"Welcome to Cicero Pharmaceutical Solutions." "Our reach is global." "Our research, renowned." "And we would like to introduce you to Rumyodin." "Tonight I'm investigating the new wonder drug which is said to eradicate fear." "The drug was first tested on American forces in the 2003 Iraq War." "It initially gained notoriety within the military as troops were said to put themselves in extreme danger without a care for their own or their comrades' safety." "Continued testing has now led to widespread use within armed forces worldwide." "The results of these trials have been kept top secret... until now." "I'm here at the headquarters of Cicero Pharmaceutical Solutions to make a documentary about their new wonder drug called Rumyodin, which they claim completely eradicates the experience of fear." "Having been developed for the high pressure conditions of warfare, it is now being released for civilian use." "Tonight, we're going to follow the first members of the public to take this new drug." "Hello." "'These four participants are about to begin their course on Rumyodin 'to combat their fears and phobias 'and I'm going to follow their progress from day one." "'Nick Duffy suffers crippling social anxiety which makes him isolated." "'He also has an exaggerated fear of confrontation. '" "I'm quite nervous around new people and it's hard for me to talk to people I don't really know." "I did some volunteering in a shop a while ago and it was just hard to constantly try and talk to people, even for, like, 30 seconds." "I've seen things going on, like fights or where people are being aggressive, and I feel like I should have stepped in and I haven't done because I feel so anxious in situations like that." "Daniel Colbert's fear is heights." "If I was standing on the top of a really high building, then I would be scared shitless really." "Dan Cash also has a fear of heights, which has left him terrified of crossing even the smallest bridge." "I know it's irrational, I know it's just a bridge, but I freeze when I get to a bridge and I really don't like walking over them." "Katie Kneen's career as an actor is being held back by her inability to sing in public." "I've been to auditions where I've had to sing and any ability to sing just goes." "I get tense." "It's horrible and I know it's happening, that's the worst thing, and I can't do anything about it." "It's so frustrating." "Really eats away at you." "All four find their phobias are having a negative impact on their lives and have been selected by Cicero to be the first non-military users of the drug." "Cicero has invested millions bringing Rumyodin to the market." "Professor Gladwell, Director of Ramp;" "D, has been developing it for the private sector for the last nine years." "Today marks an important new stage in its development." "For our group, the first step on this journey will be an initial injection, followed by a carefully monitored course of medication." "The first dose of Rumyodin is an injection, so it gets into your system quicker." "If it works, it could change their lives dramatically." "You might notice some tingling in your fingers." "Another thing you might experience is colours becoming more vivid." "The thought that Rumyodin could really cure these fears and phobias might seem far-fetched... might seem far-fetched..." "That's a sterile swab." ".. and there's a good reason for that." "Rumyodin doesn't exist." "I made it up." "It hasn't been developed for the military anywhere," "Cicero doesn't exist either." "The injection they're getting is a saline solution and these capsules which they'll be given later contain nothing more medicinal than sugar." "What I'm really doing tonight is looking at the placebo effect, in the hope of proving something I believe that each of us has the innate psychological ability to achieve dramatic changes in our lives." "A placebo is a medication which has no medicinal properties at all." "But it's our belief in the drug that can make it work." "Capsules are more effective than pills as a placebo and an injection better than capsules." "And having the aura of science about them makes them work best of all." "They were best when they're branded, in shiny boxes, and when they're taken four times a day." "And different colours help with different ailments." "Research has shown that 75% of the response to antidepressants could be attributed to the placebo effect alone." "I want to test whether my four participants can