Alternative 3 (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Christopher Miles

Writer:

David Ambrose (writer)

Release Date:

20 June 1977 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

World ecological collapse; the next ice-age has already begun! Lucky for us, governments know what to do...

Plot Keywords:

Conspiracy | April Fool's Day | Docudrama | Hoax

Cast

Tim Brinton	...	Himself
Gregory Munroe	...	Colin Benson
Carol Hazell	...	Katherine White
Shane Rimmer	...	Bob Grodin
Richard Marner	...	Dr. Carl Gerstein
David Baxt	...	Harry
Alec Linstead	...	Professor broadbent
Norman Chancer	...	Charles Welbourne
Anthony Roye	...	Robert Hendry
Patsy Trench	...	Dr. Ann Clarke
Phoebe Nicholls	...	Harry's girlfriend
Ivor Roberts	...	George Pendlebury
Linda Cunningham	...	Annie
Nancy Adams	...	Doreen Patterson
Jonathan Hieatt-Smith	...	Man in laboratory

Also Known As:

Science Report
Science Report: Alternative 3

Runtime:

52 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Anglia Television

Trivia:

As it was produced like a documentary and meant to be shown an episode of the series "Science Report", many people still believe Alternative 3 was based on a true story. The fact it has never been repeated on British TV has given ammunition to conspiracy theorists who believe Alternative 3 was meant to blow the whistle on an actual government project and alien threat. The film was originally intended to be broadcast on April Fools'Day as a hoax, but it was delayed until June by industrial action.

Movie Connections:

Edited into UFO to bei so uchû kaihatsu no inbô (1982) (TV)

Here's a letter from the author

The film is associated with a book by a guy called Leslie Watkins. It was all meant as a hoax, but Watkins later decided that maybe he had accidentally hit on something. He published the following letter to the editor of Windwords magazine in response to certain questions from her:

Dear Ms. Dittrich:

Thank you for your letter, which reached me today. Naturally, I am

delighted by your interest in Alternative 3 and by the fact that you

plan to sell it in the Windwords bookstore. I will certainly

cooperate in any way I can.

The correct description of Alternative 3 was given to you by the

representative from Penguin Books. The book is based on fact, but

uses that fact as a launchpad for a HIGH DIVE INTO FICTION. In answer to your specific questions:

1) There is no astronaut named Grodin.

2) There is no Sceptre Television and the reported Benson is also

fictional.

3) There is no Dr. Gerstein.

4) Yes, a "documentary" was televised in June 1977 on Anglia

Television, which went out to the entire national network in

Britain. It was called Alternative 3 and was written by David

Ambrose and produced by Christopher Miles (whose names were on

the book for contractual reasons). This original TV version,

which I EXPANDED IMMENSELY for the book, was ACTUALLY A HOAX

which had been scheduled for transmission on April Fools' Day.

Because of certain problems in finding the right network slot,

the transmission was delayed.

The TV program did cause a tremendous uproar because viewers refused

to believe it was fiction. I initially took the view that the basic

premise was so way-out, particularly the way I aimed to present it in

the book, that no one would regard it as non-fiction. Immediately

after publication, I realized I was totally wrong. In fact, the

amazing mountains of letters from virtually all parts of the world-

including vast numbers from highly intelligent people in positions of

responsibility-convinced me that I had ACCIDENTALLY trespassed into a

range of top-secret truths.

Documentary evidence provided by many of these correspondents decided

me to write a serious and COMPLETELY NON-FICTION sequel.

Unfortunately, a chest containing the bulk of the letters was among

the items which were mysteriously LOST IN TRANSIT some four years when I moved from London, England, to Sydney, Australia, before I moved on to settle in New Zealand. For some time after Alternative 3 was

originally published, I have reason to suppose that my home telephone

was being tapped and my contacts who were experienced in such matters

were convinced that certain intelligence agencies considered that I

probably knew too much.

So, summing up, the book is FICTION BASED ON FACT. But I now feel

that I inadvertently got VERY CLOSE TO A SECRET TRUTH. I hope this is of some help to you and I look forward to hearing from you again.

With best wishes,

Leslie Watkins

So, that's what leslie Watkins says. How extraordinary now that Global Warming transpires to be real, and may well destroy the world. I hope I won't be around to witness it.