon Cowell and Derren Brown all got in common? That's right, they can all cause the nation to stop and collectively watch TV, even in this digital multi-channel age. Illusionist Derren's latest stunt was even broadcast across every Channel Four-affiliated station for 10 minutes last night, as he kicked off his "Events" series by predicting the result of the National Lottery, live...

Standing in an empty warehouse with two cameramen and a plasma screen, Derren had already predicted 5 of the 6 numbers on ping-pong balls aligned across a podium. The BBC broadcast was shown live on his TV (prompting most people to channel-hop just to make sure the delay wasn't big enough to be abused), and the numbers 2 11 23 28 35 39 were drawn by Camelot. With the draw over, Derren wrote those numbers (ignoring the bonus ball) onto a card and revealed that his own balls (which had been in full view to us, albeit from behind, the whole time) were indeed marked with the same numbers. He'd done it!

But how? There are a few common theories doing the rounds:

Clearly, Derren didn't predict the numbers in any psychic way, unless he's a supernatural being (a possibility) or, literally, the luckiest man alive. Otherwise he'd be a millionaire by now, let's face it. My own initial thought was that the camera was locked-off once Derren was standing next to the plasma watching the result (notice how he adopted a clenched, unmoving posture), the screen was cleverly split-screened and his podium of balls replaced by aides for balls with the correct numbers. However, others have reviewed the footage and say any screen-stitching is impossible to detect, which seems to rule that out.

Maybe there was some high-tech laser etching technology that can mark the balls with numbers seconds before Derren revealed them? I also heard a theory that the balls never had anything written on them, but technology exists to simply transpose a set of numbers onto some empty white balls (which were effectively tiny greenscreens). Hence why there was no live audience, as they'd have seen the blank balls he was holding?

I think the key thing to remember is that Derren didn't show us his prediction before the lottery draw, for suspiciously vague reasons of legality. But that makes no sense, because they're just numbers at the end of the day, and nobody could have quickly bought a ticket using his prediction anyway. So why all the secrecy? Hmm. It suggests his balls were unmarked beforehand, but somehow replaced or written on in the seconds after the draw had taken place...

Anyway, it was a fun TV moment (however it was achieved), and Derren will be back on Friday to actually explain how he did it. A part of me hopes the solution isn't as dryly technological as most people's theories are, but I'm at a loss to explain a more down-to-earth reason. Any imaginative ideas?


9 September 2009
Channel 4/More4/E4/FilmFour, 10.35pm