"A for Andromeda", probably, broadcast in the 1960s. The machine is a
computer, which uses the program it contains to find out about humans,
and what it then creates looks like a human being, but with the aliens'
purpose as part of its instincts.
Any resemblance to Carl Sagan's "Contact" is presumably coincidental,
down to details like the message from space having multiple levels, and
a second machine being built in secret when the first is destroyed.

In message , Sally
writes
Bert,
A long time ago there was a BBC Science fiction serial. Radio astronomers
found some coded information from space on how to build a marvellous
machine. The boffins duly built the machine and it promptly started creating
aliens. So, physical propagation is not the only way to spread around the
universe. Do it by radio and a species could spread its virtual seeds at the
speed of light.

Sally
"G=EMC^2 Glazier" wrote in message
...
Hi BV If there are aliens they could come from any part of the group of
stars about 65 LY from us. They need not get in a rocket to visit
us(they are to smart for that) They would cast their pollen(DNA) into
space(like an oak tree lets the wind take its pollen) Lots of stuff in
space has the first numbers of DNA. That is what gave me this "iffy"
thoughts. Bert




--
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