get over their fears by believing in a little blue capsule, simply because of what they're told about it." "And if my thoughts about placebo are correct, it could change their lives for ever." "They each believe Rumyodin is real, that they're the first civilians to take it and I'm making a programme about it." "I'm making a documentary about Rumyodin because it is seemingly the most extraordinary breakthrough in neuroscience for a long time." "'For this to work, 'every part of their experience has been meticulously designed 'to increase the suggestion that they're taking a powerful drug, 'starting with Cicero HQ." "'My first challenge was to find a location big and impressive enough 'to be the HQ of a multi-national drug company." "'Then transform it into a credible 'pharmaceutical conglomerate's head office." "'The more prestigious the company looks, 'the more effective the placebo." "'Next, I had to fill the place with a large workforce led by" "'Professor Gladwell, a man with impressive medical credentials 'who apparently developed the drug." "They're all played by actors." "'The Rumyodin will come in the form of a blue capsule." "'Capsules are more effective than pills, as a placebo." "'And blue medication has a greater calming effect on the patient, 'ideal for fears and phobias." "'Suggestion is the most important part of placebo. '" "Good afternoon." "Welcome to Cicero." "'People need to be told by a figure of authority 'that the drug will work and in our case, that's Professor Gladwell. '" "It removes what we know as fear." "'His name, Gladwell, even my role 'as a documentary film-maker, is designed 'to increase suggestibility and the power of this wonder drug. '" "'Once in your system," "'Rumyodin will travel safely towards the central lobe of your brain. '" "A corporate video I've made, explaining how the drug will work on them adds a further layer of suggestion." "The group is only inches away from discovering the truth about Cicero." "All it would take is one wrong turn." "To reinforce their belief in the efficacy of the drug," "I set up an encounter with Jason and Chris, who are actors." "Jason's been briefed to explain he's been taking Rumyodin for four weeks and he's being tested to see how his fear responses have improved." "What we've got here are cards which Jason shows to me and if it's a green one, that's fine." "But if it's a red one, I administer an electric shock." "LAUGHTER" "Obviously, he will react to the shock." "That's unavoidable." "But we're more interested in his anticipation of that shock." "OK." "OK." "It's the level of his heart rate and his breathing, while he's expecting another shock, with the card you use." "When you're ready, Jason." "BUZZING" "Even though Jason does react to the electric shock, his heart rate doesn't increase significantly in anticipation of a red card." "And that's because we're looking at the heart rate of the medical assistant standing behind him, who is the one really wired up to the machine." "So our participants think they've seen proof that the Rumyodin works and that should greatly increase the placebo effect." "So in the lab area behind me, the participants are getting a first does of Rumyodin, in the form of an injection." "Because all the research shows that an injection increases the placebo effect." "In reality, they're just getting a saline solution." "We're going to tell them they may experience side-effects." "You might notice some tingling in your fingers and extremities." "Colours becoming more vivid." "Doctors have to tell patients about side-effects, but by doing so they can actually induce them." "But for us, if they feel the side-effects, it'll be our first indication that our experiment could work." "It's a couple of minutes since the injection." "What are you feeling?" "Everything's a bit brighter, everything looks lighter." "You can see detail quicker." "You can see detail quicker." "Really?" "That's extraordinary." "It's almost like you're looking at something in full HD." "Loads of things are popping out, like chairs and the red line on the floor." "and the red line on the floor." "And the sounds." "I swear there wasn't that many people talking and I can hear..." "I can pick out conversations as well." "On the end of the fingers, it's tingling." "It's like the arm feels stronger." "It's a weird sensation." "Dan Colbert, who has a fear of heights, didn't just have side-effects minutes after his first injection." "That's OK for