Alternative 3

Synopsis

Originally scheduled for broadcast on April Fool’s Day 1977 but delayed until June due to industrial action, ALTERNATIVE 3 was a controversial hoax documentary in the vein of Orson Welles’s radio broadcast of War of the Worlds. Billed as the final episode of Anglia Television’s weekly science series, Science Report, it was an investigation into the alternative courses of action following pollution-fuelled environmental catastrophe on Earth. Three courses of action are considered: cut the population, cut consumption, or get off the planet.

The programme purported to show evidence of life on a scientific colony on Mars and how scientists were being shipped to the planet. By the time the programme had finished the switchboard at ITV was jammed, partly by callers alarmed at the end of life on earth as we know it and partly by viewers, recognising the programme as a hoax, ringing to blame the channel for being irresponsible. At the time the filmmakers were unrepentant at the furore that met their programme, stating that the message from the film is that people should analyse what they see and hear on TV or radio. 30 years later however, life on Mars is not as outrageous a statement as it once was.

DVD extras include: 30 minute featurette with the creative team behind ALTERNATIVE 3; Stills and original press clippings gallery.

Series

Science Report, Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2007

Year of production

1977

Notes

Broadcast on ITV in June 1977.

Subjects

Environmental science; Media studies

Keywords

environmental disasters; media reporting; science in the media; space exploration; television documentary films; hoaxes; Science fiction (television)

Credits

Director

Christopher Miles

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£15.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

52 minutes

Year

2007

Production Company

Name

Anglia Television

Distributor

 

Available from retail outlets

Name

Soda Pictures

Email

info@sodapictures.com

Web

http://www.sodapictures.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7377 1407

Address

17 Blossom Street
London
E1 6PL