The Ilkley Moor Alien Photo – Was it a Fake?

The Ilkley Moor Alien 1987



This photo of the Ilkley Moor alien is often cited as one of the best ‘alien’ photographs of all time taken here in the UK. It is perhaps less famous than the Solway Firth ‘Spaceman’ photo but has also been discussed previously down the years. I have scanned through most of the existing threads and not come across anyone declaring it was definitely a fake.

Of course it could be, but I have always thought no one had proven it beyond reasonable doubt.

For those unfamiliar with the story here is a brief synopsis in italics. For those who are you can skip to the next part that deals with claims it was a fake.

The witness was a former policeman under the pseudonym Philip Spencer. Spencer left home in Ilkley across the moor heading for his in-laws home in East Morton at 7.10 am on December 1st, 1987. He was apparently taken aboard a UFO and after being released snapped a picture of an alien being.

Ilkley Moor is a remote part of the UK with an eerie setting and mysterious ancient carved stones from our prehistory. People out walking will often spend hours where the only other creatures on the moors are the sheep (some alive, others in various stages of decomposition). The often foggy, misty conditions have led to legends of strange creatures, weird lights and a foreboding atmosphere. Especially in the cold, damp, dark mists of the English winter.

Spencer was hoping to get some photographs of these strange lights on the moor and took his camera with him. He also took a compass to navigate through the fog as a precaution. Whilst looking for suitable points to take a photograph a strange looking creature appeared up ahead of him and he snapped a picture of it before it headed off. Acting on impulse he chased after the creature just in time to see a dome topped craft rise into the sky from the moor. Spencer was not able to take a photo of the craft.

He began to walk to the nearest village which took about 30 minutes, strangely, his compass now pointed south instead of north, and , the village clock appeared to be an hour ahead of his watch. Spencer was somewhat disorientated and began to question what he had witnessed. He had his film developed and there was the creature, 4 foot tall, with a blue-green tint to its skin.


Zoom in on the alleged alien

He contacted UFO researcher Peter Hough who began a thorough investigation. The film was confirmed by wildlife experts that the image shown was not of a known animal. The photograph was next sent to Kodak laboratories in Hemel, Hempstead. Analysis showed that the creature formed part of the original photo, and was not superimposed. Without confirming what the creature was. Dr. Bruce Maccabee, former optical physicist with the US Navy was asked to look at the film. He was unimpressed by the grainy detail. "I had great hopes that this case would prove definitive. Sadly circumstances prevent it from being so," Maccabee said.

Spencer later underwent hypnosis. The session revealed that he was abducted and medically examined on the craft by the aliens. 


Now to get to the point.
I came across this Wiki entry recently. I have preserved its current text as it may be subject to change at a later date.

click to expand

Photograph of "an alien" taken at Ilkley Moor (1987)

A photograph taken on Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire on December 1st, 1987, was alleged to be of an alien. The English newspaper the Daily Star exposed it as a hoax in its edition of July 2nd, 1989: the alien in the picture was in fact an insurance broker, unsuspecting he was being photographed, while he visited his clientele in the outskirts and cut through the hills. Belgian investigators analysing the case stated "mais comment imaginer que des enquêteurs expérimentés aient pu se laisser prendre à un aussi banal canular ou méprise" (But how can we imagine that experienced investigators could have been misled by such a casual hoax?).[9]

Well known UFO investigator Jenny Randles also referred to the story in the Star newspaper of 1987.

On the 'radical misperception' debate BTW - the UK media (who were provided with a copy of the photo by a Ufologist against the knowledge of Peter and I and without the consent or cooperation of the witness) 'identified' it - possibly peeved at the witnesses lack of interest in cheque book Ufology.

We are to accept that this image depicts an insurance salesman riding his bicycle, whilst wearing a blue anorak and carrying a briefcase.
Now that would be a radical misperception!

Source : ufoupdateslist.com...

Whilst it’s strange that all we got was this murky photo and not one of the craft I am still having difficulty making out what I am looking at.

Can anyone confirm that this photo has actually been debunked as being simply an insurance man with a bike, carrying a briefcase?

Great post. I had not paid much attention to this story before. You made it interesting.

Looks real to me. Looks alien. I can't say for sure it's not faked.

a reply to: Jchristopher5

Well I've looked at the original, at the top of the post, and it could be an animal, and even a man with a bicycle.

