9. Stay relevant

Available for over a year

World War I and the Spanish Flu caused devastation. Estimates are that up to 120 million people died as a result of both in 6 years - many of them relatively young. It led to the revival of an already popular new religion: Spiritualism. Spiritualists believe that human souls survive bodily death and can communicate with the living. Harry Houdini, the great mystifier, had some experience with the religion. In his early career, he performed a spirit medium routine with his wife as part of a travelling medicine show. But later in life, he turned into a dogged crusader against what he claimed was a fraudulent faith. Derren Brown explores how Houdini was perhaps driven to this campaign by a complex mix of factors: personal grief following his mother's death, an informed understanding of the tricks they pulled and a master showman's instinct for staying topical. Houdini’s crusade played out most clearly in his explosive rivalry with the best-known medium of his day, Margery Crandon. A rivalry that was covered on the front pages of America’s newspapers more than the President. Presenter: Derren Brown Writer/Producer: Calum McCrae Additional research: Alice Homewood Sound designer: David Crackles Executive producer: Sophie Ellis Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Daniel Clarke A Strawberry Blond production for BBC Sounds and Radio 4