Brown has given his first interview since the show

Police in Jersey, where the stunt took place on Sunday, had earlier dismissed his performance as a hoax.

Asked whether the ammunition was real, Brown avoided a direct answer during an interview with radio station Xfm.

But he appeared to suggest he was pleased with the publicity generated by the Channel 4 show, which was watched by nearly three million viewers.

Asked about the ammunition, Brown replied: "All of that is answered on the show, and those are things we go into because we wanted to make a responsible show."

To actually have this question now, is it a hoax? For me that is great Derren Brown

The programme showed a blank round blowing the top off a plastic bottle from close range to demonstrate the damage that could be done even if the ammunition was not live.

Brown also said: "Coming back after the weekend and seeing this press question of was it real or was it not real, I couldn't have hoped for a better response."

He added: "Those aren't interesting questions to me, but to actually have this question now, was the whole thing real, was it not real? Is it a hoax? For me that is great, any magic performer in the country would give their right arm."

On Tuesday, Jersey police said no live ammunition had been involved and no one was at risk.

"There is absolutely no way that the States of Jersey police would allow anybody to put themselves at risk and shoot themselves dead," said Detective Chief Officer Lenny Harper.

The programme, recorded on a time-delay, showed Brown, 32, safely fire the pistol after a member of the public had apparently loaded it with one bullet in its six chambers.

A spokeswoman for Channel 4 said she could not deny the police version of events.

"Our website does conflict with what the police have said. There is not a lot else we can say," she said.