0:00:02 > 0:00:04This programme contains some strong language
0:00:04 > 0:00:07I'm Andrew Maxwell, a comedian. But in this series,
0:00:07 > 0:00:11I'm on a serious mission - to explore the world of the conspiracy theorist.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Tonight, I'm in America, with five Brits who all believe
0:00:18 > 0:00:21they've had encounters of the alien kind.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23- Hi, there.- Hello. - Brigitte, all right?
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Hello, Brigitte.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27'They claim to have witnessed spacecraft from other galaxies...'
0:00:27 > 0:00:28- Andrew.- Darren.- Hello, Darren.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30'..been attacked by UFOs...'
0:00:30 > 0:00:33- Hello, Andrew, I'm Scott. - '..had close encounters with ETs...'
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- How are you, man?- Yeah, good.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Welcome onboard, man. And what's your name?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39- Pleased to... Franky. - Franky, welcome onboard.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44'..and even believe an alien invasion is imminent.'
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Most scientists think we are not alone in the universe,
0:00:47 > 0:00:51but, like myself, they are sceptical about claims of alien
0:00:51 > 0:00:55visitation and government cover-ups.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I'm taking my five companions
0:00:57 > 0:01:00on a USA road trip to explore some
0:01:00 > 0:01:01iconic UFO hotspots
0:01:01 > 0:01:03and meet experts who will help me
0:01:03 > 0:01:05refute their extraterrestrial claims.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10It's just unidentified, OK? Don't go any further than that.
0:01:11 > 0:01:12'There will be upsets...'
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Don't. Cos now you will get me crying, now that I'm here.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18MUSIC: "Rock-A-Hula Baby" by Elvis
0:01:18 > 0:01:19'..but lots of fun...
0:01:21 > 0:01:23'..and outlandish behaviour.'
0:01:23 > 0:01:25How do I survive, and then how do I defend
0:01:25 > 0:01:28if the aliens do, kind of, you know, take the streets?
0:01:28 > 0:01:34Fasten your seatbelts and welcome to Conspiracy Road Trip UFO.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Andrew.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49I will be your tour guide on this journey.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Conspiracy Road Trip UFOs.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57TRIPPERS CHEER
0:01:57 > 0:01:59'It's day one, and we are in LA.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10'Over the next few weeks, each of my fellow travellers is going to
0:02:10 > 0:02:12'offer up a claim, which I'll try and disprove.
0:02:14 > 0:02:15'First up is Brigitte.'
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Will you please welcome Brigitte? Give her a round of applause.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23TRIPPERS APPLAUD
0:02:23 > 0:02:28It involved a 45-foot craft over the freeway at 10:06 at night.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Myself and somebody else was there,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and I hope you get the pleasure to experience it yourselves.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'Brigitte had her most memorable alien encounter
0:02:37 > 0:02:41'while she was working in LA 19 years ago.'
0:02:41 > 0:02:43What you are going to see is a reconstruction.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47This is me in the car. My friend superimposed the Holiday Inn
0:02:47 > 0:02:48and made the spaceship.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55And that's...to your mind's eye, that's...is that a...?
0:02:55 > 0:02:57It's exactly what I saw.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59On a regular day in LA.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03- There's the Holiday Inn.- OK.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Yes, it's over there. Shit.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09OK.
0:03:11 > 0:03:16'Incredibly, Brigitte's sighting was at this busy freeway intersection.'
0:03:17 > 0:03:19- Where were you?- In the car.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23All of a sudden, I had this silver, hard,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26solid object, which was...
0:03:26 > 0:03:3045 foot in length, so from here to over to there.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34- The size of the road, basically? - The size of the road.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38It's gliding over the back boot of the car in front of me.
0:03:38 > 0:03:43It's then going over here, ploughing through the tops of the trees.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I've got my hands prised to the steering wheel,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51eyes were just watering, body felt physically sick,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54it's like, "What the hell is this thing?"
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Has there ever been doubts in your mind?
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I saw it, I was underneath this object.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05Even some of the other trippers are sceptical of Brigitte's account.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10I have my suspicions. I'm not 100% that I believe her.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It's a bit outlandish, especially on such a public place like this.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Why haven't more people kind of seen it?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Whilst I'm not discrediting it, I just would've
0:04:18 > 0:04:20assumed that there would've been kind of more witnesses.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25You know, to my mind, like, a craft the size of the road...
0:04:26 > 0:04:28- ..it would be mayhem. - But, you know what,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32what if everyone else was transfixed, the way that I was?
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Brigitte, single mother of three, is from Devon.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43She had her first extraterrestrial encounter when she was seven.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Can't explain why they came to me.
0:04:45 > 0:04:51And they keep coming back to me. But...I like the fact that they do.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56Day two.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00With dissent and disbelief still in the air, it's time for some
0:05:00 > 0:05:01objective science.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08We're heading out to Mount Wilson Observatory.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- Good morning, everyone!- Good morning.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20In lieu of Brigitte's testimony earlier, of having seen all sorts
0:05:20 > 0:05:24of carry-on, we are going to meet a man by the name of Seth Shostak.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25TRIPPERS CHEER
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Dr Seth Shostak is a world-renowned astronomer.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34He works for the SETI Institute...
0:05:35 > 0:05:38..a scientific organisation whose mission is to search
0:05:38 > 0:05:41the cosmos for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46What we try and do is try
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- and eavesdrop on signals that they might be sending our way.- OK.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Just trying to...just trying to hear ET's radio broadcast.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54I'm sure there are a lot of planets out there that have
0:05:54 > 0:05:56plenty of life that's not very clever,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59life that doesn't write great literature and doesn't build
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- radio transmitters, but we're not going to hear from those guys.- No.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Our galaxy has 200 billion stars. It probably has a trillion planets,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- that's with a T.- Right. - That's a large number.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Now, if this is the only planet where anything interesting
0:06:10 > 0:06:13is happening, that makes us a miracle.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- Right.- And one thing you learn from studying astronomy is that
0:06:16 > 0:06:18every time you believe in miracles, you're wrong.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Like many scientists Dr Shostak thinks that alien life exists,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27but we just haven't seen it yet. So what does he think
0:06:27 > 0:06:29of Brigitte's UFO encounter?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I had a close encounter in central Los Angeles, Brentwood.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- It involved a 45-foot craft. - But no pictures?
0:06:38 > 0:06:39I was in shock.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42I think you would be also.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46You know, if I had a camera, I would still have someone ridicule me.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Can I ask, what about the craft made you think it was extraterrestrial?
0:06:50 > 0:06:55It was nothing that I had seen before. It had no wings.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56It had no fuel...
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Well, you say that, but you would've seen something like that in a movie.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Yeah. I've seen spaceships on TV. It's all... Children's...
