1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:27,000 This week, the verdict from Arthur C. Clarke, scientist, writer and visionary, the scientist 2 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:33,000 who invented the communication satellite, the writer of 2010, and now in retreat in Sri Lanka, 3 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,000 the visionary who ponders the riddles of this and other worlds. 4 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:11,000 I'm slightly embarrassed to tell you something that happened when this building was first opened. 5 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:18,000 My friends established it here at the University of Mauritua near Colombo, and it's rather important to me, 6 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,000 not merely because of the name. 7 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:29,000 The Clarke Center will provide facilities for training and research in modern technologies, especially satellite communications. 8 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:34,000 The big dish is receiving television signals from all over the world. 9 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,000 So this is a center for modern science. 10 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:46,000 Yet the auspicious time for the opening ceremony was decided not by the university authorities, but by the local astrologers. 11 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:53,000 This kind of insurance, a bow to the forces of the supernatural, is part of the Sri Lankan way of life. 12 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:59,000 Although of course I don't believe in it, I find it rather charming, and it's certainly given me an opportunity 13 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,000 to study belief in the supernatural at first hand. 14 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Two of Sri Lanka's most popular fortune tellers work in this crowded street in Colombo. 15 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:16,000 They're called Raja and Rani, and as you'll see, they're rather colorful characters. 16 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:23,000 Will you ask him to tell me my fortune? 17 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:24,000 Yes, sir. 18 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,000 I would, uh, nairangala patasalinga. 19 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,000 One rupee, sir. 20 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,000 Oh, one rupee, that seems very reasonable. 21 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:32,000 Okay, here we go. 22 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:37,000 Oh. 23 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:40,000 Oh. 24 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:52,000 Uh, uh, you're a business and your job, you will be success. 25 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,000 My business will be success, yes, right? 26 00:02:54,000 --> 00:03:02,000 Uh, uh, uh, there are no enemies for you. 27 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:03,000 I have no enemies, yes. 28 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,000 Oh, that's very nice to know. 29 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:08,000 Uh, in your business, you will get a good profit. 30 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,000 Yeah, I'll get a good profit, Mr. Vastanaj to know. 31 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:15,000 Uh, the price ever wrong, uh, never make a mistake. 32 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,000 Thank you very much. 33 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,000 Astrologers and fortune tellers are everywhere. 34 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:43,000 In the heart of the fort, Colombo's main business and shopping district, 35 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:48,000 Ms. Kasala Gunaratna has a steady stream of clients at her pavement stall. 36 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,000 A respected astrologer and palmist, she's so popular 37 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,000 that there's always a cue for her readings. 38 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,000 And what kind of questions do they usually ask? 39 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,000 Good luck. 40 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,000 You are team with the Adalian, hand-crushed and very important marriage life, 41 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:11,000 future, financial situation, and career, employment, career, employment. 42 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,000 What is the basis of the calculations? 43 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Star positions or what? 44 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:21,000 Oh, tenets. 45 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,000 Did she ask them their date of birth? 46 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,000 She asked them the date of birth? 47 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,000 Date of birth and time, I won't exactly. 48 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:31,000 You want the exact time? 49 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,000 How many people know the time of birth? I don't. 50 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,000 What year is the date of birth? 51 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,000 Uh, 90% of people know. 52 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:39,000 90% of people know. 53 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:42,000 Of course, in this country, they do remember the date, the actual time, because of this. 54 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:48,000 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. 55 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,000 I'm on my way to a rather unusual fortune teller, 56 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:57,000 and I have to count every step I take, because my future literally depends upon it. 57 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:01,000 Twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, 58 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:05,000 twenty-two, thirty-three, forty-four, fifty-six, seventy-eight, 59 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:10,000 twenty-nine, forty-four, forty-one, twenty-two, three, four, five, 60 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:15,000 twenty-two, thirty-three, forty-four, five, twenty-six, seventy-eight, 61 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:20,000 twenty-nine, forty-four, twenty-nine, twenty-two, three, four, five, 62 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:26,000 twenty-nine, sixty-six, twenty-two, sixty-three, forty-four, 63 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,000 fifty-five, sixty-six, seventy-seven, sixty-eight, thirty-three, thirty-one, 64 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,000 thirty-two, thirty-three, forty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, 65 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:39,000 thirty-nine, forty-four, thirty-nine, forty-four, forty-six, thirty-one, 66 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:45,000 seventy-seven, twenty-nine, five hundred, one, two, three, 67 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:49,000 four, five, six, seven, eight. 