“This is the voice of Vrillon, a representative of the Ashtar Galactic Command, speaking to you.”
On 26 November 1977, viewers watching Southern Television in parts of England heard something unusual.
During an early-evening news bulletin, the normal sound was suddenly replaced by a distorted voice claiming to represent an extraterrestrial organisation.
The television pictures continued as normal, but the mysterious speaker delivered a message warning the British public about its future.
The interruption lasted several minutes. Although investigators eventually established how an unauthorised transmission could have reached viewers, the identity of the person responsible remained a mystery.
Nearly five decades later, the incident continues to raise questions.
Despite its extraordinary origins, the message was less concerned with alien visitors than with the future of humanity itself. ‘Vrillon’ urged viewers to live in peace and rid themselves of destructive weapons.
Strangely, the news bulletin had been reporting on the conflict in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, shortly before the interruption. A coincidence? Perhaps, although there’s no evidence that the timing was deliberate. The mysterious voice also appeared to have an English accent.
Hundreds of concerned viewers reportedly called Southern Television, while police in Winchester received more than 50 emergency calls. Newspapers also covered the incident. One witness, Janet Stewart of Basingstoke, described how frightened her young daughter became during the interruption.
It turns out that the name Ashtar had existed within UFO contactee culture for decades before supposedly reaching a section of the British public.
In 1952, George Van Tassel, an American UFO contactee, claimed to have received messages from an extraterrestrial being called Ashtar.
So, whoever surprised viewers that late November afternoon wasn’t exactly being original. They were drawing on an established part of UFO mythology, even if it wasn’t widely known.
But how was the interruption possible?
Investigators traced the interference to the Hannington transmitter in Hampshire. One widely accepted explanation is that someone operating an unauthorised transmitter nearby overpowered the incoming signal from Rowridge on the Isle of Wight, causing Hannington to rebroadcast the mysterious audio.
Police and engineers of the Post Office investigated the incident, and steps were taken to prevent it happening again.
Southern Television even stated that it had a pretty good idea of how the interruption had occurred. But the broadcaster deliberately withheld the technical details, fearing that revealing them might encourage copyists. A spokesperson also suggested that the perpetrator must have possessed some knowledge of telecommunications.
But perhaps the most interesting thing of all? Nobody was publicly identified or prosecuted at the time.
In 2022, however, an investigative podcast called The Interruption claimed to have finally uncovered a face and a name.
A respected British technology journalist and broadcasting enthusiast, Bob Tomalski was well known for his knowledge of electronics and his involvement in pirate radio. He died of a heart attack in 2001, aged just 47.
Tommie Trelawny, the presenter of The Interruption, investigated Tomalski’s background and concluded that he was responsible for the mysterious broadcast. His investigation drew on accounts from people connected to Tomalski and apparent links between his voice and that heard during the interruption.
However, the identification remains unproven, and no official finding has confirmed Tomalski’s involvement.
So, after nearly five decades, we’re left with a question that still doesn’t have a irrefutible answer.
Who was really behind the voice that interrupted British television in 1977?
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