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Children's TV channels - there's spaceships everywhere.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08I think that if there were compelling evidence, yes, you would
0:07:08 > 0:07:11have tens of thousands of academics beavering away, working on that.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14If the evidence is poor, they're not going to waste their time,
0:07:14 > 0:07:18that's the thing, and the fact that they're not doing that
0:07:18 > 0:07:19means that the evidence is poor.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21There's not a very good case for alien visitation.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25'Dr Shostak's views make complete sense to me...
0:07:27 > 0:07:29'..but Darren thinks something's not quite right.'
0:07:31 > 0:07:33There are parts of space that the Hubble telescope will not
0:07:33 > 0:07:38point at, and that's said to be under direction from NASA
0:07:38 > 0:07:39and the military or the government.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42For me, I think if there was a large object, I don't think
0:07:42 > 0:07:45they would publically announce that straightaway and tell the public...
0:07:45 > 0:07:48But who would the 'they' be? You'd be kind of the 'they', would you not?
0:07:48 > 0:07:50We'd be among the 'they', but there'd be
0:07:50 > 0:07:53about 10,000 astronomers who are part of the 'they'.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56The idea that they're all in some conspiracy is kind of goofy.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59There's no conspiracy to keep things secret in science.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I picked up on his body language and his body language...his eyes
0:08:04 > 0:08:07flicked, and they kept flicking and flicking and flicking.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11And if you read body language, that's a sign that he might not be telling us all the true facts.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14It's not something I spotted.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20I wanted to ask the doctor, why do ordinary people like Brigitte
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and Darren believe they've seen such extraordinary things?
0:08:25 > 0:08:29There's something about a conspiracy that I think is very empowering.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30If you, for example, think that
0:08:30 > 0:08:33we're being buzzed by alien spacecraft...
0:08:33 > 0:08:37- Uh-huh.- ..and those pointy-headed, nerdy scientists down at the local
0:08:37 > 0:08:40university don't agree with you, you know something they don't know.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44- Yes.- And so there's something empowering about that.- It's a cache.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Yeah. I think that that's understandable.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54It's time for dinner, and a chance to find out what the trippers
0:08:54 > 0:08:56make of their close encounter with Dr Shostak.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01We're not scientists, we're just researchers, you know,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and it would be great for him, like, from my point of view, I think,
0:09:05 > 0:09:07if he could just open his mind a little bit more.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10To use the term open-minded, you're ultimately
0:09:10 > 0:09:12saying people are closed-minded if they don't agree with you.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- Well...- That sounds like, "Agree with me."
0:09:15 > 0:09:18For you to believe that they're not being publically broadcast,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20you must buy into a conspiracy that the 'they' -
0:09:20 > 0:09:24government, NASA - are holding information back from you.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- Yeah, I do.- Why would they...?
0:09:27 > 0:09:31When someone from a...let's say a more advanced civilisation,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34from another planet, comes here and shows their face,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37we lose all power - everybody, us, the government, everyone.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40They could control everything. If they have the ability,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- let's say, to travel here.- But if they're already here, visiting here,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45then they already control us, ipso facto.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- You know what, I think they are really clever.- Maybe they do.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50These are real, you can see them, you can touch them.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52They're coming here, they're visiting us.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Day three. And as we leave California and head towards Arizona,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09it's time to turn my attention to the youngest of the group.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15Will you please welcome up to the microphone your friend,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- my friend, Ben! TRIPPERS:- Yay!
0:10:17 > 0:10:20'25-year-old Ben lives in Durham and works as a barman.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'Two years ago, Ben and his girlfriend
0:10:25 > 0:10:27'saw something strange out of their bedroom window.'
0:10:29 > 0:10:34And this kind of orb appeared, and this orb just exploded silently...
0:10:35 > 0:10:39..and these kind of five or six white objects just disappeared,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43and across the night sky, literally faster than you've ever seen
0:10:43 > 0:10:45anything travel in your entire life.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55After his UFO experience, Ben found faith in a creation theory
0:10:55 > 0:10:57linking humans with extraterrestrials.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05Every kind of society around the world, ancient ones especially,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08have kind of had a belief in gods.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Who's to say that these guys weren't like living, breathing,
0:11:11 > 0:11:14flesh and blood kind of ETs from another planet?
0:11:14 > 0:11:17We could have been created in their image.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20Who's to say that God wasn't a living,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24kind of, breathing extraterrestrial?
0:11:27 > 0:11:29We're heading to Flagstaff, Arizona.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35I believe yourself, Ben, I'll put forward the idea that us humans
0:11:35 > 0:11:38are in some way descendents, or possibly related to aliens.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- Yes.- So we're on the way to meet
0:11:41 > 0:11:45a man by the name of PZ Myers.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48'PZ Myers is a leading evolutionary biologist.'
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- I am PZ Myers. - Hi, Darren.- Darren.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55'He doesn't rule out the possibility of extraterrestrial life.'
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- What are we talking about here? - What did it look like?- Yes.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- OK, well, do you want me to draw one?- Let's draw it...
0:12:00 > 0:12:03'He just thinks your average alien wouldn't look like us.'
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Is it so far-fetched that something could be
0:12:07 > 0:12:09- varied in that manner?- Yes.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13The remarkable thing about the stereotypical alien is how much they
0:12:13 > 0:12:17look like us, how much they look like an infantilised human being.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20It's not likely though that an alien would have
0:12:20 > 0:12:22exactly this arrangement of features.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Why couldn't the wheel be spun in the evolution of our planet
0:12:26 > 0:12:29and other planets and not make this?
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Because a lot of these features are contingent,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35they're historical accidents.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Many of the features of our face are derived from fish
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and what we basically have is modified fish faces.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46For evolution to produce this creature from a completely
0:12:46 > 0:12:47independent lineage,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51on a completely different planet, with a completely different history,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53is ridiculously improbable.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55- Yeah.- So you could have intelligent aliens on other worlds,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58but why would you expect the eyeballs right here?
0:12:58 > 0:13:01Why not put them somewhere else? Down here. Nostrils on the top.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03I do see where you're coming from with that point, yeah.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05I do see where you're coming from.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14Right, Ben seems to have been swayed by PZ's argument.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Time to get back on the bus.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20We're heading down Route 375,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23known locally as the extraterrestrial highway,
0:13:23 > 0:13:24due to the large number
0:13:24 > 0:13:26of UFO sightings.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32And where there are sightings, there is always souvenirs.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Do you not feel like all this merchandise
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and stuff is kind of taking the piss out of your opinions?
0:13:38 > 0:13:40It doesn't matter if you believe or not.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44These guys have got to make a living and, you know, fair play to them.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Is this the sort of thing?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Erm, yeah, pretty much.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51This is a fair enough representation?
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Um, kind of.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55But, yeah, kind of. Very muscular...
