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Alternative 3

  • TV Movie
  • 1977
  • 56m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
319
YOUR RATING
Tim Brinton in Alternative 3 (1977)
MysterySci-Fi

TV Sci-fi drama/documentary, which caused world-wide headlines when first broadcast as it purported to show a link between Britain's 'brain-drain', climate change and a human colony on Mars.TV Sci-fi drama/documentary, which caused world-wide headlines when first broadcast as it purported to show a link between Britain's 'brain-drain', climate change and a human colony on Mars.TV Sci-fi drama/documentary, which caused world-wide headlines when first broadcast as it purported to show a link between Britain's 'brain-drain', climate change and a human colony on Mars.

  • Director
    • Christopher Miles
  • Writers
    • David Ambrose
    • Christopher Miles
  • Stars
    • Tim Brinton
    • Gregory Munroe
    • Carol Hazell
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    319
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Christopher Miles
    • Writers
      • David Ambrose
      • Christopher Miles
    • Stars
      • Tim Brinton
      • Gregory Munroe
      • Carol Hazell
    • 14User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos42

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    Top cast17

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    Tim Brinton
    • Self…
    Gregory Munroe
    • Colin Benson
    Carol Hazell
    • Katherine White
    Shane Rimmer
    Shane Rimmer
    • Bob Grodin
    Richard Marner
    Richard Marner
    • Dr. Carl Gerstein
    David Baxt
    David Baxt
    • Harry
    Alec Linstead
    • Prof. Broadbent
    Norman Chancer
    Norman Chancer
    • Charles Welbourne
    Anthony Roye
    • Robert Hendry
    Patsy Trench
    • Dr. Ann Clarke
    Phoebe Nicholls
    Phoebe Nicholls
    • Harry's Girlfriend
    Ivor Roberts
    • George Pendlebury
    Linda Cunningham
    • Annie
    Nancy Adams
    • Doreen Patterson
    Jonathan Hieatt-Smith
    • Young Man in Laboratory
    Alice Wade
    • Mrs. Pendlebury
    Brian Pendlebury
    • Graham Fowler
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Christopher Miles
    • Writers
      • David Ambrose
      • Christopher Miles
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews14

    6.7319
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    Featured reviews

    5FoundFootageFanatic

    Alternative 3 (1977)

    This presents itself as a documentary show which starts by covering recent disappearances of scientists. It goes on to broadcast the contents of a recovered video tape which shows U. S. & Soviet astronauts partnering together on space missions. Finally, it shows a mission to Mars.

    I thought this one was neat. They did a decent job with the found footage contents. The acting was good. It held my attention.

    This is early for the FF genre! I believe this is the first FF to feature space travel. I can really only find 2 other earlier FF examples. This was the first for TV.

    This was interesting to watch and I think once was enough but it was cool.
    7meesalikeu

    popularized in America when unknown

    this brit TV movie got a lot of underground hype in the states when it was hilariously referenced in the movie 'slacker.' character actor jerry deloney as the ufo conspiracy nut, catches the 'alernative 3' on late nite austin TV and believes every word of it!

    it's slow going and obviously a movie and not a documentary (i guess some people must have been pretty naive back then), but at least you can check it out online for free and it is definitely worth a watch.

    highly recommended to all conspiracy fans. in fact you oughta watch it as a double feature with 'capricorn one' if for nothing else than just to keep the 70's vibes going.

    they don't make'm like these anymore, in fact they only did in that awesome wild and woolly early to mid 70's era.
    7HorrorDisasterGuy-90617

    Interesting movie to watch

    This is a pretty good mockumentary that I watched. The story is interesting with it being a government conspiracies about brain drain. It gives out a lot of information about it with it being only 51 minutes. Looking at a fiction movie, it's a pretty good one to watch with the ideas it presented here. I found the acting to be pretty good on how realistic it feels. There so much detail the movie gives out about the topic it talking about and how it effective current people. We also see interviews on the people who are effect by the brain drain and is interesting to hear from them.

    Alternative 3 is a interesting type of movie that is worth watching.
    8Red-Barracuda

    Old school regional British telly at its best

    This faux documentary was made by Anglia (the regional TV station home to Sale of the Century and the rotating little knight on a plinth) and was initially scheduled to be broadcast on April Fool's day 1977 but was ultimately put back 'til June. Regardless its broadcast resulted in Anglia being inundated with calls from concerned viewers demanding further information on the outrageous claims being made. It takes the form of a fake news report detailing the mysterious disappearance of a number of people, the investigation then leads to climate change and the moon landings. More detail would reveal too many spoilers. It is a fascinating watch, which was pretty well executed. Conspiracy buffs and sci-fi fans should get a kick out of this one.
    Major_Movie_Star

    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.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      As it was produced like a documentary and meant to be shown as an episode of the series "Science Report", many people believe it was based on a true story. The fact it has never been repeated on British TV has given ammunition to conspiracy theorists who believe it 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.
    • Connections
      Edited into UFO to bei so uchû kaihatsu no inbô (1982)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 20, 1977 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Science Report: Alternative 3
    • Filming locations
      • Anglia Television Norwich - Studio 'B', Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Anglia Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 56m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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