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It Came From The Cathode Ray Tube (Weird TV Incidents)

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Anonymous

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I've already strung up something to this effect on the ULs board, but I'm going for all out contributions on any topic here.
Anyone know any good stories relating to Television? By which I mean urban legends, odd unbroadcast programmes, mystery transmissions, rumours, ghostly events, unverifiable news...

I'm just as interested in what may have actually happened in your own living room as I am in mass media stuff though! Spooky voices on the empty channels? Videos of Satan? Daleks come and get ya for real?

Let me know.
 
I don't think Quatermass has been mentioned on the FT boards yet, so I'll give it a plug.

Poor quality B&W pictures, but for sheer dramatic impact on my (then) teen-aged mind - unbeatable!

The one I particularly remember was (I think) called Quatermass and the Pit, where ancient ETs are discovered during excavations for a new London Tube line, which seems to relate to various ghostly happenings in the area, and then.... AARGHHH!

Brilliant! Even the name Quatermass has all sorts of Fortean resonances. Own up, all who remember it.
 
I think I've mentioned Quatermass here before, specifically the Radio 3 series 'The Quatermass Tapes'.
 
I posted this in another thread, but I think it covers what you're after.

Onetime, my flatmate and I were watching Friday The Thirteenth Part 3 on a Sunday afternoon. About half an hour from the end a subtitle came up (Ceefax-style) that read "You should have gone to church" in green. It stayed there for the remainder of the film. We ascribed it to "the electrical ghost", as the telly used to change channels spontaniously, and various assorted phenomena. When the TV died, so did the ghost. I wonder if it could've been an electrical fault?
 
My television occasional turns itself on, and if left alone will turn itself off again.
 
The last TV we had also turned itself on and off every once in a while. It was the sleep function, but we didn't know how to reprogram it. One day we were sitting in the kitchen eating when a door suddenly opened, probably because of the wind, and then closed again. And after the time it would take someone to walk to the living room, the TV turned on. It just seemed kind of weird, like an invisible man had just walked in and decided to watch TV.
 
The teletext message story is the damnedest thing I have ever heard. You have exceeded my expectations.

Has anyone else found themselves apparently communicating with - well, whatever, via the medium of the TV?

And does anyone know where I can get hold of a copy of the late 1970's 'Space Message' which took over Anglia TV?
 
There was that Anglia TV programme about the proposed colonisation of Mars, can anyone remember that? It was in deadpan, documentary style and had originally been scheduled for screening on 1 April, but had been shown on another date.

Carole
 
Hiding behind the settee is something we can all recall
doing - especially when Doctor Who is mentioned.

But, thinking about it, our settee at the time was positioned
against the wall. Weird that. :rolleyes:
 
James Whitehead said:
Hiding behind the settee is something we can all recall
doing - especially when Doctor Who is mentioned.

Thought I'd better be the next post after a Doctor Who reference.
(If you ever want to get on a Doctor Who fan's nerves spell it Dr Who).

I remember as a child watching an advert for some type of television which was 'so lifelike' that the racehorses came out of the back of the television and paraded around on the carpet behind.
I new this couldn't happen, but still looked occasionally to see if anything had come out of the back of the television.

Weird that, why bother when I new it couldn't happen.
 
Alternative 3. We always end up talking about it eventually.

It's an experience which has changed a little over the years. In the 1970s, one had to excercise judgement, a clear head, a sense of the dramatic and a little scientific insight.
Today's audience may find the presence of Colonel Von Strom out of 'allo 'allo a bit more of a giveaway.
 
(If you ever want to get on a Doctor Who fan's nerves spell it Dr Who).

Thank you for that helpful tip. I shall do this as much as possible from now on!!:devil:
 
Just remembered about the time me and a friend (many many years ago) had been playing on my nintendo. We switched the nintendo then the tv off only for the screen not to got blank. Well it looked normal only there was a small red dot on the screen. We looked at it for maybe half a minute tops before running like crazy downstairs. My friend claimed to of seen a face on the screen (something which I have always had my doubts about).

Oh and this thread has reminded me of my weird cybermen dreams which are the only ones to really freak me out.

luce
 
This isn't a personal experience and you've probably heard of it before but just in case you haven't... In FT 141, according to the New York Post, a couple in Detroit started receiving death threats and other messages through their television sets. The messages responded to what the couple said and what was going on in the house, and also mentioned other people living in the same area. The TVs involved also switched themselves on and changed channels of their own accord. Police suspected someone was using a radio frequency remote control to send the messages and handed the case over to the FBI.
 
