Encounters on Netflix: Release date, trailer and episode details

The series will be told firsthand by the people who experienced this otherworldly phenomena, and Tudum says the documentary will use science "to guide believers to answers during a time when the question of whether or not humans are alone in the universe feels particularly urgent".

Read on for everything you need to know about Encounters.

Encounters release date

Encounters will premiere on Netflix on Wednesday 27th September, with four episodes releasing all at once.

What is Encounters on Netflix about?

The new documentary series explores the true stories of human contact with otherworldly phenomena, featuring revelations from military whistleblowers of alien encounters, UFOs and clandestine Pentagon programmes, as well as coverage from major news corporations.

The series was directed by Yon Motskin (Generation Hustle) and executive produced by Ambling Television, Boardwalk Pictures and Vice Studios.

The synopsis of the series reads: "Encounters... is a landmark four-part series that travels the globe to explore four extraordinary true stories of encounters with otherworldly phenomena.

"Each cinematic and deeply-researched episode tells a single story: strange lights in the sky over small-town Texas; submersible space crafts haunting a coastal Welsh village; an alien encounter with schoolchildren in Zimbabwe; non-human intelligence reportedly interfering with a nuclear power plant in Japan."

Each episode will be told from the perspective of firsthand experiencers - in the places where the sightings occurred.

It continues: "Guided by cutting edge scientists and military personnel, the series goes beyond the science to highlight the profoundly human impact of these encounters on lives, families, and communities.

"A timely and timeless cosmic detective story, what will be revealed from this puzzle of seemingly unrelated encounters across different places, times and cultures is a set of uncanny similarities, and one astonishing truth: extraterrestrial encounters are global, awe-inspiring and unlike anything we've ever imagined."

Which UFO stories are featured in Encounters?

The series includes four different but "eerily similar" stories about encounters with alien life-forms and otherworldly phenomena on Earth.

The episodes are as follows:

• Episode 1 - The Broad Haven Triangle
• Episode 2 - Believers
• Episode 3 - Messengers
• Episode 4 - Lights Over Fukushima

The first episode explores the largest mass sighting of UFO and aliens in UK history. The episode synopsis reads: "A group of boys spotted a cigar-shaped spacecraft rising from the trees beyond their playground. Suddenly, the area surrounding the Welsh coastal town of Broad Haven was gripped by over 450 reports of UFO and alien encounters.

"As investigators and media dug into the sightings, they realiSed many bore a close resemblance to tales from Welsh and Celtic folklore, in which faeries are known as tricksters with sinister intent."

Episode 2 tells the story of when 62 students at Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, saw spaceships and strange humanoid figures in their playground.

The third episode is based around the residents in and around the small Texas town of Stephenville who experienced something "unexplainable". UFO sightings were reported by hundreds of people, including local business leaders and law enforcement.

Lights Over Fukushima is the fourth episode of Encounters and explores the story of the child monk of Enmyoin Temple who walked out onto the temple's plaza and saw what he described as an undeniable UFO.

Who is interviewed in Encounters?

Those interviewed in the documentary are as follows:

• Dr Kevin Knuth, astrophysicist and former NASA research scientist
• David Clarke, journalist
• Tony Cowan, former RAF officer
• Eric MacLeish, attorney
• Matthew Roberts, naval intelligence cryptologist
• Sara Vanden Berge, managing editor, Stephenville Empire-Tribune
• Lee Roy Gaitan, a constable in Erath County, Texas
• Robert Powell, nanotechnology engineer and co-founder of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies

Encounters trailer

You can watch the full trailer for Encounters here:

Encounters will stream on Netflix from 27th September 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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