Speaking of weird TV happenings...
I have a bizarre yet persistent memory involving one of the Olympics that took place at some point during the 80s (could have been summer or winter).
I think it was either the opening or closing ceremony. I have a vague memory of a lot of fanfair and smoke as some sort of figure stepped out of what seemed to be a huge spaceship-type structure high up in the stands. I know this sounds bizarre but my memory of it is pretty vague - I was born in 1981 therefore was quite young at the time. I presume the experience was the result of the overactive imagination of a child, but I am sure that it is based on some actual event of an ostensibly similar type that probably has a rational and rather mundane explanation - any ideas? This memory has intrigued me ever since, and would really like to know if any event of the type (i.e. a ceremony with an extra-terrestrial theme) ever took place.
Also, a year or two ago I was watching a news channel into the small hours and recall some breaking news regarding a hi-jacked plane. I went to bed expecting to hear more about it in the morning, but I never heard of it again. One explanation could be that it was not a news-worthy item by the next the day, but this seems unlikely, especially considering it was post-11/9.
Reports of this type seem to crop up regularly in FT - mistaken reporting due to misinformation by a media keen to cover-up such an embarassment being the most probable explanation.
(I am moving back to nottingham next month after an absence of 4 years - so thats (at least) 5 FT readers)