you?" "Yeah." "I just don't feel a thing." "Your palms aren't sweating, there's no kind of...?" "No, heart's not racing." "Nothing." "It's extraordinary." "I just can't get over how soon... how quickly after the injection there's results like this." "'Dan's response is extraordinary and I believe that's because this is the 'first time so many layers 'of placebo have been used in one experiment." "'I've done everything I can to maximise the power of Rumyodin." "'In order for the group to overcome their debilitating fears, 'they must have complete faith that the drug is real and will work. '" "Back off." "Just..." "Tonight, I'm exploring the power of the placebo effect." "I'm following a group of people who think they are part of a documentary I'm making about a new wonder drug called Rumyodin." "And they have been told this drug will cure their fears and phobias, but, in reality, it's nothing more than a sugar pill." "Now, Daniel Culbert amazingly got over his fear of heights within minutes, but I've decided to test their other three in their everyday lives." "Nick has always suffered from crippling shyness and a fear of confrontation that has made almost any contact with strangers a problem." "A few years ago, when I was with a group of friends, we got attacked and I just couldn't deal with it." "As much as I wanted to stay with my group of friends and make sure everyone was all right, I couldn't and I just legged it as far as I could." "I beat myself up about that for a very long time." "Still even thinking about it," "I just feel ridiculous for having run away." "At uni I do journalism, so that involves talking to a lot of people and I struggle trying to talk to people and ringing people up and trying to get information from them." "It affects my life in general, really." "Just about to take my first Rumyodin of the day." "I take four everyday." "I've been seeing a few changes." "Things are going really well." "I'm much more confident and less fearful." "Nick is a journalism student and his pathological fear of talking to strangers is affecting his grades." "But after taking Rumyodin, he says he's feeling confident enough to interview people on the street." "I don't know if you've heard about the airport plans." "The good thing is it'll bring jobs to the area." "The bad thing is, it will bring more traffic to the A2." "It will bring many jobs to this area we desperately need." "If they build an airport nearby, do you mind?" "I do mind, actually." "You're against it?" "You're against it?" "Yeah, I'm against it." "Fuck the airport!" "That would have scared me witless before, especially he came in quite close, but... whatever." "Nick's doing so well, his confidence level is amazing to what it was before." "In the past, he's been unable to deal with confrontation." "I'm going to send in an actor who's been briefed to be aggressive, particularly with Jamie, our producer, and I want to see how Nick reacts." "I'm just feeling way more confident talking to people." "Way more confident approaching people in general." "Fucking X Factor." "From the difference from before?" "It's a huge difference." "All right, mate, sorry, just give us a second." "What?" "Sorry, I'm just doing an interview." "Yeah, don't mind me, mate." "OK, just ignore him." "If you think of going to the future..." "Mm-hm." "Going to the future?" "!" "Not going to the future, but if you think moving forwards." "Yeah, moving forwards." "What are you hoping?" "Um, obviously for uni, it's going to help me, knowing that I've got a year left." "It's a year I can spend doing a lot more." "And..." "Er..." "What's this?" "What are you doing?" "It's a microphone." "Is it a microphone?" "What you doing?" "What you doing?" "Filming." "What you making?" "You're making a film?" "Yeah." "A student film." "Student." "Can I be in it?" "Nah." "I can talk to you afterwards, once I finish." "Come on, talk to me." "I'll tell you loads of stuff, mate." "I've been around." "I know a fucking thing or two." "We can chat, but we can't chat right now." "So if you can do me a favour." "Just get out of the way, so I can finish off." "Fuck off, fuck off!" "All right." "Just back off." "Seriously?" "He's a fucking idiot." "Look at him." "I don't care." "Fucking pink jumper!" "Don't look at me like that!" "Back off." "Fuck you, mate!" "All right, all right." "You had your point." "Tell him to fucking back off, mate." "He's still looking at me." "Just don't." "Don't start anything." "You're