However when it's blown up I can see a sort of face looking to our left. But it's not very clear. So I am none the wiser. However I am hoping another member may have more information on this story.

a reply to: mirageman

Looks pretty conclusive to me. Think Tom Cruise's, War of the Worlds.
Same head structure, arm length and body type.

Blow that ###t by my ears one more time....Insurance salesman on a bike......lmao

a reply to: mirageman

I think it's almost safe to say that any given photograph that is supposed to be of aliens is a hoax or misperception. That doesn't have to imply that *all* images are debunked, it just rolls with the lack of convincing images combined with the high number of fakes. Let's call it simple probability...

The Ilkley image is one of those that catches the eye and it ties in with the description of the critter in his account too. At one time or another, many of us have gazed at it and scratched our heads - I have many times.

Outside of my opening statement, Jenny Randles implied even more doubts with a guarded statement she made back in the 2006.

While the witness has stood by his story for years, there are nagging doubts that have recently grown.

There was a thread in 2011 that included a lesser known image and some good discussion. It was 'Torsion' who posted it and I wonder where he is these days? been a long time since I saw him post.

a reply to: mirageman
Being a biker, I look at the terrain and just can't imagine the insurance guy would have carried his briefcase in his hand.

Although it looks like a creature, there is no way to say that it is not an odd shaped shrub or an old stump of a tree as the color matches the surroundings. It is not a long distance for being such a blurred photo, maybe a bad camera.

If the guy was out there looking to photograph unusual events/lights that makes me suspect him right off.

Spencer was hoping to get some photographs of these strange lights on the moor and took his camera with him.

a reply to: Kandinsky

My gut feeling is that Spencer, the guy, who took the photo probably knew what it was when he took it but then when it was developed it looked 'mysterious'. So a bit of a story was span around it and once it got too far he decided to hide behind his anonymity.

I blew up the picture in the link provided by yourself and it looks like a pixie standing in front of luminescent humanoid. Even though we know this is a man standing in roughly the same spot.

a reply to: Char-Lee

Yes the story is a bit suspect. 'Spencer' didn't seem to capture a picture of any strange craft either. I am also struggling with why an insurance man would be cycling through the moors with a briefcase in hand on a murky December morning in Northern England.

a reply to: mirageman

If we put ourselves in the shoes of Spencer as he took the photos, it's hard to be sympathetic to his claims. Far more interesting is wondering what impetus triggers average people to make extraordinary claims and then seek to create evidence to *prove* them.

a reply to: mirageman

Reminded me of one of these ...

a reply to: engvbany

Just about to say I owned one of them and it looks like one.

Although it does seem to match the vegetation , like the Burryman here ...

en.wikipedia.org...

originally posted by: Kandinsky
a reply to: mirageman

If we put ourselves in the shoes of Spencer as he took the photos, it's hard to be sympathetic to his claims. Far more interesting is wondering what impetus triggers average people to make extraordinary claims and then seek to create evidence to *prove* them.

The story suggests that 'Spencer' was looking for something and hoping to photograph 'strange lights'. Perhaps he felt his luck was in when this seemingly strange figure came out in the developed photographs. Maybe he told a few too many friends and the story grew beyond his initial aim to spook a few people.

Back in the 1980s (and the decades before) and even the early 1990s information in this field was fairly difficult to cross reference as there was no global resource like the one we are using now. UFO stories were often the 'jokey' last item on the news, or a filler for a newspaper. Little follow up was given and so perhaps this is why so many crazy stories got out into the wild back in the 20th Century. Making up an alien story is a lot more difficult these days.

I hate to sound like a de-bunker or even a hardened sceptic because I do hold up an honest hope that maybe we can find at least one definitive case to prove we are not alone in the universe. But I also think this was one case that can be crossed off that list as a possibility. Even though I am still puzzled by what the photo really shows.

a reply to: mirageman

I hate to sound like a de-bunker or even a hardened sceptic because I do hold up an honest hope that maybe we can find at least one definitive case to prove we are not alone in the universe. But I also think this was one case that can be crossed off that list as a possibility. Even though I am still puzzled by what the photo really shows.

I agree entirely

A few of us 'debunkers' and 'hardened sceptics' are, or have been, genuinely interested people looking for answers.

a reply to: mirageman

Interesting regression session here

www.thinkaboutitdocs.com...
From this old thread 2004

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Another picture very shrub like in my opinion.



