BBC to predict what discovery of extraterrestrial life will be like in new documentary First Contact

Is there life out there? (Picture: European Southern Observatory/AFP via Getty Images)

The BBC is turning its gaze to the stars with a brand new documentary, First Contact, taking a closer look at the study of extraterrestrial intelligence.

The 90-minute programme, described as a drama documentary and dubbed ‘a 21st century War of the Worlds grounded in hard science’, will imagine what could happen if and when humanity discovers its first hard evidence of alien life.

First Contact for BBC Two and iPlayer will feature interviews with scientists including Dr Jill Tartar, who is a pioneer in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The documentary will take an educated guess at what the moment of first contact with possible extraterrestrial life will be like.

It comes after NASA published their Astrobiology Strategy in 2015, mapping their route to study the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the Universe and planning the next generation of projects designed to discover life beyond Earth. 

Andrew Cohen, Head of the Science Unit, BBC Studios Productions and Executive Producer said: ‘The journey to discover evidence of extraterrestrial civilisation has been going on for over 40 years. Here at the Science Unit exploring the universe and cosmos is in our DNA, so it feels natural for us to make First contact.

The doc will imagine what first contact could look like (Picture: Getty Images)

‘Using our track record, and the best in contemporary science, we can tell this story in a new and novel way.’

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Jack Bootle, BBC Commissioning Editor, Natural History and Science said: ‘The search for extraterrestrial intelligence is no longer fringe science. As our capacity to explore the universe grows, the hunt for alien civilisation is moving into the mainstream.

‘This is not a film about little green men. It’s a film that blends documentary and drama to imagine, based on the very latest serious scientific speculation, what our first contact with aliens might look like. I’m thrilled that BBC Studios’ award-winning Science Unit are turning their attention to this fascinating subject – there’s never been a more tantalising time to do so.’

A release date for First Contact has yet to be confirmed.

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