0:13:56 > 0:13:59- ..big eyes, almond eyes. - Quite scary though.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01He's similar to lots of people's accounts,
0:14:01 > 0:14:02eye-witness accounts, yeah.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06'Brigitte feels this cardboard cut-out is close to what aliens
0:14:06 > 0:14:10'really look like. To me, it's straight out of the movies.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12'But what do the others think?'
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Scottie, is this the sort of fella, is it?
0:14:16 > 0:14:20No, no. That's just the way that Hollywood would portray them.
0:14:20 > 0:14:21- No?- Yeah, no, no.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Well, he just looks pretty buff, and...
0:14:23 > 0:14:26He does. He's got a good abdominal area. Does the sit-ups.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I mean, just look at the biceps, though, you know...
0:14:29 > 0:14:31He needs to do a few more reps with a lot more weight.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33He wouldn't have a chance against you?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36No. Even with a force field, I'd break through it, no problem at all.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39'Honestly, Scott is not joking!'
0:14:40 > 0:14:43It seems they all have their own personal version of the alien.
0:14:52 > 0:14:53We're taking a detour to Las Vegas.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01So far, I've questioned Brigitte on her UFO vision,
0:15:01 > 0:15:05and Ben about his theories of the origin of Man.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11Bing-bong! Hidey-hi, campers!
0:15:11 > 0:15:13TRIPPERS: Hidey-ho!
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Will you please welcome to the front of the bus
0:15:15 > 0:15:17our fellow road-tripper, Scott!
0:15:17 > 0:15:18Yay!
0:15:21 > 0:15:23'I'm now turning my attention to Scott,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27'who claims he was attacked by aliens in his own home.'
0:15:29 > 0:15:32My experiences were kind of odd to begin with.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34It begins with a mind attack.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37They're trying to break me down through my brain, to then take me on physically.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42Some time when I woke up, I would see figures coming towards me.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44So when these aliens were getting closer
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and closer, it was just at the last second, I was able to break free
0:15:47 > 0:15:49and foil the attempt of these abductions.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I had no weapons. I was only in my pants, so I thought
0:15:52 > 0:15:56if I am up against a seven-foot beefcake, I've only got my underwear.
0:16:02 > 0:16:0632-year-old telecom technician Scott lives in Swindon
0:16:06 > 0:16:08and is married, with two kids.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Since the attack,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17he's been preparing for the alien invasion of planet Earth.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I've been preparing for about a year, at least.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23I've been researching what I would need.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26I got a lot of advice from people in America who'd been hit by
0:16:26 > 0:16:29tsunamis and hurricanes, just to see how they were preparing.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Another box.
0:16:31 > 0:16:37I have salmon and tuna, ready-made meals as well.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40I've got an axe.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Not only for self-defence, but I also use it,
0:16:42 > 0:16:48or I would use it, for chopping down trees, firewood.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Scott's main fear is alien mind control.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56I'm going to be making another hat that I would wear
0:16:56 > 0:16:59just to protect my brain from a number of things.
0:16:59 > 0:17:04I'm going to get my wife to help me get it on, so it's just the right size, it fits right.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09He's come up with a simple force shield that anyone can make at home.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10Hold the front on.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17The problem will be how they influence,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19obviously, the way you think.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24Put you into trances. Make you do things that you don't want to do.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29People would just, you know, people would ridicule it.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31The mainstream media brainwash people.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34You're considered crazy if you believe in a conspiracy.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36You're just labelled the tinfoil hat brigade.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40When I go out in public, just not to alarm people...
0:17:41 > 0:17:43..cover it up.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47Scott is dead-set serious about all of this.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54He's picking up the last vital supplies for the battle ahead.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Scott wants to take advantage of America's relaxed gun laws
0:18:05 > 0:18:09to try out the kind of weaponry he believes could thwart the alien attack.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- I'd like to try and shoot a gun.- OK.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- If that's OK? And a handgun...- OK. - ..that's not too heavy.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20- I'll give you a 9mm Glock. - Great, OK.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Sounds like you're at Specsavers. "Not too heavy, please."
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Maybe a pump action shotgun.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Nervous? Better not be nervous, when the aliens come here,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31like, you've got to go straight for it, man.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Put the red dot where you want the bullets to go, squeeze the trigger.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46- How do you feel?- It's kind of a...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48a shock, the force of the weapon,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- the power, the volume...- One of them in your house?- Not one of them, no.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Do you feel this gun would protect you from an alien invasion?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58I think they might have a force field.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03'This whole gun thing ain't for me.'
0:19:06 > 0:19:08CHEERING
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Aaah! This is my universe!
0:19:15 > 0:19:20'And I'm worried arming Scott is only taking this thing in a totally wrong direction.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:24That's like the main kind of...
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- ..entry wound, if you like.- Right.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And how do you feel, space warrior?
0:19:30 > 0:19:33- It was actually really good fun. - Seriously, I know you had fun,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35I know that both of you wanted to do that.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37I find guns chilling and unpleasant.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40- Well, I'd rather live in a world without guns.- Right.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41But, no, you have people and, you know...
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Is there a way that you could live in a world without thinking,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46"Shit, it's aliens"?
0:19:46 > 0:19:48- Yeah?- There's so much attention on it, we're saturated by it.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Could you not just concentrate on something else?
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Because genuinely, my worry is...
0:19:55 > 0:19:58..I like you, but the idea of you arming and training
0:19:58 > 0:20:03to defend your family in your house fills me with sadness beyond compare.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17'We find ourselves in Sedona, Arizona,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19'deep in the American Wild West.'
0:20:19 > 0:20:22Will you please help me welcome to the front of the bus
0:20:22 > 0:20:25our fellow travelling companion Darren!
0:20:25 > 0:20:27TRIPPERS CHEER
0:20:27 > 0:20:31'33-year-old Darren is a hard-boiled UFO investigator.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34'His detective work has led him into very dangerous territory.'
0:20:37 > 0:20:42I've now become a well-known UFO investigative researcher in the UK.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47I investigate crop circles, animal mutilations, abductions,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49and everything connected to the subject.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Darren lives in Shrewsbury and runs a UFO group.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04In the past two years, he has gathered details on dozens
0:21:04 > 0:21:07of cases of mutilated farm animals in his local area.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12This is six hours since the animal was last
0:21:12 > 0:21:16running around the field, jumping up and playing with its friends.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22Some animal mutilation cases are believed to be linked
0:21:22 > 0:21:25jointly with alien and military involvement,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27where the military
0:21:27 > 0:21:31work with the aliens, in whatever craft they use,
0:21:31 > 0:21:38and then there's some sort of lab or bio...biotech place in the country.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Darren believes his investigations have disturbed
0:21:42 > 0:21:44a secret alien world, making him a target.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52Last year, on a sky watch, I got targeted -
0:21:52 > 0:21:57this is the word I'm going to use - by an unknown laser beam
0:21:57 > 0:21:59in clear sky, which shot down to the ground...
