Derren Brown will try to turn an ordinary man into a "hero at 30,000ft" in his new show.

Viewers will watch as an unsuspecting member of the public is thrust into a series of potentially life-changing challenges set up by the illusionist.

Hidden cameras are used in the elaborate set-up which sees the man forced to make a split-second decision when he is tricked into believing he is on a plane that is about to crash.

Derren said: "He's not a loser, he's not massively shy, he's a very likeable guy, but he's just stuck in a rut and I think we all are at times. It is about setting up opportunities for him to take but it is always up to him to take them.

"I don't want to give too much away but it starts with a violent and aggressive situation and culminates with him being faced with the decision when there is an emergency in the air when he can be the hero on a plane that he believes is falling out of the sky and someone has to take the controls.

"It is very dark in places but ultimately its quite a positive show."

According to his website, Derren "fuses magic, suggestion, misdirection, psychology and showmanship to appear to have god-like skills".

In his 2006 show The Heist he persuaded a group of businessmen to take part in what they believed was a genuine armed robbery.

Other stunts have seen him play Russian roulette live on television and appear to pick the winning National Lottery numbers.

:: Derren Brown: Hero at 30,000 Feet is on Channel 4 at 10pm Wednesday September 8.