a sound bloke, mate." "You're a sound bloke." "It's that fucking idiot." "Yeah?" "You all right?" "You do what you got do." "Yeah?" "Thanks." "Gillingham." "You just got right in the middle." "It just felt like what I had to do." "Well, he had more of a problem with you than he did with me." "It's amazing." "He's never done anything like that in his life and you can tell he's really stoked about it himself." "I'm so pleased." "So pleased for him, it's fantastic." "Thanks for stepping in, man." "I've done everything I can to increase the power of the placebo in the hope that the participants experience long-lasting changes." "One of the techniques I'm using is confirmation bias." "I've asked everyone to keep a video diary tracking the positive effects the drug is having." "By doing this, I'm suggesting the effects will be positive and encouraging them to notice changes that will reinforce the idea that the drug is working." "It's day one." "Day six." "I think I'm on day seven now." "I've been thinking more about Rumyodin and more about the effects of it." "It's to see how far it goes and how far I can push myself." "Dan Cash's fear of heights is so great, he has never walked over this tiny bridge in his home town without his friends to distract him." "I don't even think about walking over it." "I don't consider this way as a way I'd walk on my own." "Dan's keen to see if Rumyodin has cured him of his fear." "I do feel a bit anxious." "I don't know." "I don't like it." "It feels really horrible to be here." "And to be stood here and to be that..." "Agh." "He decides to take his next capsule and try again." "Sp this is the nice blue capsule I have to take four times a day." "Dan thinks that each dose takes about 15 minutes to kick in, so he's just taken a pill and hopefully this will give him the kick that he needs." "It's strange being on this bridge and being this comfortable." "It's still not hugely comfortable, but it's a definite improvement." "I can tell that already." "It feels really good because, obviously, I've just crossed it on my own." "I cannot believe that the effects, so far, are already so massive." "It's Nick and Dan's belief in my fake drug that's giving them permission to act as if their fears are no longer a problem." "But for Katie, who's terrified of singing in public, my placebo doesn't seem to be having the same effect." "I'm not going to lie, I haven't felt anything drastic, but I haven't really had the chance to test it." "Katie's an actress who wants to be in musicals, but has never sung on her own in front of an audience and can't even do it alone at home." "When I'm on my own, even if I'm on my own and the doors are shut, there is still that kind of niggling thing that stops you from kind of being completely free with it." "Which is what?" "Which is what?" "That somebody might hear you." "So when you are in front of an audience..." "It's massive..." "Katie has agreed to try and busk for me, something she would never have done before taking Rumyodin." "It's really daunting, all these people here." "I haven't run away yet." "Which is a good sign." "I'd say it is a bit more than a normal test, because this isn't just like an audition, this is putting me in front of a huge unknown audience." "This is a huge thing for me to do." "So I've left Katie over there." "I'm quite a distance from her now." "I want her to be quite exposed." "It has to be a real experience for her, so we're keeping well out of the way." "She is nervous." "She's definitely got a lot of apprehension." "I'm nervous for her, too, so I'm really hoping she can do this." "It will be fantastic for her." "She's great." "She's got a lovely voice." "I think she's stopped." "That's not the end of the song." "BACKING TRACK STOPS" "I think she's stopped." "OK." "Hi." "So what happened?" "Where I was, it sounded great, and then it sort of stopped." "Did you get the same...?" "Yes." "Like the same feelings." "I thought I might have cracked it, but I just had no control any more." "It was kind of getting worse and worse and worse." "So I just... .. bailed." "Up to that point, though, pretty amazing." "OK." "OK." "Yeah." "Are you able to carry on?" "I'd rather not, if that's OK." "OK." "Placebo doesn't work on everyone." "It's possible Rumyodin won't cure Katie's fear of singing in public." "But for it to have any chance at all," "I need her to see today as a success." "Before she started taking Rumyodin," "Katie would never have