TV séance causes uproar

Derren Brown's live Séance, which aired this week (Monday 31st), has achieved the distinction of becoming one of the most complained about television programmes ever - adding to last year's outburst over his Russian Roulette stunt.

The aim of the show was to expose the Victorian ritual which fooled millions at the time and has been the subject of much controversy ever since. He was following in the footsteps of another well known entertainer who devoted much of his life to exposing fake mediums and the like. That man, of course, was none other than the great Harry Houdini.

TV regulator Ofcom have already received 208 complaints about Brown's exposé, while Channel 4 have had 400 calls and 97 letters. Most of these complaints were received before the show was televised and were principally from church groups.

A Channel 4 spokeswoman said: "Obviously this was a very thought-provoking show and was always going to be controversial. We hope that viewers found it enjoyable and entertaining."

These figures have made the show the third most complained about programme in TV history, behind the airing of the Martin Scorsese film The Last Temptation of Christ in 1995, which received 1,554 complaints and the Brass Eye special on paedophilia which attracted 992 complaints in 2001.