Original subtitles

(woman vocalizing) (dreamy music)

- [Steve] Under the shadow

of nearby Cissbury Rings' hill fort,

Roger Seer can be found testing the strange

and wondrous effects

of what he affectionately calls a witch's ring.

In the circle of swirled corn,

he's already noticed the needle of his compass go berserk,

been aware of an electrical burning-type smell,

and received a static electrical shock

from his bicycle parked nearby.

Now, he is testing the magnetization of a pocket watch

and knife that he has stuck into the soil

whilst aware of a strange tickling sensation in his feet.

A nearby dog still refuses to enter the circle,

and he can feel a headache coming on.

This may sound like a modern scientist experimenting

on the latest phenomenon we call crop circles.

But it is actually 1927,

and recorded disturbances of this sort have been occurring

in this area of Sussex since at least 1830.

In fact, way back in 1678,

a pamphlet was released entitled "The Mowing-Devil:

or Strange News out of Hartford-shire,"

telling how a strange fire illuminated a farmer's corn

the night after he refused to employ the neighborhood mower.

The next morning, he found circles of flattened corn

that he thought too perfect

for mortal man to be able to do the like.

Many more examples of fairy rings, crop circles,

and associated phenomena can be found littering the pages

of folk history since time memorial

into the late 20th century

until they finally became a report

in the "Wiltshire Times" on August the 15th, 1980.

The photos of three circles of flattened corn

below the hill fort of Bratton

grabbed the attention of scientists and amateurs alike.

And the crop circle investigator, or croppy, was born.

Initially, the circles were just that, circles,

in singles or multiples,

which led to the first tentative explanation

that they were created by stationary whirlwinds.

It was soon noted though that they seemed to appear close

to hill forts and other megalithic constructions

as well as areas containing large amounts of water

and that their appearance was often accompanied

by strange light shows

and eerie, high-pitched electrical chirping sounds.

The whirlwind itself seemed to get more intelligent

and increase its ability

as circles became accompanied by both rings

and lines of flattened corn

with patterns being added to at later dates,

and various swirls and weaves being found

in the underlay of these formations.

Explanations had to be found

and included wild, young farmers with string and planks,

interference with mobile phones,

and even flocks of artistic birds.

But no one could explain how the bends

in the corn appeared to be almost steamed into place,

causing no subsequent damage

to the plants' continued development,

flowering, in the case of canola, and growth.

The whirlwind theory was further stumped in 1990

when a new formation appeared at Chill-ken Farm in Wessex.

Two circles connected by a ruler-straight runway,

flanked by four rectangular boxes

formed the first ever pictogram.

The most famous of these pictures in the corn,

that seemed more akin to early petroglyphs and hieroglyphs,

appeared at Alton Barnes and made international news,

drawing crowds from all over the world

to experience, what for some,

was a life-transforming encounter.

With the crops being surveyed night

and day by scientists and journalists,

it seemed inevitable that, at some point,

they would be copied by hoaxers,

as in the case of a human-made circle

sponsored by the Daily Mirror to increase its ratings.

On September the 9th, 1991,

the Today newspaper announced that two men

in their 60s were responsible

for the entire crop circle phenomena

with the aid of a baseball cap, ping pong ball,

and some well placed moonlight.

In the meantime, crop circles

and pictograms were appearing all over the world

and not only in corn,

but ice, snow, sand, and even rice fields.

In Canada where there are no tram lines to give access

to formations and no signs of entry,

an unfortunate porcupine seemed to have got itself caught up

in the circle-creation process,

leaving a trail of swirled skid marks made by its quills,

leading to its completely flattened body in the center.

The patterns themselves have transformed many times

over the '90s and into this century,

becoming more complex, larger,

and involving greater and greater amounts of elements

from mandalas and Julia sets appearing

in minutes within sight of Stonehenge,

to complex geometrical and quantum figures

materializing close to scientific and military bases.

The phenomenon seems to amend

and revise itself from year to year,

always staying one step ahead of the current theory,

always challenging the existing speculation.

Whether manmade or resulting

from a multi-faceted, energetic reaction,

this landscape art can only be truly experienced

by riding high in the sky in a helicopter or plane.

The pictures themselves transcend spoken language

and seem to talk to some on a higher level.

But unless you have stood in the center

of hundreds of yards of flattened corn,

the full impact of these cosmic designs

cannot make any sense.

(children laughing)