The Simpsons put out a new holiday special in December called “O C’mon All Ye Faithful.” What makes this newsworthy of THE EYE is that this episode, which aired 35 years after the first Simpsons Christmas special in 1989, features a cartoon version of Derren Brown, voiced by the mentalist himself.
The premise is that Brown comes to Springfield, ostensibly to use psychological tricks and showmanship to raise the town’s Christmas spirit, as famous British mentalists are wont to do. As part of that effort, he hypnotizes Homer, who then can’t seem to shake the idea that he’s Santa Claus. Doh!
I won’t spoil the intricacies of the plot here, but will tease that the special includes Derren saying lines about how he used to be a big nerd before he became a magician, and that he professes that he’s a very famous British mentalist, much to the skepticism of Springfield. The special is now streaming on Disney+ in the U.S.