BBC Sky at Night - UK (2021-08)

18 BBC Sky at Night Magazine August 2021

INSIDE THE SKY AT NIGHT

The Sky at Night TV show, past, present and future

T

he Sky At Night may not boast the

glitz and glamour of other television

shows, but to me it is and has always

been essential viewing. Ignited, as I

was, with a passion for the heavens at

an early age, it was Sir Patrick Moore

• through the show he was so synonymous with for
  55 years and his many (so many!) books – that would
  further inspire me to take my passion for astronomy
  as far as I could. I have been incredibly fortunate to
  still have some small involvement in the subject by
  working on this, most special, of programmes from
  time to time over the years.
  It was therefore a real privilege to be asked to
  make this year’s bumper, hour-long, special edition
  of the show and even more of a treat when it was
  decided it would revolve around the search for life in

The July episode of The Sky at Night looks at a topic close to the

producer and director Keaton Stone’s heart – the search for alien life

the Universe; a topic I have always been especially

fascinated with. However, the little twist we applied

to it – so it would stand out from the many other

programmes on the subject – was that we would look

at the quest through the lens of how the BBC has

reported upon it over the years. Of course, being the

BBC, we are fortunate to have such an extensive

archive. To have the chance to dig out some long-

forgotten clips dating back through six decades of

broadcasting was not only a fabulous foundation to

construct a unique programme around – but it was

also a thrill to be able to trawl through them all.

The more eagle-eyed readers may have noticed

that I have talked in terms of how the ’BBC’ has

reported on this cosmic treasure hunt, rather than

The Sky At Night per se. This was a deliberate

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Þ There are many

fascinating clips to

choose from – when

it comes to looking

back through six

decades of The

Sky at Night in

the BBC’s archives

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