68 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:54,000 Mr. THE GENEDASIS, a numerologist, he uses numbers to tell fortunes. 69 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:57,120 East Letter of the alphabet has an equivalent number, 70 00:05:57,120 --> 00:05:59,840 so he uses his customer's name and address, 71 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:02,880 as well as his birth date and the size of his family 72 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:04,640 to make predictions. 73 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:06,960 Even the number of steps from the house 74 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,320 has a fateful significance in the mathematical magic. 75 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:14,720 49, 50, 51, 52. 76 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:16,960 552, 552. 77 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:18,960 Do you know the interpretation of 552? 78 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:20,960 I work at work in Southland, Northland. 79 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:22,520 What else do you need? 80 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:25,520 552, 3D notes, dupiter. 81 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:32,240 Dupiter denotes success with increase in expansion. 82 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:34,400 Great hopes will be realized. 83 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:36,160 Good efforts will be rewarded. 84 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,360 May I know the name of the town in mature side? 85 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:40,640 Well, I live in Colombo. 86 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:42,440 Colombo. We work at Colombo. 87 00:06:42,440 --> 00:07:02,440 3, 7, 3, 7, 4, 2, 7, 10, 13, 20, 24, 26, 26, and 7, 33, 3 and 3, 6. 88 00:07:02,440 --> 00:07:03,440 6, right. 89 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:04,440 6, denotes venous. 90 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:06,440 A happy result to all efforts. 91 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,440 Success with pleasure and contentment. 92 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:11,440 Personal magnetism. 93 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:14,440 Favors from the members of the opposite sex 94 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:16,440 and matrimonial prospects. 95 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:17,440 Oh, yes. 96 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:18,440 It was by number 66. 97 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:21,440 Thanks for the warning. 98 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,440 In Sri Lanka, marriages are literally made in heaven, 99 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:26,440 or at least in stars. 100 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:29,440 Partners are found through advertisements in the Sunday papers. 101 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:31,440 They offer descriptions and dowries, 102 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:34,440 but most vital of all in the eyes of the Sri Lankans 103 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:36,440 is a favorable horoscope. 104 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:39,440 David Priya's advertisement in the Sunday Observer 105 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,440 has been announced by Champika. 106 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,440 Champika's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Amarasingha, 107 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:47,440 have called in the family astrologer. 108 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:49,440 The marriage will not go ahead 109 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:51,440 if their horoscopes are incompatible. 110 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:56,440 If the given condition do not come up to about 50% 111 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:58,440 of the required standard, 112 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:01,440 we consider the horoscope below average. 113 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:05,440 If that is so, the astrologer doesn't recommend 114 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:07,440 that the marriage should take place. 115 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:09,440 It has to be that way. 116 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:14,440 Even if it causes distress to my daughter, 117 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,440 if the horoscopes don't agree, 118 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:18,440 we will have to call it off. 119 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:22,440 The indicator of the house of marriage is the girl's chart, 120 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:23,440 which is Jupiter. 121 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,440 It's not occupied in the seventh house, 122 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,440 but it occupies the ascendant. 123 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,440 Now, this particular planet has to be compared 124 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:33,440 with the boy's horoscope. 125 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:35,440 Jupiter, which will aspect the solar sign 126 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:37,440 from its 11,000th position, 127 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:40,440 also harmonizes the house of marriage. 128 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:44,440 Therefore, we consider that the boy's chart 129 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:48,440 and the girl's chart are in perfect harmony for marriage. 130 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:53,440 The astrologer has given me at least 99% of confidence, 131 00:08:53,440 --> 00:08:57,440 and the other 1% is left to the bride 132 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,440 and the bridegroom to make their own life, 133 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,440 and we are quite confident that they will do it. 134 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:06,440 The astrologer has determined the auspicious time 135 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,440 for every stage of the wedding ceremony. 136 00:09:08,440 --> 00:09:14,440 I did not mind. 137 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:19,440 The bride left her home at exactly 8.07 in the morning, 138 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:20,440 facing south. 139 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:22,440 Two hours and 20 minutes later, 140 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,440 and not a moment before, at 10.27, 141 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:28,440 the bride and groom climbed onto the stage 142 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:30,440 for the beginning of the ceremony, 143 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,440 and they couldn't come down again until 10 past 11. 144 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:05,440 Then they had to leave the reception for the honeymoon, 145 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,440 facing south and married life together. 146 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:22,440 There's one peculiarity that distinguishes 147 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,440 parasyne from science. 148 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,440 In orthodox science, it's very rare 149 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,440 for a controversial to last more than a generation, 150 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:32,440 50 years at the outside. 151 00:10:32,440 --> 00:10:35,440 Yet this is exactly what's happened with the paranormal, 152 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,440 which is the best possible proof that most of it is rubbish. 153 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,440 It never takes that long to establish the facts, 154 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:44,440 when there are some facts. 155 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,440 This lack of progress in psychic research 156 00:10:47,440 --> 00:10:49,440 is very well demonstrated in the work 157 00:10:49,440 --> 00:10:52,440 of a famous British investigator, Harry Price. 158 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:56,440 50 years ago, he tried to find some answers. 159 00:10:57,440 --> 00:10:59,440 In the 1920s and 30s, 160 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:02,440 Harry Price investigated a vast range 161 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:04,440 of apparently psychic phenomena. 162 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:07,440 He tested mediums like Austrian Rudy Schneider, 163 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:10,440 broadcast from haunted houses, 164 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,440 and even spent a night in a reputedly haunted bed 165 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:17,440 with radio personality Professor Joad. 166 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:20,440 He assembled a lab full of the latest technology 167 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:23,440 to help him in his search for the truth. 168 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:32,440 If a man comes to us and says that he can produce 169 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:35,440 a normal phenomena, 170 00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:38,440 they'd be testing by instrumental means. 171 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:41,440 We have a number of special instruments for this purpose, 172 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:44,440 including a dictaphone, 173 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,440 a cinematic projector and cameras, 174 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,440 X-ray cameras, 175 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,440 and a camera. 176 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,440 It's in a metal-gaster projector and cameras, 177 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:01,440 X-ray apparatus, infrared, ultraviolet, 178 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:03,440 and many others. 179 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:06,440 Bollie, Rectry and Suffolk provided Price 180 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:08,440 with his most famous case. 181 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:11,440 He called it the most haunted house in England. 182 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,440 Readers of Price's best-selling books 183 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,440 lapped up accounts of the phantom nun 184 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:18,440 and the headless coachman, 185 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,440 said to have been seen in the Rectry garden. 186 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:23,440 And the foister family who lived at Bollie in the 1930s 187 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:25,440 apparently played host to a ghost, 188 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,440 which left eerie messages for Marianne, the Rector's wife. 189 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:31,440 Fire wrecked Bollie in 1939. 190 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,440 Today, Price's work has become controversial. 191 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,440 Some experts accuse him of trickery to embellish the story. 192 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:42,440 Others say Bollie harboured genuine hauntings. 193 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:44,440 But no one disagrees that Harry Price's 194 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:49,440 most extraordinary escapade was purely a publicity stunt. 195 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:55,440 In June 1932, a bizarre ritual was performed 196 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:58,440 on the summit of the Brocken, a German mountain. 197 00:12:58,440 --> 00:13:01,440 Price claimed he'd found an ancient magic recipe. 198 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:05,440 A maiden pure in heart was one essential ingredient. 199 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:09,440 With her help, Price promised he'd transform a virgin heagot 200 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:11,440 into a handsome youth. 201 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,440 But the outcome was typical of Price's paranormal progress, 202 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:22,440 ultimately inconclusive. 203 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,440 I've always tried to steer a course between skepticism and credulity. 204 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:37,440 And to help me do this, I've constructed this scoreboard, 205 00:13:37,440 --> 00:13:41,440 or league table, on which I've rated various paranormal phenomena. 206 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:45,440 It begins at plus five, certainly true, 207 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:49,440 and then descends to zero, meaning that I just don't know. 208 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:52,440 Then as I become more skeptical, 209 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:57,440 I have negative numbers down to minus four, certainly untrue. 210 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:00,440 Although you can prove that something happens, 211 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:03,440 you can never prove that it doesn't. 212 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:06,440 Only God is qualified to give a minus four rating. 213 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:08,440 So let's have a look at the league table. 214 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:11,440 We'll start with firewalking. 215 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:14,440 Plus five. 216 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:16,440 There's no doubt that firewalking really does occur. 217 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,440 People do walk on red hot coals, 218 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:23,440 and scientists have given very good reasons why they don't get burnt. 219 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,440 Maladdictions, plus four. 220 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:30,440 I'm virtually certain that maladdictions, hexes, can kill. 221 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,440 The medical evidence seems unassailable. 222 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,440 People really do die because they believe in the power of the hex. 223 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:42,440 Stigmata, plus four. 224 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,440 I'm also prepared to believe that people can psych themselves 225 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,440 into bleeding from the palms of the hands. 226 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:52,440 But how this actually works is very hard to understand. 227 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:54,440 Apparitions, plus four. 228 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,440 Ghosts are the most fascinating of all paranormal phenomena. 229 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,440 You may be surprised that I give them such a high rating, 230 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,440 but I believe they're real enough to the witnesses. 231 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:07,440 I've seen from his knees, and I followed him upwards, 232 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:11,440 and it was like a monster there with a robe over his face, 233 00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:13,440 but he never had no features. 234 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:15,440 But are they real to anyone else? 235 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:20,440 The abysmal quality of the photographic evidence virtually proves that they're not. 236 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:22,440 Portugaises. 237 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:26,440 I'm fascinated by Portugaises because there are so many independent, 238 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:28,440 yet similar accounts from all over the world. 239 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:31,440 And despite all the explanations and hoaxes, 240 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:34,440 I think there may still be something in them. 241 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,440 Dousing is so useful that it ought to work, 242 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,440 and in some cases it certainly does. 243 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:44,440 But why are the scientific tests always so unconvincing? 244 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,440 I'd like to see a lot more work in this area. 245 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:50,440 Many people believe in telepathy, 246 00:15:50,440 --> 00:15:53,440 but do we really want strangers peering into our minds? 247 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,440 More prehistoric jungle scenes for... 248 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:00,440 I rather hope that it doesn't work, but I fear that it may. 249 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,440 I just had this dream about this plane crash, 250 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:06,440 and there was this explosion. 251 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,440 Some stories of premonitions are almost convincing, 252 00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:12,440 but I still believe they can be explained by coincidence 253 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:15,440 or awareness of some impending danger. 254 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,440 I don't believe that we can see the future, 255 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,440 because the future doesn't exist until we reach it. 256 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:24,440 Cycle kinesis zero. 257 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:27,440 Pk is under a considerable cloud. 258 00:16:27,440 --> 00:16:29,440 But can it all be trickery? 259 00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,440 Frankly, I can't make up my mind. 260 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:35,440 You're now psychically open, 261 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:40,440 and remember you have to bring that power up each time. 262 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:43,440 Survival after death, minus two. 263 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:47,440 Reincarnation and spiritualism have millions of devotees 264 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:49,440 whose faith brings them great comfort. 265 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:51,440 So though I'm a complete skeptic, 266 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:53,440 I don't wish to argue the point. 267 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,440 So here's the complete league table. 268 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:02,440 Weighing the evidence for the supernatural 269 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:05,440 can be difficult at the best of times. 270 00:17:05,440 --> 00:17:08,440 And occasionally, psychic researchers come across stories 271 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,440 that just don't fit into any categories. 272 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:13,440 They're simply weird. 273 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,440 In the late 1940s, the Reverend Alfred Biles 274 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:21,440 was vicar of this church at Yampton in Devon. 275 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:23,440 One Saturday afternoon, 276 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:26,440 he noticed something strange in the churchyard. 277 00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:32,440 My wife was in the chancel, arranging flowers, 278 00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:36,440 and I came to see her, walked up this path. 279 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,440 And when I came to this point, 280 00:17:39,440 --> 00:17:43,440 I found that there was a hole in the path 281 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:46,440 which extended from right across, 282 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:50,440 and about that yard or two that way. 283 00:17:51,440 --> 00:17:55,440 I merely thought that there had been a subsidence, 284 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,440 and I went into the church and said to my wife, 285 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:02,440 a hole has appeared in the path which is very annoying. 