attempted to busk." "And if she concentrates on the positive aspects of today, there may still be a chance the drug will work." "It's a month since I started this experiment and things are still going well with Nick Duffy." "Things are a lot easier now." "Day-to-day things like going to the shops and talking to shopkeepers and not having to look for self-service tills, which, in the past, I did quite a lot." "You would have avoided people at tills before?" "I'd have gone to a till, but I wouldn't have liked to have gone up to a till." "I would have been silent." "Whereas now, I can have a conversation with the person at the till without dreading it." "So you've had a month of taking this to kind of get used to it." "Has it changed how you see the future, as opposed to maybe how you felt before you took Rumyodin?" "I don't really know what's going to happen in the future, but I'm sure it will be good and it will be a laugh and I'm looking forward to it." "I am so pleased and pleased you took the brave step of doing this." "That must have been a tough one." "Right at the start." "Thank you." "It's been good to see you again and I will see you soon." "Thanks for coming out." "Cheers, Nick." "Ah, it's amazing." "I'm so touched that he's made these changes." "But I do also really want to galvanise this and make sure this is real, so I'm planning something for him a little bit later." "He has no idea what that is." "I need to go and set it up now." "I've taken over his local pub and filled it with actors, stuntmen and secret cameras." "?" "4!" "Nearly?" "4 for this snakebite." "How does that work out?" "Years ago, Nick and some friends were attacked." "He was so frightened that rather than stay and help them, he ran off and has felt awful about it ever since." "I want to see if, with his new-found confidence, he would behave differently in a similar situation." "So a fight is going to break out and Nick's mates Alex and Ethan are going to need his help." "I want to see if he'll step in and save them or run away again." "Hey, students!" "Sorry, you forgot to pay for your drink." "Why don't you just pay him?" "Stop arguing." "I've got a tab going." "No, we don't do tabs." "No, we don't do tabs." "I've just come here for a quiet drink." "Are you the fucking bouncer I'll pay my beer, mate." "How much is it?" "How much?" "!" "How much is it?" "How much?" "!" "?" "3.60." "For a snakebite?" "!" "?" "3.60" "He's so relaxed." "He's just laughing and joking and not bothered by this loud man." "Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?" "We'll be starting the pub quiz in the next five to ten minutes." "See my friend Raj over here and sign up for it." "It'll only cost you?" "1." "It'll only cost you?" "1." "?" "1!" "That's what I'm talking about." "It's?" "1 for the pub quiz and?" "3.60 a pint." "How does that work?" "Mate, mate, please, thank you." "If you go and sign up," "I'll give you the money." "Do you know where to sign up?" "It's just over there, where the man with the, er..." "Just over there." "Do me a favour, yeah?" "Just stop it." "I've come for a quiet drink." "Just leave it, yeah?" "Have your drink, mate." "Are you for the quiz?" "With Nick signing up for the quiz, the actors know this is their cue to ramp up the aggression." "Here, mate!" "I've had enough of you!" "I've been here half an hour, in my ear!" "Oi!" "We're trying to have a drink in here." "Turn it in, will you?" "keep your nose out." "Buy your mum a drink." "Mug!" "Fuck it, I'm up now." "I'm up now." "What's it going to be?" "ALL SHOUT" "Sort him out!" "Any more of it, you're out." "It ain't me, mate!" "All big time and all that!" "Nick, Nick!" "He's my friend." "He's my friend." "It's not worth it." "You sit down and you shut up!" "You want it as well, do you?" "I said you sit down or I'll smash your head in." "Do as you're told." "Come on!" "I'm telling you." "I'm going to do you!" "Do you understand?" "Nick!" "Have some of that." "Nick!" "Nick!" "Come on, come on, then." "Nick!" "Nick!" "Mate, give us a hand." "Come on!" "Nick!" "Nick, help us!" "INDISTINCT SHOUTING" "SHOUTING CONTINUES" "No!" "Calm down." "Just leave it!" "Leave it?" "Leave it." "SHOUTING" "What's going on?" "Yeah?" "MEN SHOUT AT ONCE" "NICK INDISTINCT" "SHOUTING CONTINUES" "What happened?" "Guys just started..." "Oh." "Yeah?" "Oh, they got really aggressive." "And I didn't back down." "I don't know what..." "That was so not like me." "You're amazing." "And you saved