Inside The Sky at Night
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 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 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 longforgotten 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 decision so we could use some other magnificent