Inside The Sky at Night
As The Sky at Night reaches its milestone 800th episode, producer Michael Lachmann gives an insight into life behind the scenes
What’s it like working on one of the world’s longest running series? Well, for one thing it’s not glamorous. The Sky at Night is an astronomy show after all – it’s only right that we have spent countless nights standing on hilltops in the middle of nowhere waiting for the rain to stop and the clouds to clear.
But it’s not all rainy nights in Leicestershire. Regular viewers will know that the programme’s secret is not a vast budget or endless resources. In fact The Sky at Night is one of the best value programmes on television. On most productions there is an army of staff – producers, directors, camera operators and sound recordists – sometimes even catering. Not on The Sky at Night: it has a full-time staff of just three people, who do everything – from writing the scripts and organising the logistics to operating the cameras and recording the sound. So apologies if the occasional wobbly shot or crackly interview makes it through!
Even so, working on The Sky at Night is a tremendous privilege because the good name and history of the programme has given us access to some of the most exciting places and events in astronomy.
Just recently, we sent a team to the launch of the Solar Orbiter mission. We have been to the mission control rooms of the Juno and New Horizons spacecraft. We have been granted access to some of the world’s largest telescopes – like the Gran Telescopio Canarias on La Palma – and observing time on the Swift Space Telescope.
I think the reason for this generosity is simple. Generations of astronomers – both amateur and professional – have grown up watching The Sky at Night. And now – happily – they are prepared to go to