Orson Welles Reflects on the Legendary 1938 WAR OF THE WORLDS Broadcast

Back in 1938, a Halloween radio broadcast of H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds made history when many listeners believed Earth was under attack by Martians.

Seventeen years later, Orson Welles revisited that infamous night on an episode of the BBC Four series Orson Welles’ Sketch Book, giving his own perspective on the chaos his radio drama caused.

The broadcast aired on The Mercury Theatre on the Air, with Welles narrating a story so convincing that some believed it was a live news report.

The fallout was immediate. While the level of panic remains debated, the event became a cultural legend and one of the most infamous moments in radio history.

In the 1955 television segment, Welles explained that the show wasn’t meant to trick people but to highlight something deeper. He reflected on the power of media and how easily people can be misled when information comes through an authoritative channel like the radio.

“70 years ago, Orson Welles spoke about his famed radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ ‘The War of the Worlds’. He claimed the 1938 broadcast, that depicted a Martian invasion of Earth, caused mass hysteria (a debated claim). Welles also said that one of the aims of the broadcast was to highlight people shouldn’t believe everything they hear on the radio.”

Looking back, it’s fascinating how relevant Welles’ words remain. In a time when misinformation spreads faster than ever online, his warning about questioning what we hear and see still resonates.

What began as an ambitious radio experiment turned into a cultural milestone, and Welles’ reflection reminds us that critical thinking is just as important now as it was in 1938.