The audio of a Southern Television broadcast was replaced by a voice claiming to represent the "Ashtar Galactic Command", delivering a message instructing humanity to abandon its weapons so it could participate in a "future awakening" and "achieve a higher state of evolution".
The event prompted hundreds of telephone calls from concerned members of the public, and was widely reported in British and American newspapers.
On Saturday 26 November 1977, at 5:10 p.m. GMT, as ITN's Andrew Gardner presented a news summary where he reported on clashes in then-Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) between security forces and the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army, the audio was replaced by a deep buzz, followed by a distorted voice delivering a message for almost six minutes.
[5] A complete transcript of the message reads:[6] This is the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you.
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.
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 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.
"[3] The incident caused some local alarm, with hundreds of worried viewers flooding Southern Television with telephone calls after the intrusion.
[12] Reports of the event carried worldwide,[13][14] with numerous American newspapers picking up the story from United Press International.
[15][16] Speaking on British commercial radio on 6 December 1977,[17] Sir John Whitmore also questioned newspaper reporting of the incident, referring to a recording of the complete broadcast that appeared to exist at the time.
Within two days of the incident's report in the London Times, a letter to the editor published on 30 November 1977 asked, "[How] can the IBA — or anyone else — be sure that the broadcast was a hoax?