I just heard the BBC might cancel The Sky At Night!
There's a petition going on www.change.org for people to sign.
For those who don't know this programme:
The monthly astronomy programme was famously presented by Sir Patrick Moore from its first episode in April 1957 until January 2013, following Sir Patrick's death in December 2012 aged 89.
He presented a total of 721 episodes, missing only one filming during July
2004 after he suffered severe food poisoning. Subsequently, the show is the longest-running TV series with the same presenter in the world.
Sir Patrick reported on NASA's Apollo moon missions during 1969 and the UK's total solar eclipse in 1999.
Last edited by JazHaz on Sat Nov 23, 2013 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It was always on the cards (still only rumour/consultation though) - Sir Patrick was a very hard act to follow.
What irks me most about it is that the cost of The Sky at Night is peanuts compared to the BBC's annual budget!
I would advise stilts for the quagmires, and camels for the snowy hills
And any survivors, their debts I will certainly pay. There's always a way!
Signed. Really, this is disgraceful: all we're talking about is 30 minutes a month, for what must be the most popular and widely enjoyed scientific activity in the country - a field where amateurs (or rather, unpaid enthusiasts) can still, from their homes and gardens, continue to make significant contributions to science.
I also grew up watching it as a kid - which means it also must have been on at a sensible part of the evening too (or at least a repeat of it).
True - they used to repeat it on Sunday afternoons, I think. If they could do it then, with only two TV channels, I don't see why they can't do it now, with six. Granted, one of those is a dedicated news channel; one is a dedicated kids' channel; and one is a dedicated (pretty much) halfwit channel - but those are surely just making more room in the schedules for non-news/kids/halfwit shows.
Great news! The petition was successful and Sky at Night will return in the New Year. It will be a monthly half-hour show on BBC4 (repeated on BBC2), but there is no news yet regarding presenters or format.
The hope now is that it will continue to be a serious science program, and won't get dumbed-down. Watch this space.
Commander Smivs, the friendliest Gourd this side of Riedquat.
I wouldn't mind them picking someone who is unknown. So long as they can engage with the audience and explain the information in a simple yet adult manner. None of the type of presenting you would find in Bang goes the theory. If they do pick someone famous, then I hope they haven't been brought in just because they are famous.
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