Craig Charles (Lister from Red Dwarf) wants to believe, but he can’t do it alone in UFO Conspiracies. There’s some humour involved in this investigative television show on Sky. He joins forces with astrophysicist and journalist Sarah Cruddas to look at various cases, past and present. What’s presented only reminds longtime ufologists about those cases of ongoing debate.
These two work in a makeshift office and don’t have field agents to report in. Instead, what this show offers is something akin to Fact or Faked. Maybe they’re in this bungalow because they fear the Men in Black are coming. The fact it’s “undisclosed” says something. Video cameras are everywhere, and they can be hacked into when they are computer networked machines. In the way this series is filmed, I suspect it’s partly scripted.
I admire the later episodes when the two hosts put together the puzzle pieces. It’s rare to find any paranormal reality programming that’s similar to Beyond the Series. Their investigation into the Phoenix Lights is perhaps the best, since it offers material I do not recall presented elsewhere. To my knowledge, not even Ancient Aliens went into the depth as they did concerning who had seen these UAPs up close.
Another episode in UFO Conspiracies concerns Stephenville, Texas, and the other close encounters. Craig and Sarah get the idea it may fall back to what the USS Nimetz tracked from 2014 to 2019. They also discuss what the USS Omaha found with “Sphere.” Maybe the craft may be the same as what the residents of that Texan town encountered.
The series is enjoyable because the former lost in space actor looks invested. That is, he’s putting on a very serious face when it comes to accepting if what’s happened is indeed real. But sometimes, what’s happened doesn’t have the trail needed to get to the truth, and where it leads is nothing but what can be recalled decades later. When he’s executive producer, he’s able to nudge his show, UFO Conspiracies, into the direction it needs so we’re not laughing at what’s offered.
I don’t think this ten episode series is just a one-off. I’m hoping for another season since there’s a lot more to explore.
And when he puts on his trademark charm and snigger, a thought does cross my mind. Some viewers of UFO Conspiracies may say he’s simply pulling a rug under us. Long time fans will remember his role in BBC’s Ghostwatch; Although this mockumentary duped an entire nation, it left viewers polarised in what a pleasant reality TV program must do.
Episode Guide is on page 2.
Craig Charles UFO Conspiracies Episode Guide
| Episode 1 : South Wales (Original airdate: Jan 11, 2022) In 2016, residents of Pentyrch Village (Llantrisant in paper reports) observed a large pyramid-shaped object. Pretty soon, there’s a fight in the skies with the British Military. Airplanes allegedly downed the craft and pretty soon, there was cover-up of the whole incident. But the past has a way of resurfacing, and many locals are still talking. Much of this episode spends time with one eyewitness, Caz Clarke, asking those big questions. |
| Episode 2 : Ireland (Original airdate: Jan 18, 2022) Chris and Sarah talk about the UAPs that are still fluttering around Ireland, especially in Annalong. They try to connect the dots. Those sightings in San Diego and Puerto Rico might be related. Among the many guests, Ted from NARCAP is interviewed. |
| Episode 3 : Pentagon (Original airdate: Jan 25, 2022) The unidentified aerial threat which the USS Nimitz first observed in 2004 is the focus, and the team consider the subsequent encounters in later years–code-named Gofast (2015), Gimbal (2015) and Pyramid (2019)–along with what it may all mean. Jason Turner (retired) who served on board the USS Princeton is interviewed. |
| Episode 4 : Rendlesham (Original airdate: Feb 1, 2022) The close encounter in Rendlesham forest is inspected, and what’s presented are authentic audio recordings of those people greatly impacted. This incident is explored in-depth. Back at HQ, Nick Pope explains why these crafts have an interest in military bases around the world. |
| Episode 5 : Scotland (Original airdate: Feb 8, 2022) Stretching from Stirling to Edinburgh is the Falkirk Triangle. It’s not as famous as Bermuda or the Alaskan one, but in this country, it’s a hotspot for UFOs. And in the heart of all the sightings is a tiny village of Bonnybridge where people live in constant curiousity and thankfully not fear. Craig and Sarah talk to Ron Halliday, a local UFOlogist, about why this area is of alien interest. |
| Episode 6 : Phoenix Lights (Original airdate: Feb 15, 2022) Craig and Sarah delve into the UFO mystery that sailed through Phoenix, Arizona in 1997. They talk to eyewitness David Parker about what he saw, and also interview Frances Barwood, who was Vice Mayor regarding her attempts to get answers. What they discover from another investigator, Lynne Kitai, is that this appearance has been occurring for years. |
| Episode 7 : Chicago (Original airdate: Feb 22, 2022) Are UFOs science fiction or science fact? That’s the question Craig asks while this episode revisits not only Roswell but also past encounters by the navy. In what may be the smoking gun is the mass sighting of the UFO hovering over O’Hare International Airport. Robert Powell from the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies offers his theories about the November 6, 2006 sighting, and has problems explaining why nobody bothered to take photographs. Conversely, astronomer Mark Hammergren based in this city has other ideas. |
| Episode 8 : Alan Godfrey (Original airdate: Mar 1, 2022) Although the case of Barney and Betty Hill is the most famous alien abduction story, there are many more. Here, Alan Godfrey, a West Yorkshire Police constable, recounts the worst encounter of his life, and the team examines everything that’s occured to say if what he experiences was fact or faked. Sadly, his passing from years ago means they have to look at circumstantial information than to get it from the horses mouth. |
| Episode 9 : Stephenville (Original airdate: Mar 8, 2022) In a small Texan dairy town, a mile-wide UFO hovers through and stuns locals before zipping away. Craig and Sarah talk to Constable Lee Roy Gaitan (retired) and other eyewitnesses, like Steve Allen from Stephenville, about what happened and try to bring the case to a close. |
| Episode 10 Oumuamua (Original airdate: Mar 15, 2022) The question of what the strange, almost cylindrical rock from space represents is asked. Could Oumuamua be an alien probe, rocket or comet? |