0:21:59 > 0:22:03right next to me with a crack, and it felt like I'd been electrocuted.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06I felt sick, I felt nauseous, and it was witnessed by three other people.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12Is it a weapon, Darren? Is it a weapon, do you think?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Could it... If it had hit you, would you have perished?
0:22:14 > 0:22:15I didn't get hit by it.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17If I got hit by it, maybe I'd have been alight or...
0:22:17 > 0:22:19How bad was the damage?
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I'd have one eyebrow missing, or an ear missing, but...
0:22:21 > 0:22:23If that shot was a warning to say,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27"Look, we're here, stop looking at us," why are you still looking?
0:22:27 > 0:22:30It's not going to stop me from what I'm doing, it's not going to put me off.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35You know, I'm trying to get to the bottom of whatever it is.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43'So far, I've had limited success with my trippers.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'So I'm going to try a little bit of reverse psychology.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54'We're picking up a seasoned UFO investigator, Chris O'Brian.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58'O'Brian's ideas on animal mutilations are so outlandish...'
0:22:58 > 0:23:01- How are you doing there, Chris? - All right.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05'..I'm hoping they'll make Darren take another look at his own theories.'
0:23:07 > 0:23:10The first thing I do when I go to a case is,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I look for cut hair follicles.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16That, to me, is an indication that some sharp implement normally,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and, on rare occasions, a lasing instrument,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22has actually made these horrific-looking cuts.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28You want to go up to the top of the hill and, uh...make a left.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33'Chris has brought us to the kind of farmland
0:23:33 > 0:23:35'where these alien attacks apparently happen.'
0:23:39 > 0:23:44My theory on this is that there's some health organisation
0:23:44 > 0:23:47that's secret that may be attached to the UN, or some, you know,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49sort of international body, that is
0:23:49 > 0:23:53sampling livestock in specific geographic regions.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56The actual organs that are excised
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and removed are the places in which humans develop cancer most often.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Check that out.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07'A bizarre UN plan to come up with a cure for cancer? Really?!'
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Darren, what do you think of this?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13What do you think these animals mutilations are?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16It's some sort of private or military involvement where
0:24:16 > 0:24:18they're testing what's going in the food chain.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Do you think it's alien activity?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Yeah, quite... 99.9%, I'm sure that there's
0:24:23 > 0:24:25an extraterrestrial presence.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29I personally think we're dealing with an ancient predatory
0:24:29 > 0:24:32presence that's as terrestrial as we are, it's just hidden to us.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37It's either dimensional, it's either some sort of time-based thing.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It could be high-tech chefs coming back to...to get
0:24:40 > 0:24:43a million dollar plate dinner material through time.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Possibly the UN, possibly aliens,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50possibly a multi-dimensional ancient predator.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52The World Health Organisation.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55And possibly a time-travelling chef.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56'My plan has backfired.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01'Chris O'Brian's got Darren reeling with new and even wilder scenarios.'
0:25:06 > 0:25:09If it gets reported through the veterinary channels,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12where it goes to the authorities, something called a D notice
0:25:12 > 0:25:14- is placed on the press, on the media...- Yeah.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17..and unless you're local, or you know the farmer,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- or you know investigators... - You'd never know. - ..nobody knows about these cases.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22- Right.- The lid is shut tight.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25'So too, it seems, is Darren's mind.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28'The idea of time-travelling extraterrestrial
0:25:28 > 0:25:31'chefs in search of a good steak dinner is not for me.'
0:25:34 > 0:25:37MUSIC: "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" by Kylie Minogue
0:25:41 > 0:25:43There is now only one member of the group whose conspiracy
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I haven't yet tackled.
0:25:46 > 0:25:47Franky.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52She's not prepared to reveal it in front of the others,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55but nine years ago, Franky had a mind-bending experience.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05I was in my kitchen, washing up, listening to a bit of Kylie,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09when suddenly, it was like the back of my spine lit up like, zhhh!
0:26:11 > 0:26:13- OK. Like hairs on your neck?- No.- No?
0:26:13 > 0:26:16It was like my spine itself lit up with energy
0:26:16 > 0:26:22and this back part of my brain that I'd never used before, like, switched on
0:26:22 > 0:26:27and I had a full-on vision of the inside of this spaceship city.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31That's what I saw.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33And it was like the most magnificent,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36wonderful thing I'd ever seen.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Sincerely, round and round, you know, I'm not...taking the piss,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- but I feel duty-bound to ask, were you high?- No.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Franky Marr is a full-time mum and lives in London.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Her vision has left her confused.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05Could they be from another dimension, rather than from another planet?
0:27:06 > 0:27:08She's also quite embarrassed.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Admitting, you know, these anomalous experiences,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15it's essentially like admitting you have herpes.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25I'm hoping my next expert, psychologist Dr Michael Shermer,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28can convince Franky the alien city is all in her head.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33He's the publisher of the Skeptic magazine.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- Oh, for fuck's sake!- Boo!
0:27:36 > 0:27:40'Franky is no mood for this expert.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42'Michael is well known in UFO circles,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44'and he's not exactly popular.'
0:27:45 > 0:27:48We investigate all kinds of pseudoscientific...
0:27:48 > 0:27:50baloney would be the nice word.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55We have yet to even meet Dr Shermer and Franky is already on edge.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Now we're going to have to listen to one more person's fucking bullshit.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02I say, bring him on.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05That's not exactly the spirit of scientific inquiry I was
0:28:05 > 0:28:07expecting from you, but perhaps that's how you agnostics roll.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09He's a two-bit hustler. I'll listen to what
0:28:09 > 0:28:14he has to say for about 4.5 minutes, and then we're off.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16If you don't have the patience to meet this man,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and you've already decided that he's a two-bit hustler...
0:28:19 > 0:28:22You're apparently the open-minded agnostic, but you're telling me
0:28:22 > 0:28:25before you've even met the guy that he's a two-bit hustler...
0:28:25 > 0:28:26I said I'd give him... Because he is.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28And I said I will give him five minutes.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31Actually, as an open-minded agnostic, I think I'm the one
0:28:31 > 0:28:35- that actually knows more about him than anyone else here...- Right.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Because I've researched him. That is my opinion of him.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41I'm willing to give him five minutes.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44- Five minutes?- Five minutes, yeah. - That's how long it takes
0:28:44 > 0:28:46for your inquiring mind to make a decision, five minutes?
0:28:46 > 0:28:50I've given him far more than five minutes. I've researched him for hours.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52If you want me to get off the bus, I'll get off the bus.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56No. I want you to sit down and be patient and get involved in it.
0:28:56 > 0:28:57I just find, like...
