Andrew Gardner (newsreader)

Andrew Gardner (25 September 1932 – 2 April 1999)[1] was a newscaster on Independent Television News in the United Kingdom from 1962 to 1977. He was also one of the original presenters of News at Ten when it began in 1967.

He was born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire and educated at the independent Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire. He was 6 ft 5 ins. His broadcasting career began with a spell as a radio journalist in South Africa and he was a reporter in Africa until his return to the UK in 1961.

He was notable for presenting the first transatlantic programme using the Telstar satellite and for commentating on state occasions such as royal weddings for ITV. After leaving ITN he became a regional news presenter on Thames Television, presenting Thames at 6 and later Thames News.

He is also notable for being the newscaster whose report was interrupted on 26 November 1977 by what is called now the Southern Television broadcast interruption - The mystery has never been solved.[1]

At ten minutes past five, the TV picture wobbled slightly and the sound of Andrew Gardner's professional delivery was silenced, to be replaced by a distorted voice delivering a quite remarkable message for almost six minutes. It purported to be a communication from an individual identifying themselves as Vrillon, representing a body called the Ashtar Galactic Command. And the message was simple: we humans had to give up our warlike ways and embrace a more peaceful existence... before it was too late.[2]

The hijack entered urban folklore by 1985.

He remained with Thames until it lost its franchise in 1992, when he subsequently took early retirement. While retired he did some reports on such subjects as beer tasting and the wine regions of southwest Germany for a magazine for blind people.

He died from a heart attack on 2 April 1999, aged 66.

References
  1. BBC News - Veteran newsman Gardner dies, BBC News, 4 April 1999, Retrieved 12 November 2019
  2. Barnett, David. "Vrillon: the alien voice hoax that became a legend". The Independent (25 November 2017). Retrieved 18 June 2019.


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