50 not out
Enough of the pictures, especially as I can’t always get them to resize. Tomorrow’s program is the end result of more than a year’s hard work by a cast of thousands (well, it’s felt like thousands by normal Sky at Night standards). We did an ‘archive’ programme for BBC4 (hopefully this will be reshown at some point) about a year ago, and wanted to do something different for the 50th anniversary.
Patrick wrote the first script, and for once we completely ignored him as it handed over to me and others about five minutes in. Typically generous, but just not on! Eventually, between us we came up with the idea of looking at astronomy 50 years ago compared to that 50 years in the future. At which point we got a little ambitious.
Those of you who are regular viewers will suspect that we’re rather proud of the low-budget Sky at Night effects. Our masterstroke, I think, was explaining the period of transits of Venus using a couple of hoops and a lemon (don’t mock, it got us our only newspaper review to date as the Independent said it made more sense than any amount of computer graphics). For this, though, we’ve been a little more ambitious and the second half of the program will be presented by a computerized Patrick. For anyone roughly the same age as me, the effect is rather similar to Gamesmaster. The script was worked out by talking to the interviewees – Brian May (on Mars), John Zarnecki (on the ISS) and Bob Nichol (on the Moon). The only constraint was that we’ve been deliberately optimistic – this side of a few pints I don’t really think we’ll be on Mars in 2057, but it is possible.
This left 1957 to deal with. My original idea was to use the (few) surviving archive clips and reconstruct an interview between 2007 Patrick and his older self. The only problem was that the clips are a fairly random selection and it was difficult to get anything coherent together. At which point, Jane Fletcher, our long-suffering producer, had an incredible, mind-blowing idea, and we recruited this man. Jon Culshaw, impressionist and amateur astronomer. Suddenly (budget out of the window) we were reconstructing the 1950s set in the studio, recruiting owners of vintage cameras and bringing the two Patricks face to face.
It sounds like a gimmick, but take my word for it (for the next 36 hours at least) it’s wonderful. It’s stunning to be reminded how little we knew a relatively short time ago, and hopefully that will come across along with the fun. It’s what the Sky at Night has always done – enjoyed ourselves while being deadly serious – and it’s a powerful combination. Here’s to the next 50, hope you enjoy the program. 11.30pm Sunday night, 8.30pm Monday night BBC4, Saturday 7th 12.45pm on BBC2.
P.S. I want to say thanks to everyone involved for an amazing ride, but particularly to Patrick and Jane (mentioned above), the indefatigable Dirk Maggs (the man who introduced Brian and Patrick) for his help with the script and our researcher Phil Rosenberg.
on April 1st, 2007 at 10:05 am
Hi Chris -
Thanks for the regular Blogg – very informative – what else is anticipated for the 50th celebrations?? Any events to which Joe public can attend???
Regards
on April 1st, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Talking of the famously low-budget Sky at Night effects I particularly enjoyed Patrick’s model of Saturn last month. It appeared to be a painted orange, with 3 pins sticking out supporting cardboard rings. However it did the job and the whole programme was a classic Sky at Night; entertaining, interesting, educational – and encouraged me to get out of my armchair and explore the night sky. Well done to all involved. I’m 43 and have been watching since the 1960s. I look forward to tonight’s programme and hope I’m around to see “100 not out”!
on April 1st, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Well done, Chris. A good mixture of sound science and sheer lunacy. I hope you get good viewing figures!
Judith-Anne
on April 2nd, 2007 at 5:07 pm
Just watched last night’s show…
(round of applause)
I know other viewers were less than impressed, but personally I thought it was genius! So often astronomy programmes – such as the often coma-inducing HORIZON (and let’s be honest, THE SKY AT NIGHT can make us nod off on a few rare occasions when some expert is on making up things about superstrings) – are dry and yawn-inducing, but this was a great combination of entertainment, science and downright silliness, and a well-deserved chance for our much-loved presenters to let their hair down and just have some fun with the programme and its legacy. Yes, the sets were so tacky they made the sets of “Young Doctors” look like Hollywood sound stages, and yes the acting was so appalling that it made “My Family” look like Shakespeare, but I laughed all the way through it, and want to congratulate everyone involved. Having John Culshaw as a young Patrick Moore was just inspired. Whoever thought of that deserves a medal. And kudos to Brian May for making fun of himself like that; my already great admiration for him shot up several notches. Now, if you’d just managed to convince our favourite classical music loving amateur astronomer Mylene Klass to dress up as a green-skinned Orion slave girl from Star Trek, the programme would have been perfect…
But Chris… as you pottered about Isidis in your unconvincing stolen-from-Button-Moon spacesuit, with hair that made you look like a rather scary granny, you described “Beagle 2″ as ‘the British rover”, and for that you deserve a special 50th Anniversary pie in the face, sorry (splat!)
It was just great fun from start to finish, and I hope all of you involved had as good a laugh making it as I did watching it. Thank you!
on April 2nd, 2007 at 10:27 pm
I totally agree. This programme was a triumph, thoroughly enjoyable while respectful to the show’s history. It was wonderful to see Patrick playing such a full part and you, Brian May and Jon Culshaw were superb in your respective roles.
Paul
on April 3rd, 2007 at 2:26 pm
Great way to celebrate 50 years. Very entertaining with patrick centre stage as it should be, or maybe it was the Goose Egg that got top billing. It has a lot to answer for.
The Mars base set, reminded me a lot of Red Dwarf.
Being a Queen Fan I really enjoyed the bit about Roger being blown into orbit during lunar live aid.
on August 9th, 2007 at 10:42 am
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article , but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.