0:28:57 > 0:29:02- it's bullshit, man.- Experience... - Is everybody ready? Yeah.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- OK.- So ready.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Ladies and gentlemen, can you please welcome on the bus
0:29:06 > 0:29:09- Dr Michael Shermer.- Hello, Michael.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11- APPLAUSE - Hi, guys.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14So, some of us in the group have had, like, literally visions,
0:29:14 > 0:29:15we've seen things.
0:29:15 > 0:29:21I saw a red, glowing orb that was, like, pulsating like that.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24And then as the sighting went on,
0:29:24 > 0:29:27I saw two objects, like white arrowheads,
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- fly over from one side of the horizon to the other...- OK.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32And then the same again with five objects.
0:29:32 > 0:29:33What do you think it was?
0:29:33 > 0:29:37I think... I believe it was a UFO, Unidentified Flying Object.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Why would you think that? What do you mean by UFO?
0:29:40 > 0:29:42- It's an unidentified flying object, yes.- Yeah.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45- OK, but that's all we can say. It's just unidentified.- Yeah.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48OK, don't go any further than that. It's just unidentified.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50- Yeah.- End of story.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52Until we can figure out what it is, we don't know.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55These are called anomalous psychological experiences.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58They come in a variety of flavours.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02One can be triggered by sleep deprivation, fatigue.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05Sometimes, under certain conditions, you sense
0:30:05 > 0:30:09the presence of another person, or being, or creature.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Climbers that do K2 and Everest,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14they will often have a shared hallucination of another
0:30:14 > 0:30:17climber with them on the rope who isn't actually there,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20and later, they'll talk about it. It's like, "Did you see that?"
0:30:20 > 0:30:23"Yeah, yeah, I saw it." And this is called the sense presence effect.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26I do kind of wonder - are you being paid to be here today,
0:30:26 > 0:30:31or have you just come along because you're promoting your magazine, etc?
0:30:31 > 0:30:34OK, here's our general position on UFOs. Um...
0:30:34 > 0:30:37So there's a body of you and you have one general position?
0:30:37 > 0:30:38No, no, no, no.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41There's no such thing, of course, but I'm just speaking in general,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44the sense of people I know that work in this business.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47So there's two questions - are there aliens out there?
0:30:47 > 0:30:48- Have they come here?- Yeah.
0:30:48 > 0:30:52Most of us scientists tend to think that there is probably
0:30:52 > 0:30:55extraterrestrial life teeming throughout the galaxy, right?
0:30:55 > 0:30:56Yeah, yeah, I get that.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59At least bacterial grade, maybe even intelligent life, right?
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Now, the chances of going from, say, something like a Neanderthal,
0:31:03 > 0:31:07which is a pretty advanced, big-brained creature making tools,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11to actually achieving space flight or radio communication
0:31:11 > 0:31:15that we can make contact with, that's a much harder step to make.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I totally disagree
0:31:18 > 0:31:21because it's been my personal experience,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24and lots of other factors are involved in that.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29Unfortunately, our idea that we're rational beings that can
0:31:29 > 0:31:32correctly perceive the world around us turns out not to be the case.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36We are very irrational, emotional, and we misperceive things all the time.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38From a scientist's perspective, it's OK to just say,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41- "I don't know."- Mmm-hmm. - And let's just let it sit there.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44- But that's what I've always said. - We don't have to... Perfect.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46We don't have to construct a whole world view of aliens coming here,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49and conspiracies, and Men In Black, and cover-up,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51and government this and that, you don't have to do that,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54you can just let it sit as like, "Wow, that was really interesting."
0:31:54 > 0:31:57- And that's it.- I was not looking forward to meeting you,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59but now that I have, I think you're really quite cool.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02- You were only going to give him five minutes.- I was going to give you
0:32:02 > 0:32:04five minutes and then go stomping off to the bar.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06- Thank you, Michael.- That's our job.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08- Thank you, dude All right.- All right.- Bye!
0:32:08 > 0:32:10- TRIPPERS:- Bye! - Wave off the sceptic.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11- TRIPPERS:- Goodbye.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19I'm more than halfway through my 1,000-mile trip.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25I've had only limited success taking on my trippers' personal theories.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32So now it's time to tackle the mother of all UFO conspiracies.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38It centres around Area 51...
0:32:39 > 0:32:43..a top-secret military base located deep in the Nevada desert.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49It's a weapons-testing facility.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56But my lot also believe aliens are being held there...
0:32:58 > 0:33:03..brought from the infamous 1947 flying saucer crash at Roswell.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17- Hello, fellow road trippers! TRIPPERS:- Hello.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21- Now, we've all heard of Area 51. TRIPPERS:- Yes.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25It's kind of a key piece in the whole carry-on, correct?
0:33:25 > 0:33:27- Yeah.- Right.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Well, we've lined up a guy who apparently has
0:33:29 > 0:33:31the inside scoop on Area 51.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36John Lear is a decorated pilot who spent years
0:33:36 > 0:33:38flying covert missions for the CIA.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Lear claims his work within the US intelligence community
0:33:45 > 0:33:47has given him the inside knowledge on Area 51.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55There was rumoured to be kind of alien beings taken to Area 51,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58- is that true? - There were two live ones
0:33:58 > 0:34:02and three deceased aliens in the two crashes that happened.
0:34:02 > 0:34:08- One is...friendly and the other is not so friendly.- Yeah?
0:34:09 > 0:34:12'Hold tight! I didn't know this was his angle.'
0:34:15 > 0:34:21Well, they have this big half-sphere where he lives inside, and...
0:34:21 > 0:34:25when the President and Vice President, Head of the CIA,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28want to see him, there's a big balcony,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31and this is all on the Internet, there's very good drawings
0:34:31 > 0:34:34- of all this stuff, and they bring him up in this half sphere.- Good.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36- FRANKY:- And what kind of alien was it?
0:34:36 > 0:34:38They call that the J-Rod.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42It definitely wasn't a grey, but the government calls it a J-Rod.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45But why don't... Why doesn't the J-Rod's people...
0:34:45 > 0:34:48either rescue him, or at least just go,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50"Hang on, we'll just go over the head of them and...
0:34:50 > 0:34:55"reveal ourselves, like, by literally flying over downtown Manhattan"?
0:34:55 > 0:34:59The aliens are not allowed to give us an over...message.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Who doesn't allow them?
0:35:01 > 0:35:02The guys that made us.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Those guys have been around here for billions of years.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11'This stuff is so off the hook.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13'My trippers aren't really believing this, are they?'
0:35:15 > 0:35:21The Earth is 11 billion years old. The moon is 20 billion years old
0:35:21 > 0:35:24and was fabricated inside the planet Jupiter.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28'I'm not buying any of this,
0:35:28 > 0:35:31'but John insists he has photographic evidence.'