Ahh yes, I remember that one now. Didn't impress me much to be honest. Any TV-repairman could probably do it.

As for the red dot, what kind of TV did you have. One we had some years ago used to flash a red dot when it turned off. Maybe something could happen that would cause the red dot to get stuck. In any case, what made you go crazy about a red dot?
 
This happened years and years ago. It was a already old portable tv (Hitatchi I think!). As for what made us go crazy about the red dot, well my friend went "I see a face on the screen!" even though I didn't see a face it was a bit freaky. My only problem with this now is that I can't remember if I switched the tv off at the mains too. If I had then why did the spot stay?

luce
 
I used to have nightmares about not being able to turn the TV off. Then my eyelids would vanish so I'd have to keep watching - um, anyway, back to the spooky stories.

Most influential Fortean TV show? I'm thinking some of those 1970s documentaries here, quite possibly. What do you lot reckon?
 
(RE: The Southern TV / Ashtar Galactic Command incident in 1977)

It was a very well thought out commercial for a bank. You can find more about it in the thread "Warning/message from the future"
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Apologies if this has been covered before but, as usual I couldn't find the thread mentioned above (and have been having problems posting all day otherwise I'd have got my pennyworth's in first :) )

I far as I remember the TV ad was a bit contrived and wasn't really convincing, so I'm thinking this may be something else... There's an interesting story on Snopes which seems related...

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/klee.htm

Hope this helps (and hope the ****** link works this time!)

J.



much later... link still not working. grrh! :rolleyes:
 
there used to be a thread titled <broadcast from the future> in the <it happened to me> section, but i can't find it anymore
 
I also recall that a specialist in long-range TV reception in the UK picked up the test transmission of an American TV station called KLEE-TV, even though that station had ceased broadcasting several years before. Apparently the same test signal was picked up again several years later. I think this took place sometime in the 1950s.
 
The obsolete testcard signal story is often reprinted. The most
detailed account I read a year or so ago - though I can't trace
the source right now.

It seems that it arose from a scam where a television set was
demonstrated as drawing in signals from all over the world. The
signals actually came from the next room where they had a
set of old test-cards from America!

Despite this seeming to explain the event, the explanation itself
was very short on details of where and when exactly it took place
and who did it. :confused:
 
More info:

The original event I quoted above took place in Morecombe (Lancashire), September 1953. TV station signal was from Houston, (Texas). It wasn't a test card but the call letters from the station, which had not been in use for 3 years. Second signal was picked up on November 23rd, 1955.
 
rynner said:
I don't think Quatermass has been mentioned on the FT boards yet, so I'll give it a plug.

Poor quality B&W pictures, but for sheer dramatic impact on my (then) teen-aged mind - unbeatable!

The one I particularly remember was (I think) called Quatermass and the Pit, where ancient ETs are discovered during excavations for a new London Tube line, which seems to relate to various ghostly happenings in the area, and then.... AARGHHH!

Brilliant! Even the name Quatermass has all sorts of Fortean resonances. Own up, all who remember it.

quatamass and the pit is one of the friekest things I've ever seen.

There was going to be a Hollywood remake. Thank god it never came off.
 
Sorry to keep this going, but, for years I've been wanting to know, and, hopefully, someone can help.
Was the Telephone Direct ad' launch the one which featured an advertisement set in the year 2010 featuringa large celebration for their 21st anniversary? I remember seeing it one Sunday night at 21:15 some month in 1989. I remember, it was set in a night club type environment with bubbles filled with hologram images floating around and a pair of holographic women's legs, (complete with stockings and stillhettoes) about 20 foot high, walking through the shot. This has perplexed me for ages as noone I speak to has any knowledge of it!
Can anyone confirm that this is the very same ad'?
Looking forwards to this bugger! lol!

Si thi ;)
Spillage.
 
Yeah, I think I remember that one.
I have a sense of closure here as I first came to this board due to the 'broadcast from the future' thread. I think it was another advert along the same lines, misremembered and evolved into a UL. A search will bring it back...

Perhaps I should take this as a sign to get me hat and go.
 
THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU!!!!
Have scanned Google fro anything on it but drew a blank! Does anyone know of any links to anything about this particullar advert?

I shall break open another Vodka ka ka ka kah if it happens and celebrate the end of that mystery!
(Now I only have to solve the one about pens!!!!)
Si thi and cheers! :D
Spillage!
 
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