ALTERNATIVE 3 HOAX
In June 1977, British television viewers saw what appeared to be a documentary about a secret plan to colonize Mars.
Anglia Television presented Alternative 3 as an edition of its science programme Science Report. Actors played scientists and officials, and staged footage supported the story of a secret mission to establish a colony on Mars in response to environmental collapse.
The producers intended the programme for April Fools’ Day, but a scheduling change delayed transmission until June 20, 1977. According to ITV Anglia’s retrospective, the broadcast prompted calls from viewers who believed the story.
The programme later circulated in discussions of alleged secret space programmes. Its framing as investigative journalism made it a recurring example of how a fictional broadcast can outlive its original context. Other broadcasts that played on the same uncertainty include Ghostwatch and The War of the Worlds.
Bibliography:
- Anglia Television. (1977, June 20). Alternative 3. Science Report.
- ITV News Anglia. (2017, June 20). Forty Years On, the Elaborate Television Hoax That Shocked the World.