A former government press officer has shared a story he kept quiet for more than three decades on British television, finally putting a human face on one of the world’s most talked-about UFO photographs. The second episode of BBC Scotland’s new series Mythland features Craig Lindsay, a retired RAF press officer who held onto a rare copy of the famous Calvine photograph — an image taken in August 1990 that appears to show a diamond-shaped object in the sky with a military jet flying nearby. Lindsay’s account, which he says he has never shared publicly on British TV before, adds fresh detail to a case that has puzzled researchers, aviation experts and UFO spotters for over three decades.
Who Is Craig Lindsay and Why His Story Matters
Craig Lindsay worked as a press officer at the RAF base in Pitreavie Castle in Dunfermline, about 50 miles from the remote spot where the sighting took place. When the Daily Record newspaper contacted him in August 1990 about two hikers who had taken photographs of a strange object in the sky, Lindsay became the go-between linking the newspaper, the witnesses and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London.
Lindsay had never seen such a clear photograph of a supposed UFO, so he forwarded the image to the MoD, which instructed him to request the other five photographs and their negatives from the newspaper. The MoD also told Lindsay to phone the hikers directly, which he did. One of the men told Lindsay the full story: a diamond-shaped object, a jet, and a craft that levitated without sound and accelerated with no obvious propellant.
“Your wish is my command. I just happened to have a copy.” — Craig Lindsay, speaking to Dr. Zara Gladman in Mythland
That line, delivered during the episode, captures the quiet surprise of the moment. Lindsay had kept a copy of the photograph for 32 years — first inside a copy of the book Great Aircraft of the World at his desk, and later through a house move where he thought it was lost.
The Night That Started It All: August 4, 1990
Two young men, said to have been working as chefs at Fisher’s Hotel in Pitlochry, were hiking on the moors above Calvine, a small hamlet in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, on the evening of August 4, 1990.
According to the account that has emerged through years of research, the men saw a large, diamond-shaped object hanging in the sky. It made no sound, had no visible engine or smoke trail, and appeared to be completely still — as if frozen in place. Terrified, they hit the ground and scrambled for cover behind a tree. Then an RAF Harrier jet roared into view, circling the object as if sizing it up. One of the men snapped a series of photographs just before the diamond-shaped craft shot away vertically and disappeared.
The men took six photographs in total. They had the film developed locally and then took the images and their story to the Glasgow Daily Record. The newspaper’s picture editor sent the best of the bunch to Lindsay for comment.
What the Photograph Shows and Why It Is Called the ‘Best UFO Photo’
The surviving image is a black-and-white copy print of one of the original colour photographs. It shows a diamond-shaped object in the sky with what looks like a Harrier jet in the distance. The original colour negatives were sent to the MoD for analysis in 1990 but were later returned to the Daily Record and have never been publicly seen. The only known surviving print is the one Lindsay kept.
Dr. David Clarke, an associate professor at Sheffield Hallam University and a long-time investigator of the case, worked with photography expert Andrew Robinson to analyse Lindsay’s print. Their conclusion: the image is “without doubt a genuine copy of the original Calvine photograph analysed by the MoD in 1990.”
The photograph has been called “the world’s best UFO photograph” by researchers and media outlets. The reason is simple: it is clear, it shows a recognisable military jet for scale, and it has never been convincingly debunked as a hoax — even by the MoD’s own specialists at the time.
The MoD Meeting Lindsay Never Forgot
A few weeks after sending the photograph to London, Lindsay attended a routine meeting at the MoD. During his lunch break, he went for a wander around the offices and saw something familiar: a large, poster-size print of the Calvine photograph hanging on the wall.
“There, on the wall in front of me, was a great big poster-size print of the best of them.” — Craig Lindsay, recalling the moment to The Guardian
The staff at the ministry placed the other photographs on a windowsill. Those images showed the Harrier jet moving from one side of the frame to the other, while the diamond object did not move at all. Lindsay asked the specialists who had examined the photographs what they had found. Their answer: there was no evidence of a hoax, but they could not identify what the object was.
Lindsay was told to leave any further investigation to the team in London. He gradually forgot about the case, assuming everything had been filed away and forgotten.
