Derren Brown to question religion

Illusionist Derren Brown is planning a new Channel 4 show, which sees him trying to convince American religious leaders that he is the Messiah.

The show, titled Messiah, will focus on many religious and spiritual beliefs.

Brown told The Sun, "We so often take for granted the information we receive from writers, preachers and public speakers and we are encouraged to make life decisions on what they tell us - but what if we are relying on false information?

"Messiah is a documentary-style show where I go to America and get to meet those influential people behind certain belief-systems. Two targets are new-age beliefs and mainstream Christianity.

"Can I get those people who are responsible for the beliefs of hundreds of thousands of people, to endorse me as being the real thing?"

He added, "I am not knocking people's genuine beliefs. The agenda of this show is only to raise questions. People are not mocked or made to look stupid.

"But there will be people out there who, like me, are already very sceptical of the belief systems I question and I'd be delighted if the show nudged some people into a more questioning frame of mind."