Ashtar Galactic Command: The Time In 1977 When TV In England Was Hacked For 6 Minutes
On 26th November 1977, viewers in the Southern television area (viewers from Newbury and Reading to Winchester and Andover) lost sound from their news broadcast. Instead of newsreader Andrew Gardner, the audience heard a voice claiming to be Vrillon of Ashtar Galactic Command.
At ten minutes past five, the TV picture wobbled slightly and the sound of Andrew Gardner’s professional delivery was silenced, to be replaced by a distorted voice delivering a quite remarkable message for almost six minutes. Vrillon claimed to be an alien being and urged the people of Earth (or at least those watching in the Southern region) to change their ways and give up their weapons.
After six minutes, normal service was resumed. No one ever claimed responsibility for the hoax, and the results of the official investigation have been lost.
Here's a transcript of what the voice said:
"This is the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. For many years you have seen us as lights in the skies. We speak to you now in peace and wisdom as we have done to your brothers and sisters all over this, your planet Earth. We come to warn you of the destiny of your race and your world so that you may communicate to your fellow beings the course you must take to avoid the disaster which threatens your world, and the beings on our worlds around you.
"This is in order that you may share in the great awakening, as the planet passes into the New Age of Aquarius. The New Age can be a time of great peace and evolution for your race, but only if your rulers are made aware of the evil forces that can overshadow their judgments.
"Be still now and listen, for your chance may not come again. All your weapons of evil must be removed. The time for conflict is now past and the race of which you are a part may proceed to the higher stages of its evolution if you show yourselves worthy to do this. You have but a short time to learn to live together in peace and goodwill. Small groups all over the planet are learning this, and exist to pass on the light of the dawning New Age to you all.
"You are free to accept or reject their teachings, but only those who learn to live in peace will pass to the higher realms of spiritual evolution. Hear now the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you. Be aware also that there are many false prophets and guides operating in your world. They will suck your energy from you – the energy you call money and will put it to evil ends and give you worthless dross in return.
"Your inner divine self will protect you from this. You must learn to be sensitive to the voice within that can tell you what is truth, and what is confusion, chaos and untruth. Learn to listen to the voice of truth which is within you and you will lead yourselves onto the path of evolution. This is our message to our dear friends. We have watched you growing for many years as you too have watched our lights in your skies.
"You know now that we are here, and that there are more beings on and around your Earth than your scientists admit. We are deeply concerned about you and your path towards the light and will do all we can to help you. Have no fear, seek only to know yourselves, and live in harmony with the ways of your planet Earth.
"We of the Ashtar Galactic Command thank you for your attention. We are now leaving the plane of your existence. May you be blessed by the supreme love and truth of the cosmos."
When the normal service was resumed, the station apologised for what it called “a breakthrough in sound”, but by late night ITV’s own news network was reporting the strange happening, and provided some great copy for the next day’s Sunday papers, which gleefully ramped up the suggestions of panic in the streets as the aliens were about to descend upon us.
It was a hoax, of course, a prank – and a very sophisticated one for the time, when hacking into a TV network was not the work of just a few minutes with a laptop. Strangely, though, no-one’s ever come forward and claimed responsibility for it, and the episode remains one of those curiosities from the 1970s that will perhaps never be explained.