0:35:31 > 0:35:33This is a picture of the moon.
0:35:33 > 0:35:39I can tell you that this is 125 miles northwest of Copernicus,
0:35:39 > 0:35:42but this is a city, and you can see the houses, the buildings.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47Here is an aeroplane. Here's the different houses, trees, bushes,
0:35:47 > 0:35:53all down here is just all kinds of factories, factories up here.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58- There's 1.5 to two billion people living up there.- Really?- Yeah.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06'I was expecting this former CIA man to be super straight-laced.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10'But his stuff seems to be the most outlandish yet.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12'And it seems to have put off Ben a little.'
0:36:14 > 0:36:18I kind of believe all of his theories on the bases -
0:36:18 > 0:36:22Area 51 and such, it sounds very plausible, but some of the things what he said
0:36:22 > 0:36:26were quite out-there, right? Like the moon was made inside Jupiter?
0:36:27 > 0:36:30There's no science to back that up at all.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32You go down this rabbit hole of...
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- Yeah, yeah.- ..crazy UFO theories, it just...it only gets worse, Ben.
0:36:36 > 0:36:37- It gets, it gets...- Yeah.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42- You're right, it has shocked me. - There are 25 billion people on the moon!- Yeah, yeah, I know.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45- This is...- You're right.- But, Benny, is this your view, dude?
0:36:45 > 0:36:49- Hopefully, you won't... I see what you're saying, but... - That's Christmas Future, man.- Yeah.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00After our out-of-this-world encounter with John Lear,
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I decide the only solution to the problem is to turn
0:37:04 > 0:37:07the bus around and head straight for Area 51.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16So we're back on the Extraterrestrial Highway,
0:37:16 > 0:37:17with only Elvis to guide us.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21MUSIC: "Rock-A-Hula Baby" by Elvis
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Late that afternoon, we locate an unmarked track leading to
0:37:36 > 0:37:40the infamous secret base, but things are about to go very wrong.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44MUSIC: "THE TWILIGHT ZONE" THEME
0:37:44 > 0:37:49These few secretly taken photographs are our only record of our visit.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56We arrived at Area 51 checkpoint.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02To me, it seemed like an ordinary military facility.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08But my companions were convinced this was the gateway to
0:38:08 > 0:38:10the extraterrestrial secrets.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17We got a bit overexcited and we strayed into the restricted zone...
0:38:17 > 0:38:20to ask where the aliens were being kept!
0:38:21 > 0:38:25But after knocking on the guardhouse door, we found ourselves
0:38:25 > 0:38:29lying on the ground with gun barrels pointed at our heads.
0:38:29 > 0:38:30- SIREN WAILS - Stay on the ground!
0:38:33 > 0:38:36The military police had detained us for trespassing
0:38:36 > 0:38:38and confiscated our cameras.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50'Four hours later, we were back on the bus, after being released
0:38:50 > 0:38:53'without charge, but with just a camera phone to capture our relief.'
0:38:53 > 0:38:54You must shuffle towards the enemy.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Ladies and gentlemen, can we please raise a toast to our freedom!
0:38:57 > 0:38:59- TRIPPERS:- Yay!
0:39:01 > 0:39:08We are the only group of people who can say, when somebody asks us,
0:39:08 > 0:39:12"Have you ever heard of Area 51, man?"
0:39:12 > 0:39:16We can say, "Heard of it? We've danced on it!"
0:39:16 > 0:39:19- TRIPPERS:- Yeah!
0:39:27 > 0:39:30There's the signs warning us not to cross the barrier...
0:39:30 > 0:39:35'After last night's high jinx and shenanigans, it's time for a debrief.'
0:39:35 > 0:39:38So does it make you feel, now that you've actually been to Area 51?
0:39:38 > 0:39:43Make you feel like there's more, or less, likelihood of any UFO business, alien business?
0:39:43 > 0:39:47I still believe that they've got some sort of life form
0:39:47 > 0:39:48and extraterrestrial craft.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Why can't you conceive of the idea that just
0:39:51 > 0:39:54human scientists could've come up with a stealth bomber?
0:39:54 > 0:39:56No, not so quickly, not so quickly.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58We've evolved so quickly within technology.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Yeah, but have you ever heard of Moore's Law?
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Computing power doubles every two years.
0:40:03 > 0:40:08You don't need an alien craft, you just... The more humans talk,
0:40:08 > 0:40:12the faster technology develops. So do you all still believe?
0:40:12 > 0:40:17I think they have got a non-terrestrial life form and craft in it.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19- Ben?- Same for me, this doesn't change anything.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22It was a great experience but, like I said,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25I think it would've happened at any military kind of base,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28but, yeah, so basically, I still believe, yeah.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Our arrest has achieved nothing but fan more flames of suspicion.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43We've been denied access to Area 51, but Darren still thinks
0:40:43 > 0:40:45he has a chance to prove to me that aliens are real.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51We're heading back to the perimeter of the base.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55We are going to go down to a special place in Area 51 history
0:40:55 > 0:40:57called the Black Mailbox.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02We're looking for the only landmark in this barren
0:41:02 > 0:41:05stretch of desert highway - the Black Mailbox.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13'It turns out the Black Mailbox is actually white.'
0:41:14 > 0:41:20The famous Black Mailbox of Ufology fame.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25'Black or white, if I'm ever going to see an alien, this is probably
0:41:25 > 0:41:26'where it's going to be.'
0:41:26 > 0:41:29This spot, it has the best views over to the mountain range.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Behind that mountain range is Area 51.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34It's got the best light, it's open.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36People say it's the best place cos you can see things
0:41:36 > 0:41:38coming up from the base, if they come up.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43- What do you mean? By things, you mean spaceships?- Maybe UFOs.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Anything could come up from there, it's Area 51, so, yeah.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50- Sweet as a nut, let's get... - But this is it.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52- Let's get started then, come on. - Yay!
0:41:52 > 0:41:54All right, let's start looking.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Hey, aliens!
0:42:01 > 0:42:04- Send me your most funny alien!- Right, I'll take... Yeah, he's right.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06- You see that flashing? - Shitting hell!
0:42:06 > 0:42:10'Wow, Darren's actually spotted something over Area 51.'
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Oh, there you go, it's right there.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15- Up there too! There are three, look, there!- Look at that shit.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17- Fuck you! - Look, they even turn around!
0:42:17 > 0:42:19- Fuck you!- Turn around!
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Everybody, everybody that said they didn't exist,
0:42:21 > 0:42:23there they fucking are!
0:42:24 > 0:42:27- They're military flares. Sorry. - No, they're not, they're not flares.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30'Unfortunately, not all you see is to be believed.'
0:42:30 > 0:42:32- They are military flares. - No, that's aliens.- They're flares.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34Why is the army sending up flares?
