First Contact: An Alien EncounterBBC2★★★☆☆
Charles: Our New KingITV★★★☆☆
First Contact: An Alien Encounter was “Close Encounters of the BBC Kind” – that’s to say less War of the Worlds, more a quiet, Horizon-esque account of how things might unfold in the days after we receive an unknown signal from outer space.
Essentially, the memes on social media would go wild and an eager BBC science correspondent wearing no tie would offer explainers about “the artefact” on News at Ten. All a bit mundane given the way 150 years of science fiction has built us up for such a moment.
After the initial excitement, by day nine, troops would be mobilised after panic-buying causes supply chain issues, which