The truth behind the tape - Sky Documentaries gets extraterrestrial with Alien Autopsy (w/t)

Sky today announces Alien Autopsy (w/t), a new Sky Original docuseries from Mindhouse and director John Dower.

In 1995, 18 minutes of grainy film shocked the world and sparked one of the most compelling mysteries of our time. The so-called ‘Alien Autopsy’ footage appeared to show three government officials in hazmat suits dissecting the corpse of an alien recovered from a crash-site near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The footage became an international sensation, captivating film experts, military analysts, and even the Secret Service. But the question remained: was it genuine, or an elaborate hoax? The truth is far from straight forward.  

From director, John Dower (My Scientology Movie and BAFTA award-winning Lockerbie), this stranger-than-fiction documentary series follows members of an ambitious group of filmmakers who found themselves at the centre of an unprecedented media storm after re-creating a landmark alien encounter in a North London apartment, with some still insisting it was based on a genuine film recorded by the US military. 

As debates over extraterrestrial life reach the highest levels of the U.S. government, with military whistleblowers testifying to encounters with unidentified aerial phenomena, the series ventures deep into the wider world of ufology and the impact of Alien Autopsy. From Roswell’s enduring origin myth to the mysterious Calvine sighting in Scotland, it explores the stories, sightings, and scraps of evidence that continue to divide believers and sceptics alike. 

John Dower, Director, said: “Over a decade after the eerie black and white footage of an alien autopsy was released in the mid 90s and affected many in a similar way to The Blair Witch Project, the film was revealed to have been produced in a small flat in Camden, North London, and not in the New Mexico Desert of Roswell. With its makers describing it as ‘a restoration’ it is still possible that it's based on original frames from an existing post-war film. I've directed some bonkers documentaries in my time but never one in which it is so difficult to work out what is real and what isn’t."

Hayley Reynolds, Acting Director of Documentaries and Factual, said: “The 90s were the golden age of UFO fever — before smartphones, before streaming — when grainy footage, The X-Files, and Roswell ruled the headlines. Alien Autopsy remains one of the most debated mysteries of the 20th century, and with UFOs once again sparking debate in governments around the world, we’re thrilled to reunite with John Dower who helmed our BAFTA winning documentary series Lockerbie and the talented team at Mindhouse as they set out to uncover the truth.”

Arron Fellows, Creative Director, Mindhouse, said: “It’s incredible that the Alien Autopsy story has never been told in a premium documentary before and we're thrilled to be working with John Dower at Mindhouse again, after his success with Lockerbie. We look forward to him bringing the same storytelling craft and journalistic rigour to a tale that is as provocative now as it was in the 90s — and taps into our timeless fascination with extraterrestrial life.”

Alien Autopsy (w/t) is coming to Sky Documentaries and streaming service NOW.

Alien Autopsy (w/t) is a Mindhouse production for Sky Documentaries. The series is directed by John Dower. The Series Producer is Rebecca Chapman and the Production Executive is Suzy Burnet. Executive Producers for Mindhouse are Arron Fellows and Emma Whitehead. Commissioning Editors for Sky are Kathryn Taylor and Bruce Fletcher.

For more information please contact Lucy.Butterfield@sky.uk / Ellis.Ritchie@sky.uk