How the Photo Resurfaced After 32 Years
The Calvine photograph stayed hidden for more than three decades. The Daily Record never ran the story. The hikers never spoke publicly. The MoD kept some of the information locked away for 75 years.
Dr. David Clarke spent years tracking down the surviving image. His investigation led him to Lindsay, who had kept the copy in his personal files. In 2022, Lindsay donated the print to the Special Collections at Sheffield Hallam University on the condition that the image be made freely available on a not-for-profit basis, jointly crediting him and the university.
The photograph was published by the Daily Mail in August 2022, and the Calvine case returned to public attention almost immediately. The image has since been the subject of academic analysis, documentary features and continued debate about what exactly was in the sky that night.
What the Experts Say About the Calvine Object
No single explanation has been universally accepted. Researchers and aviation enthusiasts have put forward several theories over the years.
- A secret military aircraft or drone. Dr. Clarke has said the explanation that “makes the most sense” to him is that the photograph shows early testing of an unmanned drone around the time of the Gulf War. The sighting happened two days after the beginning of the Gulf War, which has led some to speculate that the object could have been a secret prototype.
- A secret US reconnaissance aircraft. Some UFO researchers have suggested the object could be a classified American aircraft, possibly the long-rumoured Aurora — a silent, diamond-shaped spy plane.
- A hoax. Dr. Clarke has consistently said he is open-minded. “It could be a hoax,” he told The Courier. “However, it could also be a genuine photograph of an unidentified flying object.”
- A natural phenomenon or optical illusion. Other suggestions have included a rock or piece of wood in a loch, a mountain top peeking out of clouds, or a model hung close to the camera.
What makes the case unusual is that the MoD’s own specialists at the time found no signs of tampering. Lindsay says he was told the experts had examined the print to check its structure but could not find any evidence of a hoax — and still could not identify the object.
The Human Side: A Press Officer Who Broke Protocol
Lindsay’s decision to keep a copy of the photograph was, by his own account, a break from protocol. The MoD had told him to leave the case with them. But something about the image stayed with him.
“I gradually forgot all about the thing. Nothing had appeared from the first inquiry … I assumed that everything had just been forgotten.” — Craig Lindsay, in The Guardian
For 32 years, the copy sat in a book on his shelf. It travelled with him through a house move. At one point he thought it was lost. When Dr. Clarke finally tracked him down, Lindsay still had it.
His account on Mythland is the first time he has shared the full story on British television. The episode also features Dr. Zara Gladman and Evelyn Hollow, who travel across Scotland investigating the country’s myths and legends — from persecuted witches to the Falkirk Triangle’s UFO reports and the Fairy Flag of Skye.
Where to Watch Mythland and What the Series Covers
Mythland is a Rogan Scotland production for BBC Scotland, made in association with The Open University. The series is presented by parapsychologist Evelyn Hollow and ecologist Dr. Zara Gladman.
The second episode, titled “The Falkirk Triangle,” investigates Scotland’s UFO myths, including the famous Bonnybridge area — a village often called the UK’s UFO capital. The episode first aired on BBC Scotland on Saturday, 31 October 2026, at 9:30 pm.
For viewers outside the UK, Mythland is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK. International availability has not been confirmed for all regions, and viewers in the USA, Canada, Australia and India should check local BBC or public broadcaster listings for air dates.
What Makes the Calvine Case Different From Other UFO Stories
Most UFO sightings rely on blurry lights in the night sky or distant shapes that could be almost anything. The Calvine case is different for three reasons.
First, the photograph is clear. The diamond-shaped object has a defined outline, and the Harrier jet gives the image a sense of scale and depth that is missing from most UFO pictures.
Second, the image was examined at the time. The MoD obtained the original negatives, studied them, and produced a report for the Minister of Defence. The specialists found no evidence of a hoax, even if they could not say what the object was.
Third, a government press officer kept a copy. Lindsay’s decision to hold onto the print — and his willingness to share it decades later — is the reason the public can see the image at all. Without that one copy, the Calvine photograph might have been lost entirely.
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The case remains unsolved. The identity of the two photographers is still unknown. The fate of the other five photographs and the original negatives is still a mystery. But the image itself — and the quiet act of a press officer who kept a copy in a book — has ensured that the Calvine incident continues to be one of Scotland’s most enduring unexplained stories.
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