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Right. What they do with flares, we're over, you know,
0:42:37 > 0:42:40this air force bombing range and Area 51
0:42:40 > 0:42:43and the flares are used as away points for aircraft.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46But there's no aircraft, so why are they firing flares?
0:42:46 > 0:42:48Exactly, why are they firing flares? BOOM!
0:42:48 > 0:42:51- Fucking hell! What the fuck was that?!- Excellent.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52What the fuck is that?!
0:42:52 > 0:42:54There you go, that's a sonic boom, isn't it?
0:42:54 > 0:42:57- Yeah.- Ah, missed it.- Sonic boom. - Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!- Sonic boom.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01'It's easy to see how these flares
0:43:01 > 0:43:03'and secret aeroplanes could be misconstrued.'
0:43:06 > 0:43:12# I saw a UFO in the sky last night
0:43:12 > 0:43:14# Made me wonder if... #
0:43:14 > 0:43:15'It's been a long night
0:43:15 > 0:43:19'and, despite all the evidence to the contrary, most of my trippers
0:43:19 > 0:43:22'still think that Area 51 is a hotbed of alien activity.'
0:43:27 > 0:43:29MUSIC: "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis
0:43:34 > 0:43:38- Bing-bong! Welcome to Las Vegas. TRIPPERS:- Yay!
0:43:41 > 0:43:43I'm going to have one last-ditch attempt
0:43:43 > 0:43:46at trying to discredit the Area 51 myth.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Today, we are going to meet a lady by the name of Annie Jacobson.
0:43:52 > 0:43:57She is a writer, historian, and expert on Area 51.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00# Viva Las Vegas
0:44:00 > 0:44:04# Viva Las Vegas... #
0:44:04 > 0:44:06'I'm hoping Annie can help me persuade
0:44:06 > 0:44:10'my fellow travelling companions of the simple truth about Area 51.'
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Many people believe it is an underworld of captured aliens
0:44:14 > 0:44:16and UFOs, as you say.
0:44:16 > 0:44:20In my experience, interviewing 74 men who worked
0:44:20 > 0:44:23and lived on the base, I didn't come across a single source
0:44:23 > 0:44:25that told me about an extraterrestrial.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30You don't believe that any kind of craft or aliens went there at all, in your opinion?
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Well, what I do believe is that the CIA uses any
0:44:34 > 0:44:38and all means to keep their secret programmes secret.
0:44:38 > 0:44:44And often, what that involves is information and disinformation.
0:44:44 > 0:44:46So if they're trying to keep a programme secret
0:44:46 > 0:44:53and people are busy talking about UFOs, it's a convenient way to not have people ask,
0:44:53 > 0:44:56"What's going on with that top-secret spy plane?"
0:44:56 > 0:45:03From my point of view as an investigative researcher into this phenomenon, I have to consider
0:45:03 > 0:45:06that there is some sort of...
0:45:06 > 0:45:08captured non-terrestrial. You have to...
0:45:08 > 0:45:11All these crashes, they all happened at the height of the Cold War.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14The Soviet Union and America were in an arms race
0:45:14 > 0:45:18to build the most sophisticated aircraft. It would've been
0:45:18 > 0:45:21so much handier for them to go, "Yeah, yeah, there's an alien."
0:45:21 > 0:45:27I've come across a lot of information that the idea of aliens
0:45:27 > 0:45:31having come to Earth is a convenient disinformation tool for the CIA.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35'So there is a government cover-up surrounding Area 51,
0:45:35 > 0:45:40'but it concerns US foreign policy and the design of high-tech weapons.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42'It's got nothing to do with flying saucers.
0:45:45 > 0:45:51'Annie even introduces us to Richard Mingus, a retired Area 51 employee.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53'He worked at the base for 36 years
0:45:53 > 0:45:57'and was responsible for guarding the U-2 spy plane project.'
0:45:59 > 0:46:04You obviously observed lots of types of military aircraft.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08If something had flown in the skies that was slightly
0:46:08 > 0:46:11a little bit more different, and you felt that it was different,
0:46:11 > 0:46:15wouldn't you sort of be able to differentiate between the two,
0:46:15 > 0:46:20whether it be our craft here, government craft, or something else?
0:46:20 > 0:46:23You're asking me, did I see really anything different than,
0:46:23 > 0:46:24- like, the U-2?- Yeah.
0:46:28 > 0:46:29- No.- OK.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32The most extraordinary thing that people
0:46:32 > 0:46:36say about Area 51 is that there is captured aliens there.
0:46:36 > 0:46:41I did not see aliens, or did I see any spaceships.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47I've seen no conspiracies of any kind taking place out there.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52'Well, that's a pretty definitive statement to me.
0:46:52 > 0:46:54'What do the gang think?'
0:46:54 > 0:46:59I'm 99.9% sure that they've got an ET craft and/or
0:46:59 > 0:47:02beings on this planet, possibly at Area 51.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04They could be in other places.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06And that's my personal opinion, from experience.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09- Yeah, totally.- Everything what you've just said there,
0:47:09 > 0:47:12that's my view as well, I couldn't put it better.
0:47:12 > 0:47:13Your margin of doubt is only 1,000th?
0:47:13 > 0:47:16From my own research, yeah,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19- it's the conclusion we've come to, right? Yeah.- Yes.- Yeah.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21And I'll stand by that.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23'Blimey O'Reilly! Right.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26'Well, I haven't got a hope in hell of changing their minds,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28'and Annie's got an extra twist to her story too.'
0:47:29 > 0:47:33Proving whether you believe in aliens or not, Area 51
0:47:33 > 0:47:36seems to have the power to inspire tall tales.
0:47:36 > 0:47:42According to my ,source there was a saucer-shaped craft that was
0:47:42 > 0:47:47sent by Stalin and crashed in the New Mexico desert. The crash
0:47:47 > 0:47:53was subsequently moved to Area 51 in 1951, according to my source.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57The reason he has this information, and I believe him, is because
0:47:57 > 0:48:00in that part of the programme, he was a first-hand witness.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03Like, how did it get there? Was it literally rocket-propelled?
0:48:03 > 0:48:07What we are led to believe is that the craft was actually anti-gravity.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10The craft was actually piggy-backed onto another larger craft,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13and that is my understanding of how that saucer got here, yes.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15That's cool.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18'Just when I think things can't get any weirder, they do.'
0:48:19 > 0:48:26This craft was sent over, and out came these non-consenting airmen,
0:48:26 > 0:48:33- let's say, that had been surgically altered to look like Martians.- Wow.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37And that is the great horror behind that story.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41And that physical evidence, according to my source,
0:48:41 > 0:48:45was moved to Area 51 and has been there for decades.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49Was there any follow-up to what happened to these deformed Russians?
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Well, that's where the story becomes very, very secretive
0:48:52 > 0:48:57and that's where the source would not share any more information with us.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00I feel like I'm chasing my tail here.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02If it's not aliens, it's the Cold War.