your friends." "I didn't." "You did." "You went back." "You saved your friends." "You brought them out." "You could have just walked off." "You didn't." "Yeah?" "It's fantastic." "Take a breath." "Are you OK?" "Yeah." "Yeah." "All right." "I set the whole thing up." "It wasn't a real fight." "OK?" "They're just actors." "Come back in." "Come and say hello." "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "Well done, fella, well done." "Get him a beer." "Get him a beer." "Nick has overcome his fears, but there's so much more to this story." "And this is the magic little pill." "I have to take my night-time pill." "Just had the evening one." "It's time for me to take my pill again." "My group are not the only ones taking Rumyodin and it doesn't just cure fear." "So far in tonight's show, I've been helping people overcome their fears simply by giving them a placebo." "I set up a fake pharmaceutical company called Cicero and created a fake drug, Rumyodin, which I've said eradicates fear." "I can't believe that the effects so far are already so massive." "Just back off." "This is a huge thing for me to do." "But what these three don't know is they're not the only ones taking my placebo." "I tested the same placebo, Rumyodin, on various groups of people and told them all it was a cure for something different." "So, what's your allergy?" "So, what's your allergy?" "Hayfever and dust and pets." "Hayfever, horses." "I mainly get dermatitis on my hands." "Within weeks, all three in our allergy group told us their symptoms had cleared." "Matt's dermatitis has disappeared..." "Hands, still good." ".. and he can wear his wedding ring for the first time in months." "I really don't know what it is that you've given us, but I think it should be mandatory." "I told one group it would make them more intelligent, and then some of them rumbled us." "I'm not a complete idiot." "There is a very high possibility that this is obviously a placebo." "Maybe it worked too well!" "And what about smoking?" "Each year, more than 800,000 people try to give up smoking with the NHS using tablets and nicotine replacement therapies, but 51% of them fail within four weeks." "There are six in our smoking group." "I want to give up now because I've got quite bad asthma." "I'd really like to give up." "Obviously, it's quite expensive." "The health implications are a reason that I want to quit smoking." "I feel like I could quit, yeah." "Most expressed a strong desire to give up, apart from Ieuan." "The benefit of it is obvious if I give up, but realistically, I don't know because I enjoy it, so..." "Desire to change seems to play a big part in the placebo effect, so not surprisingly, it didn't work with Ieuan, but I'm meeting up with the others to see how they're getting on." "Hello!" "How are you doing?" "It's good to see you." "I've brought you to a pub because this is somewhere where previously, I guess, you'd have been probably wanting a fag by now." "How's it going?" "Are you all gagging for one?" "No." "Not at all." "No." "Not at all." "Really?" "You were trying various methods, having a really tough time?" "You were trying various methods, having a really tough time?" "I've never been able to shake the fact that" "I'm Nikki, I smoke, that's what I do." "I don't feel like that on Rumyodin at all, and that's really been fantastic." "That's fascinating." "So, aside from what it's physically doing inside your system, your sense of identity as a smoker has shifted?" "your sense of identity as a smoker has shifted?" "Definitely, yeah, definitely." "Congratulations." "Yay!" "In fact, all the remaining five participants either stopped smoking or dramatically cut down." "These are big life changes for our participants and they've been effortless." "We went to every length we could to pile on the placebo." "We changed the colour of the pill based on research - blue, where a calming effect is needed, and red for a stimulant." "I want the placebo to work on everyone, including Katie, who's been taking Rumyodin to end her paralysing fear of singing in public." "It's been two weeks since her unsuccessful attempt at busking, and Katie has again agreed to put my fake drug to the test." "I've arranged an audition for her onstage at one of the West End's biggest musicals, Mamma Mia!" "I am feeling nervous, but it's controlled." "I think when we get into the auditorium, it might be slightly different." "You guys ready?" "Yes." "Certainly are." "Next up we have Katie Kneen." "OK, Katie." "Oh, what's that for?" "I'm quite nervous." "Are you nervous?" "You seem a bit nervous. gt;" "My first impression of you, before you'd even said anything, was nerves." "I think we're done here." "Doing this today was something that I'd kind of," "I don't know, you dream about for such a long time." "It's sad not to be able to come and just go," ""Boom, here I am!" "This is me, I'm your next leading lady. "" "I just really, really want to be able to stand in front of an audience and just sing like I can." "Katie isn't responding very well to Rumyodin, and I may have to accept that the placebo simply won't work for her and find another way to give her the confidence she needs." "Meanwhile, Dan Cash, who previously had a fear of heights so great he found it hard to walk over bridges, is doing well on my fake drug." "It's just incredible how fast the Rumyodin worked." "It's just an amazing feeling." "So I'm in Doncaster today to meet Dan again and find out once and for all if his fear of heights, and bridges in particular, is well and truly gone." "Wow!" "Look at you, looking off the end of a massive viaduct." "I know!" "This is amazing." "And can you stick your head through?" "And can you stick your head through?" "Yeah." "No wooziness, no dizziness?" "No, not at all." "Dan appears to be transformed, but I really want to push him to his limit." "How about climbing up these stairs?" "OK." "Really?" "gt;" "Yeah." "Yeah, yeah." "Yeah, yeah." "Great!" "I thought you were going to..." "That's amazing." "I thought you'd say no." "We'll stick a harness on you." "'I'm going to tell Dan he's been taking a placebo." "'I want to see if the effects still work. '" "You on?" "You on?" "Yes, yeah." "You on?" "Yes, yeah." "Good." "Let's go." "Right..." "I can't believe you're doing this." "This is just..." "This is just..." "How do you feel?" "Show me your fingers." "I'm still fine." "I'm still fine." "You're steady." "I'm still fine." "You're steady." "Yeah." "It's amazing!" "You can do anything." "Let's sit on the top one." "Oh, my god!" "Wow!" "Wow!" "Look at you, Dan Cash!" "I can't believe I'm doing this!" "What's this like?" "This is amazing." "Now I know that I'm not scared of bridges or heights, that the phobia's gone in myself," "I know that I can do this, I've done it." "I just feel so much more optimistic, so much more positive." "And if you were talking to people about taking Rumyodin, if somebody said, "Oh, I don't know whether to take it,"" "what would you say?" "I'd say do it." "Definitely, do it." "Good." "Um..." "There is something I haven't told you about Rumyodin." "OK..." "I have some here." "Rumyodin is a placebo." "It's a sugar pill." "Oh, God!" "Just made it up." "Professor Gladwell is an actor." "Professor Gladwell is an actor." "OK." "Cicero doesn't exist." "You don't need any of these." "You did this completely on your own." "Wow." "All that happened was, I think you just gave yourself permission not to worry about it anymore." "That's just unbelievable." "I mean, that's unbelievable." "Yeah." "I thought it would work, but I didn't know quite how dramatically it would work." "I thought maybe we might get you over the bridge, but..." "You've been astonishing." "If you can end up like this, you can pretty much do anything." "Excellent." "I'm going to leave you up here on your own for a bit." "I'm going to leave you up here on your own for a bit." "OK." "Could you stand up?" "Just stand up, and take it in." "This harness will hold you, you won't fall off." "Stand on the stair?" "Yeah, yeah, just stand up." "I believe we all have the resources to make powerful changes in our lives if we give ourselves permission, and it's this shift in attitude that has allowed Dan to get over his fear of heights." "I'm hoping all the participants in this experiment will see a permanent change, even after they find out that Rumyodin is just sugar." "Rumyodin is a placebo." "My participants in this experiment are about to find out that the medicine they've been taking is nothing more than a placebo." "I've been testing Rumyodin on various conditions, including fear, allergies, smoking and intelligence." "Until now, each group thought they were the only ones taking the drug, and that Rumyodin had been designed only for their circumstances." "All the groups are meeting for the first time at what they once thought was a drug company HQ." "But in reality, it's nothing more than a huge, empty