Trick or Treat is a British television show hosted by Derren Brown. The
focus of the show is on one person selected from a pool of
volunteers who responded to adverts in the national press to take part
in the show. The experience the volunteer receives is decided by which
card they choose. If they choose the card that says 'Trick' they
receive a bad experience and if they choose the card that says 'Treat'
they receive a good experience.
This distinction is not always obvious, however: in Series 2, a
participant's dark experience of being persuaded to kill a
kitten was a 'treat' because of the positive attitude to life Derren
believed she would consequently develop; similarly, a volunteer who
chose a 'trick' was kidnapped, but had been taught escapology techniques which enabled her to easily escape.
The subject is put into a trance and wakes up at the scene of a
staged road traffic accident in which she sees herself dead in her car.
She is unable to move and the 'rescue personnel' do not respond to her
presence. Prior to its broadcast, this episode was criticised in the Daily Mail newspaper for trivialising the issue of road deaths and potentially harming the subject psychologically.
In the main plot, Derren's "trick"-victim is Steven, whom he gives a
taste of temporary lunacy.
The subject is firstly kidnapped in a London taxi cab and then becomes a street madman. Side plots include Derren showing to Martin Freeman the power of new
age crystals and a group of bankers guessing the number of pieces of
candy in a jar and coming up with a numerical equivalent.
In the main plot, Derren's "Trick Or Treat"-victim is 21 year old
Yshani, whom he teaches to play the piano to concert standard in one
week. In the end, she gives a piano recital at London's Wigmore Hall.
The subject, an elderly lady, is taught how to read bluffs and play poker. She takes part in a tournament with professional poker players and is beaten only by a fluked final hand.
Performance 