0:49:03 > 0:49:06And it seems to be even getting too much for Scott.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11I came on here for answers, and I'm just really disillusioned
0:49:11 > 0:49:13now about... There's just so many different fantastic theories
0:49:13 > 0:49:18out there and it's just, where do they all come from? There's just no answers anywhere.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21I've just kind of given up with the subject at the moment.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28It seems not even Scott's tin-foil hat can protect him
0:49:28 > 0:49:30from this mental overload.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38'We're coming to the end of our trip and we're all exhausted.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43'I don't know how much appetite for UFOs I still have...
0:49:46 > 0:49:51'..but there's still one last angle to Brigitte's story I need to explore.
0:49:55 > 0:50:00'Moments after witnessing a 45-foot flying saucer over an LA freeway...
0:50:01 > 0:50:04'..Brigitte claims she had an even closer encounter.'
0:50:06 > 0:50:09All of a sudden, it felt like I was being sucked through
0:50:09 > 0:50:14the steering wheel, out through the dashboard, through the car engine.
0:50:14 > 0:50:19I then recall being in a field, beings being there.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21Now, they weren't a typical grey type of beings,
0:50:21 > 0:50:26they were kind of see-through, flesh-coloured, with veins,
0:50:26 > 0:50:31quite muscular, with hair, the hair was white...
0:50:32 > 0:50:36..and one of them had a child and tried to present me with this child.
0:50:36 > 0:50:41If I was heavily religious and I had Jesus in front of me,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43I would explain it as that.
0:50:47 > 0:50:52So she's not only seen aliens, she's been abducted by them.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55As the final proof of all her claims,
0:50:55 > 0:50:57she's agreed to take a lie-detector test.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03If she's telling porky pies, her heart rate, blood pressure,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05and respiration will give the game away.
0:51:08 > 0:51:10You can pass a polygraph test if you listen carefully
0:51:10 > 0:51:14to every word of the question, please put it visually to me.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20Everything's in place and Brigitte is ready to take the lie-detector test.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24But I'm having second thoughts now.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30What do you think, Brigitte, do you want to do it?
0:51:30 > 0:51:32You do? Are you sure?
0:51:33 > 0:51:35''I think doing this, and it...'
0:51:35 > 0:51:40her failing it could probably hurt her more than all the aliens she's ever met.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46'She's just a nice lady who has had a lot of'
0:51:46 > 0:51:49really odd things happen to her
0:51:49 > 0:51:53that, for me, seem tall in the tale division, but...
0:51:55 > 0:51:57..I don't need to...we don't need to do this.
0:51:59 > 0:52:01I just.. This is... It's fucking awful.
0:52:09 > 0:52:14Hey, listen, I'm sorry to disturb and I don't usually pull rank on this one,
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Brigitte, but... Sorry to interrupt, Ron,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20but I don't want to do this, and I don't want you to do it.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24I don't think it's necessary and I'd rather you didn't, Brigitte.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27I kind of don't need to know.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32I like you. I'd rather you tell me your stories
0:52:32 > 0:52:34and just leave it at that. Yeah?
0:52:34 > 0:52:35Yeah?
0:52:36 > 0:52:40Come on, you. Come on. Come on.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43- I'm going to start crying... - Come on. There's no need. Come on.
0:52:43 > 0:52:44I was willing to do this.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47I know you were, darling, but I don't need to know.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49- OK.- All right?- Yeah.- OK.
0:52:50 > 0:52:54'I can't help feeling Brigitte's whole identity is closely connected
0:52:54 > 0:52:56'to her faith in extraterrestrial beings...
0:52:58 > 0:53:01'and I'm not here to put her through a test that's going to destroy
0:53:01 > 0:53:06'her entire belief system and leave her all Christmas and no Santa.'
0:53:06 > 0:53:09Come on. Come on. All right?
0:53:13 > 0:53:16We're done. At the end of it all,
0:53:16 > 0:53:19I still don't believe in alien conspiracies.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27Many people have a need to explain to themselves how the world works,
0:53:27 > 0:53:30and for my trippers, extraterrestrial life
0:53:30 > 0:53:32provides some reassuring answers.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38So what are they taking back from the road trip?
0:53:38 > 0:53:41I came here thinking that I might get some sort of fact or answer,
0:53:41 > 0:53:42and I haven't got anything,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45which just makes me think that there isn't an answer.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48I don't want to sit around any more thinking, what's true and what's not, you know?
0:53:48 > 0:53:52I'd rather just forget about it... and focus on other things.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56Well, that's a turn-up for the books.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00I do hope Scott will be able to take his mind off the alien invasion from now on
0:54:00 > 0:54:02and get on with his life in Swindon.
0:54:03 > 0:54:05But what about Franky?
0:54:06 > 0:54:10UFOs exist. That is a fact.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14What they are - whether they're extraterrestrial, interdimensional,
0:54:14 > 0:54:19government cover-up, or at the other end of the spectrum,
0:54:19 > 0:54:23natural phenomenon that people don't recognise - to me, that issue
0:54:23 > 0:54:27is separate from the whole alien abduction experience issue as well.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31'At one point, I thought Ben was going to have a shift of perspective...
0:54:34 > 0:54:37'..but he seems as certain as ever of extraterrestrial life.'
0:54:37 > 0:54:39The whole kind of UFO issue,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42I think it just stems from my personal belief and, like,
0:54:42 > 0:54:47my actual sighting itself. It's, like, forever burned in my mind, you know?
0:54:47 > 0:54:50So I've still got my beliefs that there are
0:54:50 > 0:54:54UFOs in the sky and that we are being visited by extraterrestrials.
0:54:56 > 0:54:58I've got nowhere at all with Darren,
0:54:58 > 0:55:03who is still 99.9% convinced aliens and government agencies
0:55:03 > 0:55:06are up to all sorts of galactic shenanigans.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09It's all about awareness. It's all about telling people
0:55:09 > 0:55:14what you find out and what you know, but the UFO subject is a big conspiracy.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16The truth is out there, we just need to find it.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18'As for Brigitte...'
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Have you changed your opinion on anything?
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Definitely not. Definitely not.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27'Oh, well! I've decided to take her just the way she is.'
0:55:27 > 0:55:30You have my undivided attention, Brigitte, I am now going to
0:55:30 > 0:55:36put on my specs, kick back... I want your most high-strange story.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40- OK.- Well, I have to give you my recent high strangeness story.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43- All right.- If you start snoring, I'm going to fucking whack you, mate.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46I won't. I promise, I promise, I promise. Go for it.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49- OK, I'm going to the store...- OK. - ..to go and get some groceries. I...
0:55:49 > 0:55:50Where was this?
0:56:15 > 0:56:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd