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Michael Bentine and his paranormal history

cappsie

New Blood
C
Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
8
Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, but not new to James Randi and his debunkings.

I recently read Michael Bentine's Through the Door Marked Summer. In it he describes some interesting, personal attributes as well as a student allegedly unleashing some kind of nasty spirit.

I wanted to know if there was any substances to his claims.

I have searched this forum and there are no references to Michael Bentine whatsoever.

I would appreciate any and all input on your thoughts regarding him and his family past and history etc.

Thanks
Adam
 
I didn't know anything about Michael Bentine other than remembering Potty Time. But it is interesting that he was interested in parapsychology as well as science in general.

His interests included parapsychology. This was as a result of his and his family's extensive research into the paranormal which resulted in his writing The Door Marked Summer and The Doors of the Mind. He was, for the final years of his life, president of the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena.
Bentine was also interested in science. On 14 December 1977, he appeared with Arthur C. Clarke on Patrick Moore's BBC The Sky At Night programme. The broadcast was entitled Suns, Spaceships and Bug-Eyed Monsters - a light-hearted but refreshing look at how science fiction had become science fact, as well as how ideas of space travel had become reality through the 20th century. Bentine appeared in a subsequent broadcast on a similar theme with Patrick Moore in 1980. Following the death of Arthur C. Clarke, BBC Sky At Night magazine released a copy of the 1977 archive programme on the cover of their May 2008 edition.
Click to expand...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bentine
 
This snippet from Yaffle's quote is funny:

He was, for the final years of his life, president of the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena. Bentine was also interested in science.
Click to expand...
Kinda says it all, I think.

Welcome cappsie, AKA, Adam.
 
The skull mystery

Admittedly I didn't spend too long looking for this information, but:

The chairman of the Club asked whether I could see into the future, and I was pleased to report that I was not that unfortunate…‘Michael Bentine’ he informed me, ‘once gave a talk to us and said he had mistakenly been given an injection of a pure culture of typhoid.’ (Another man died immediately but Bentine was left in a coma for six weeks. When he regained consciousness his eyesight was ruined, leaving him myopic for the rest of his life) ‘…after which he knew when people were going to die as he ‘saw’ a skull superimposed over them …including his own son. Although I share in Bentine’s ability to see pictures (called ‘clairvoyancy) and also the fact that, like him, I was brought back from the brink of death after what is known as a ‘near death experience’, I could never imagine the fear that Bentine must have felt when he saw the skull superimposed over his very own son, who was soon to die in a plane crash. What a terrible legacy to have to bear. It is a little ironic that he was left with myopia, as this is the physical manifestation of extreme short sightedness, and yet the effect of his near-death experience was the psychic manifestation of long sightedness of a terrifying sort, resulting in these morbid glimpses of the future.

I have the links but cannot post due to the 15 min limit posts :(

Also:
In his autobiography, The Long Banana Skin, Bentine claimed whilst in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War he had visions through which he was able to tell whether his comrades would live or die. If he saw a skull super-imposed over their faces, he then knew they would not return from their next mission. Not the kind of talent to win friends and influence people, but certainly one to impress others with in later years, as he did when he recounted such tales on chat shows.

But is there any evidence that suggests he was always right?

Adam. :)
 
The problem is that these are anecdotes and the war ended 66 years ago. I don't really know what evidence you expect anyone to find.
 
cappsie said:
Admittedly I didn't spend too long looking for this information, but:

The chairman of the Club asked whether I could see into the future, and I was pleased to report that I was not that unfortunate…‘Michael Bentine’ he informed me, ‘once gave a talk to us and said he had mistakenly been given an injection of a pure culture of typhoid.’ (Another man died immediately but Bentine was left in a coma for six weeks. When he regained consciousness his eyesight was ruined, leaving him myopic for the rest of his life) ‘…after which he knew when people were going to die as he ‘saw’ a skull superimposed over them …including his own son. Although I share in Bentine’s ability to see pictures (called ‘clairvoyancy) and also the fact that, like him, I was brought back from the brink of death after what is known as a ‘near death experience’, I could never imagine the fear that Bentine must have felt when he saw the skull superimposed over his very own son, who was soon to die in a plane crash. What a terrible legacy to have to bear. It is a little ironic that he was left with myopia, as this is the physical manifestation of extreme short sightedness, and yet the effect of his near-death experience was the psychic manifestation of long sightedness of a terrifying sort, resulting in these morbid glimpses of the future.

I have the links but cannot post due to the 15 min limit posts :(

Also:
In his autobiography, The Long Banana Skin, Bentine claimed whilst in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War he had visions through which he was able to tell whether his comrades would live or die. If he saw a skull super-imposed over their faces, he then knew they would not return from their next mission. Not the kind of talent to win friends and influence people, but certainly one to impress others with in later years, as he did when he recounted such tales on chat shows.

But is there any evidence that suggests he was always right?

Adam. :)
Click to expand...

Admitting that you're clairvoyant around here is like telling people in a pick-up bar that you have venereal disease.

Welcome to the forum.
 
I think cappsie was quoting someone else who was talking about Bentine and then admitting that he was clairvoyant as well. I don't think it was cappsie admitting the he, himself, was clairvoyant. If I misinterpreted that, please let us know cappsie.

It will certainly alter the conversation.

Ward
 
I loved Michael Bentine's Potty Time as a kid and it's fantastic that it's gradually being released on DVD - I don't care if he believed in a load of old bollocks, he's still a hero of my childhood! :)
 
"Admitting that you're clairvoyant around here is like telling people in a pick-up bar that you have venereal disease."
I knew you were gonna say that.

Where's the frakin clap emoticon?
 
wardenclyffe said:
I think cappsie was quoting someone else who was talking about Bentine and then admitting that he was clairvoyant as well. I don't think it was cappsie admitting the he, himself, was clairvoyant. If I misinterpreted that, please let us know cappsie.

It will certainly alter the conversation.

Ward
Click to expand...

Hi wardenclyffe,

Better late than never. Yes, you are/were right. I didn't mean to claim I was clairvoyant but that Bentine claimed to have some clairvoyant-type 'gift'.

Best,
A.
 
cappsie said:
I have the links but cannot post due to the 15 min limit posts :(
Click to expand...

Welcome!

Post the links but replace the full stops with " dot " and someone will fix and post them for you. Maybe me if I'm still awake!

But-:

I'm willing to bet that there won't be convincing evidence of his psychic powers
 
cappsie said:
Hi all,

I'm new to this forum, but not new to James Randi and his debunkings.

I recently read Michael Bentine's Through the Door Marked Summer. In it he describes some interesting, personal attributes as well as a student allegedly unleashing some kind of nasty spirit.

I wanted to know if there was any substances to his claims.

I have searched this forum and there are no references to Michael Bentine whatsoever.

I would appreciate any and all input on your thoughts regarding him and his family past and history etc.

Thanks
Adam
Click to expand...


It's all in the mind, you know...
 
Sadly nothing new

Boy but this is a long-running thread. Best I can assume is Bentine's were anecdotes at best.

I've yet to see any 'powers' actually be proven under scientific testing.

A.
 
I don't suppose anyone found anything else by any chance? (I also wanted to pitch in as my original post was 2011 so it's kinda cool it's now 2022 and this thread and forum remain very much alive.) :D

Adam.
 
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