There are numerous shrubs, ferns and trees that could take this form in the constant winds. If you look over pictures of the moors.



Do I see a strange little man at the bend in this trail?:-0

He has sought no money from the case, and signed over all copyright privileges to Hough in early 1988.

a reply to: mirageman
This part of the regression is interesting

Spencer- One was lots of scenes of destruction like on the news. Can see lots of waste going into the river, and people like Ethiopians who are starving. It's not very good, it's not very nice.

JS- Want to say anything more about that film?

Spencer- It's much of the same thing, only different.

JS- What about the other film then? Do you want to tell me about it?

Spencer- I'm not supposed to.

JS- I'll leave that up to you entirely, do you want to say anything about that?

Spencer- I'm not supposed to tell anyone about the other film, it's not for them to know.

www.phantomsandmonsters.com...

originally posted by: Char-Lee
a reply to: mirageman

Interesting regression session here

www.thinkaboutitdocs.com...
From this old thread 2004

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Another picture very shrub like in my opinion.

There are numerous shrubs, ferns and trees that could take this form in the constant winds. If you look over pictures of the moors.

Do I see a strange little man at the bend in this trail?:-0

He has sought no money from the case, and signed over all copyright privileges to Hough in early 1988.

But you have to ask yourself. Why? Why would someone go through so much trouble to make himself out a fool? Hey let me take a photo of this shrub, I bet people would think it's an alien. Why would he do that!? Sometimes I like a bit of mystery in my life. I would like to think we are not alone in this vacuum.

Either it's a straightforward case of pareidolia, or it's a homemade alien.

I'm pretty certain it wasn't an exotic life-form from some, as yet undiscovered, planet many light years away.

a reply to: Emerys

But you have to ask yourself. Why? Why would someone go through so much trouble to make himself out a fool? Hey let me take a photo of this shrub, I bet people would think it's an alien. Why would he do that!? Sometimes I like a bit of mystery in my life. I would like to think we are not alone in this vacuum.

Personally I never dismiss any of these accounts just because we can't know one way or another, but from taking photos in a very similar location here at the coast, I don't think the photo can be used as any evidence of his abduction.

If he faked it, maybe it was the same reason he went out to take pictures of supernatural lights on the moors. he wants it to be true? he is lonely and bored? he believes his photo showed something when he saw it after developing? i don't know, the whole long process including regression hypnosis and they say people felt he was trustworthy?

There were people involved who had no reservations believing him but eventually started doubting never saying why...not this comment from this page

Kandinsky said...
This is an awkward case because it promises so much and yet comes with the risk of looking stupid for those who commit to it.

Jenny Randles and Peter Hough found that everything stood up to scrutiny and yet still there was something preventing them from putting all of their confidence into it.

Just in 2006, Randles still had growing doubts about the case, but hasn't made the doubts public. Perhaps there was something intangible about the witness' conduct or demeanour that left a subtle bad taste?

www.phantomsandmonsters.com...

a reply to: Char-Lee

The link you have placed at the end of your post is interesting because it gets very confused about what it is actually referring to.


It begins

........... The main character and only witness of a UFO and alien being is one Philip Spencer, a retired policeman. He claims to have been taken aboard an unidentified flying object, and captured one photograph of an unknown being.

Then if you scroll further down

....Climatic information gathered about the conditions of December 1, 1987, made it almost impossible for Spencer to have taken his picture at the time he had stated. However, if the regressive memories are accurate, the conditions would be right to duplicate the lighting conditions of the photograph, which was taken at least an hour after Spencer thought.....

Well maybe he was abducted and an hour later took a goodbye photo from one of his captors and was confused and thought he'd taken it before he was abducted?

But then the page goes seriously wrong.

CONTROVERSY and HYPNOSIS TRANSCRIPT

The case of the Ilkley Moor alien is one of the most controversial cases of alien abduction ever recorded in the U.K. because of the circumstances surrounding the event. At odds is the wide spread disbelief in alien abductions and the two very damning facts purporting it: the Ilkley Moor abductee was a police officer, expected to be an expert eyewitness, and the photograph of what he claims is the entity he encountered. Police officer Alan Godfrey claimed that he came across the being while crossing the Moor, in the county of Yorkshire on the morning of December 1st, 1987.

Hang on a minute weren't we talking about Philip Spencer (although we know it's a pseudonym). When did Alan Godfrey, a policeman, with a completely different UFO experience in Todmorden become the main witness?