The work was mainly concentrated on decorative lighting of movie theatres, which grew his interest in colour mixing and brought to his attention the electro-mechanical Mansell clutch.
[15] In 1932, Bentham joined Strand Electric and Engineering Company to manage both their demonstration theatre and their showroom.
[18] Previous to the Light Console, a complex mechanical device was used and the operators were unable to see the stage.
The console used the Mansell clutch, which allowed remote control of dimmers from an electro-mechanically driven shaft.
[3][20] His first prototype was used by Bentham to perform a colour light show at the Ideal Home Exhibition in 1932.
The first commercial sale of the Light Console was to the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon in 1940.
[28][29] Due to the war it took 6 months to complete the installation, with Bentham and Strand foreman Bill Pepworth having to get permission from the Portuguese ambassador to take seats on a weekly civil flight.
The Strand Remote Control – Electronic Type or known as the Woody was unfortunately unreliable, and by 1955 Bentham had returned the company back to motorised resistance and transformer dimmers.
[33][19] McLeod and Bentham had met while working on the torpedo attack teacher flight simulator during the war.
[38] The 264 became ubiquitous amongst British theatres and many lighting rigs had been designed around the spotlight, which caused a problem when they wanted to replace them years later.
[2][40] By 1968, Strand were falling behind the opposition and were heavily investing in solid state technology, which made them a target for a takeover.
[15] The company was renamed Rank Strand, and they invested in Bentham's idea DDM (Digital Dimmer Memory),[41][2] which made its first appearance in 1971 at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
[53] In 1997, Bentham received The Wally Russell Award for Outstanding Lifetime Achievement in Entertainment Technology.