Alternative 3

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.

I distinctly remember the impact of Alternative 3 at the time of its broadcast, as the effect it had on our parents and adults was the talk of the playground. Watching it now I can see why. Closely mimicking the news documentary format of the time, which albeit primitive in our internet age, was trustworthy to everyone in the 70s , the programme played as a realistic expose of themes that most people then found frightening. A coming global catastrophe, secret elites, murderous conspiracies, media cover-ups, a dash of cold hard space paranoia, and that pre-instant playback feel of "what exactly did I just see on my TV", must have been a heady mix. No wonder people were annoyed when it was revealed as an April Fool fiction.

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.

I've just listened to an internet broadcast of "Alternative 3," which in paperback, as well as the internet-down-loadable version, was authored by Leslie Watkins. {N.b.: the original British television series had no affiliation with Ms. Watkins, currently banished, retired, or removed to New Zealand, however the book was an alleged extension and elaboration of material presented in the "Science Report" broadcast.} That the book was banned or suppressed and yet made it's way onto the internet, thence to be translated to a variety of languages, might give credence to the program, or the book which derived from it. Yet there was no astronaut Bob Grodin, either as an Apollo moon walker, or with any affiliation with NASA.

The author herself, in a letter to the online bookseller which bought up all copies remaining, said: "The book is based on fact, but uses that fact as a launchpad for a HIGH DIVE INTO FICTION.", etc. ..Further: "So, summing up, the book is FICTION BASED ON FACT. But I now feel that I inadvertently got VERY CLOSE TO A SECRET TRUTH."

So much for the credibility of either the book or the series which preceded it. I might have given a moment's thought to a conspiracy designed to cultivate greater study of the sciences in the U.K., but have thought better of it.

I watched this aged ten and was compelled by the subject matter , scientists disappearing across the world , an apollo mission astronaut loosing his temper while being asked questions as to what he saw on a moon mission , and most disturbing of all secret NASA footage from Mars showing something alive burrowing just under the surface of the red planet . An absolutely shocking investigation . It wasn`t untill a few days later that I found out it was an April fool . I didn`t feel stupid about getting fooled , after all I was only a child , but I did feel very angry that there was no proof of life on Mars . Just think though , there must still be literally thousands of people walking around today who still believe this was a real investigative report