office complex." "It was never going to be entirely straightforward, was it?" "Well, you'll have already realised there's a lot more of you taking" "Rumyodin and you thought." "Also, that people are taking Rumyodin for very different reasons." "Up until now, you've credited all of these changes you've experienced, some of them very dramatic, to a wonder drug that you've been taking." "From this point, from right now, you can stop doing that." "This is entirely down to you." "Rumyodin is a placebo." "It was actually sugar." "And that's all it is." "The reason why this has worked is that you first of all trusted the fact there was a resource." "The resources were there." "And then you give yourself permission to just act as if the thing wasn't a problem." "That was not the Rumyodin doing it, that was you doing it." "You were told at the beginning that the effects of Rumyodin work after you stop taking it, and now you know why." "You've set up new ways of thinking, and you don't need the placebo any more to do that." "Rumyodin doesn't exist." "Rumyodin is... is "your mind"." "Excellent." "Give yourselves a huge hand, because you've done..." "You're astonishing people." "Congratulations." "Pretty mad to just find out that Rumyodin is a placebo and there's nothing in it." "And to think that the last 18 days of me not smoking has been done entirely through my own willpower." "'I don't think finding out it's a placebo will change anything. '" "It'll still have the same effect and the effects are still hopefully going to be there, and last." "There is one person that Rumyodin didn't really work for, and that's Katie." "But I have one last chance." "I feel she made some improvements, so there's a possibility that finding out it was a placebo might be enough to give her an extra burst of confidence as she takes credit for what she has achieved." "To test this, I've given her a song to practise, but I haven't told her why." "Hello!" "Hello!" "Hello, how are you doing?" "So nice to see you." "So nice to see you." "You too." "How are you doing?" "Are you good?" "Yeah." "It's been a while since I last saw you." "And how has it been since?" "I think the placebo thing, when it kind of came out, it made me feel empowered, a lot more powerful than I was before." "That's so lovely." "And the singing's improved as well, I hear?" "It's just confidence." "Just being able to stand and go," ""Yeah, this is what I'm going to do. "" "That's really good." "I'm so delighted." "Excellent." "Katie, thank you so much, and thank you for coming out today." "Katie, thank you so much, and thank you for coming out today." "No problem." "And look there, and then you can just sleep." "That's it." "You can stand and sleep quite comfortably." "That's good." "I'm going to sit you down and you can sleep quite comfortably there." "And I want you to sink right the way down." "I'm right there with you." "'I've used a snap induction on Katie to put her to sleep 'and get her from A to B, but when she comes round in a few minutes, 'she'll be completely wide-awake and back to normal. '" "Just sit straight back down." "That's good." "So when you open your eyes, you'll then get your five-minute call." "And the curtain opens, and you'll sing the song that you've practised." "It just feels like home." "After about a minute, then, you'll find yourself waking up." "KNOCK ON DOOR" "OK, Miss Kneen, I just wanted to give you your five-minute warning." "You can get changed behind the blinds, and if you want to do any final warm-ups, now would be a really good time." "Thanks." "KNOCK ON DOOR" "OK, Miss Kneen, we're ready for you." "RHYTHMIC CLAPPING" "Katie, Katie, Katie!" "Katie, Katie, Katie!" "Do you want to follow me?" "CHANTING AND CLAPPING CONTINUE" "CHANTS GROW LOUDER" "Thank you, it's show time." "Moving into position now." "Just step here, step here." "And this here is your mark." "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "CHEERING CONTINUES" "CHEERING" "It's about three weeks on now, and things just haven't died down at all." "There's been no slipping back into old ways." "If anything, the changes are for good." "Even though I know it is a placebo now, everything is still amazing, and it's made me realise that I've done it all on my own." "It's a new life" "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "Next week, I'll be looking at what could be the biggest placebo of them all" " God." "Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd"