Let’s do this together

Hands up if you knew there was such a thing as the 1952 Hypnotism Act still on the statute books? No, me neither.

But recently a comedy hypnotist called Robert Temple, who was set to bring his show to Bolton’s Albert Halls, discovered that the town had gone even further in the 80s, laying down a blanket ban on hypnotism, mesmerism or any act inducing sleep or a trance.

To perform, he had to have it repealed.

This astonished me on many levels, but mostly I just couldn’t believe the ritual humiliation that is a hypnotism show is still happening.

I remember sitting in our local town hall and watching, horrified, as the hypnotist asked for foolhardy (or just drunk?) volunteers from the audience to come up on stage and be ‘put under’. They were then made to dance like a chicken, do a striptease or any other cringe act that popped into the sadist, sorry, hypnotist’s head.

The volunteers howled like wolves, the audience howled back with laughter, and I shuddered, an introvert seeing a vision of hell.

But it has started me thinking about all the other shows once laid on to entertain us, that would never pass muster today.

Miss Lovely Legs and Glamorous Granny competitions at holiday parks, for example.

If you ever entered one, do tell me and send in your pics.

And if you ever found yourself up on stage, goggle-eyed in a trance and convinced you’d just won a million quid, or that the chair you were sat on was stuck to you, please share.

Look into my eyes (you’re feeling sleepy) and send your memories of entertainment acts of old to siobhan.mcnally@mirror.co.uk or write to Community Corner, PO Box 791, Winchester SO23 3RP