286 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:04,440 Come out and see. 287 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,440 So she came out with me, 288 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:09,440 and in that short time, 289 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,440 the hole had become considerably larger, 290 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:15,440 and I said to my wife, 291 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:17,440 shall I get down and look round it? 292 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:19,440 She said, I shouldn't do that. 293 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:21,440 We can't really see the bottom, nor we could. 294 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,440 Mr Biles went to find some planks to cover the hole, 295 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,440 and in the village street, he bumped into the local builder. 296 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,440 I told him what had happened, 297 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:33,440 and we came round the corner of the church to this path, 298 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:36,440 but when we got here, there was no hole at all. 299 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:41,440 The path was quite intact exactly as you see it now. 300 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:44,440 I don't suppose I should have said much about it 301 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:48,440 if I hadn't had my wife's corroboration. 302 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:52,440 We both of us saw the original hole, 303 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,440 and we never found any adequate explanation. 304 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:01,440 In October 1979, 305 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:05,440 Geoff Simpson and Len Gisby were driving through France on the way to Spain 306 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:08,440 with their wives Pauline and Cynthia. 307 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:12,440 They spent a night near Montellemar. 308 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,440 Down the road from the Motel Ibis, 309 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,440 they found a guest house which seemed to belong to a bygone age. 310 00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,440 It was just like an old-fashioned farmhouse, double-storey. 311 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,440 The fowlers old-fashioned, they had pictures on the wall. 312 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:26,440 They looked 3D, didn't they? 313 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:28,440 No, they were no glass. 314 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:30,440 We were laughing at the pictures, weren't we? 315 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,440 And the furniture in the bedroom was so old-fashioned. 316 00:19:33,440 --> 00:19:37,440 You sat on the bed and your feet were about 18 inches off the floor, 317 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,440 and calico sheets, well... 318 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,440 Yes, the sheet was very heavy and thick, 319 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,440 and it came from under the feather mattress, 320 00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:47,440 right over the sheet, and rolled round a bolster at the top. 321 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:49,440 There was no pillars. 322 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,440 There was no pillars, and the rooms were double-shuttered, 323 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:54,440 no glass upstairs. 324 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:56,440 At breakfast, Cynthia noticed the other guests 325 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:59,440 wore clothes fashionable at the beginning of the century. 326 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:03,440 There was a woman and a man with a little dog sitting at the table, 327 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:08,440 and she had a purple dress on that went up and down like a hanky corner, you know? 328 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,440 And she had little black button boots that come up over her ankles 329 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,440 with the buttons running up to the top. 330 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:17,440 And they were sitting there talking, obviously, about various things, 331 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:19,440 and these two gendarmes came in. 332 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:21,440 I'd never seen the uniforms like that before. 333 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:24,440 They were different to the uniforms we'd seen coming down. 334 00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,440 They were... Well, I said they were a greener colour, and I think you said they were blue. 335 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:29,440 Well, I thought they were more blue. 336 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:34,440 But they were old-fashioned, so old with these big capes, 337 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:36,440 and the hats were very, very tall. 338 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:38,440 And they had boots up to their knees. 339 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,440 Yeah, the old gator things. 340 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:42,440 I went to pay the bill then, and... 341 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:44,440 Who said you were? 342 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:46,440 He wrote it on a piece of paper, 19 francs. 343 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:48,440 I thought, it was impossible. 344 00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,440 We'd had an evening meal for four of us. 345 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:52,440 We'd had a drink. So, I just remember... 346 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:54,440 Beer? Yeah, a bit of beer, and... 347 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,440 We couldn't finish our breakfast. 348 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:58,440 And 19 francs, so... 349 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:00,440 And I said, no. 350 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:02,440 We stopped the night. 351 00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:04,440 We slept last night, you know? 352 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:06,440 No, no, Finney. 353 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:08,440 I thought, well, I can't argue, you know? 354 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:10,440 I gave him 20 francs and we went. 355 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:12,440 I said, you know, 20 francs. 356 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,440 Well, 19 francs is impossible, because... 357 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:18,440 I don't know, you see... 358 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:20,440 I said, you come on, let's get out quick. 359 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:24,440 I've got about 250 francs or something like that, you know. 360 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,440 The Gisby's and the Simpsons drove on into Spain. 361 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,440 They'd never had a better holiday. 362 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:33,440 Everywhere, their cameras clicked. 363 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:35,440 They brought back albums full of snaps, 364 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:38,440 but not a single shot of the French hotel. 365 00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:41,440 Both Len and Jeff took pictures there, 366 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,440 but when the films were processed, 367 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:46,440 the hotel snaps had vanished without trace. 368 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:54,440 And on the way back, they could not even find the building. 369 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,440 Had they stayed at a phantom hotel... 370 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:04,440 They're still looking for it. 371 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,440 Perhaps the police can help. 372 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:13,440 THE LAST WEEK 373 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,440 It's not the hotel, is it? 374 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:17,440 Hotel. 375 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:20,440 Listen, I have an idea. 376 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,440 I'm going to call the tourist office. 377 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:25,440 Tourist? 378 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,440 The helpful gendarme knows just the man to ask. 379 00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:34,440 The local tourist board officer, Philippe Desbess. 380 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:36,440 Tourist office? 381 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:41,440 Tourist, how are you from the tourist? 382 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,440 I sit here and I'm holding the camera. 383 00:22:45,440 --> 00:22:48,440 We're interested whether it's there or not, you know. 384 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:50,440 It seems to have disappeared. 385 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:52,440 Or if it had been there any time. 386 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,440 People tell us we've gone back in time 387 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:56,440 because everything was old-fashioned. 388 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:58,440 We're just trying to find it. 389 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:04,440 Philippe thinks he can solve their problems. 390 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:11,440 THE LAST WEEK 391 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:18,440 Their description seems to fit one of the guest houses on his list. 392 00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:29,440 Jeff Simpson's first reactions encouraging. 393 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:31,440 But then the doubt set in. 394 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:33,440 Is that bigger doors? 395 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,440 Bigger doors. 396 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,440 Very, very similar. 397 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,440 No, it was longer lower. 398 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,440 With that two windows there for the restaurant. 399 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,440 Even the shutters are not the same. 400 00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:55,440 We're going to go in. 401 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:03,440 A close-up look convinces them it's not the place they stayed in. 402 00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:06,440 And the landlord doesn't remember them 403 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:08,440 sampling his hospitality before. 404 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:11,440 You got out the car, had a funny feeling? 405 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:13,440 Yes, I've seen your face. 406 00:24:13,440 --> 00:24:15,440 You were looking strange when you got out. 407 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:17,440 I thought it was next door. 408 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,440 And that bit of groin there, I could have sworn that was where it was. 409 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:22,440 That empty piece of ground. 410 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,440 That's a ground. 411 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,440 I think this is the wrong house. 412 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:28,440 We've got to carry on searching. 413 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:30,440 I'm afraid it's not the right place. 414 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:32,440 Were they caught up in a time slip? 415 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:35,440 A lot of people have said to me since about time slips. 416 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,440 I said, well, I've never heard about time slips. 417 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,440 And they said, oh, there is such things and they've rewritten. 418 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:42,440 That's what you've done. 419 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,440 But whether we did or not, I don't know. 420 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:46,440 But the photographs worry me. 421 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:51,440 And I think that alone convinces me that there is something not right. 422 00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:56,440 I would like to see the restaurant. 423 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:58,440 I'm going to try. 424 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:02,440 I would like proof that some strange powers exist. 425 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:06,440 Then the universe would be even more wonderful than we imagine. 426 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:11,440 But I rather suspect that this ancient debate will never be settled. 427 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:13,440 It will simply move on into different areas. 428 00:25:13,440 --> 00:25:17,440 Because there are fashions in parapsychology, as in everything else. 429 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:23,440 And I wonder what strange powers we'll be arguing about, a hundred years from now. 430 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:58,500 you