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The Sky at Night - The End

palebluedot

By palebluedot
in The Astro Lounge

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stevetynant

stevetynant

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Is it worth making this thread a sticky - I've had to trawl back several pages to find appropriate links to sign petitions perhaps as the thread gets longer it will become more difficult for people to access the relevant face book pages, twitter accounts and petitions and potential support will be lost?

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Feynman

Feynman

Posted
Posted

I struggle to catch the Sky at Night, it's on so very late, never on the iPlayer.

It is always on iPlayer, but it is only available for a week after it is broadcast; however, if you download it within that week you do have a month to watch it!

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palebluedot

palebluedot

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Summary of the relevant info: 

Petition http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-bbc-please-do-not-axe-the-sky-at-night

Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1398459717050634/

BBC complaints: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/

Hashtag #SaveSkyAtNight

BBC email addresses: danny.cohen@bbc.co.uk, kim.shillinglaw@bbc.co.uk, john.lynch@bbc.co.uk, david.jordan@bbc.co.uk, janice.hadlow@bbc.co.uk, natalie.humphreys@bbc.co.uk, emma.swain@bbc.co.uk

...and the latest from the Daily Fail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2430228/The-Sky-At-Night-cancelled-just-year-Sir-Patrick-Moores-death.html

Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10329846/The-Sky-At-Night-faces-the-axe-one-year-after-Sir-Patrick-Moores-death.html

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pwalsh61

pwalsh61

Posted
Posted

Almost from the horses mouth. The BBC don't seem to have the nerve to announce it themselves, so get an astronomer to do it for them (plausible deniability, perhaps?):

"Message from Nick Howes about The Sky at Night

I have been told officially by a BBC insider that the Sky at Night will be airing for the final time this December. After a 56 year run, the show will be ending then, with no plan to re-commission it after that date. I have also been given permission by the said BBC person to mention this on a public forum, after speaking to them twice in the last week to discuss and confirm the information is accurate.

My personal take on this, is that as with many great institutions, and programmes on TV, the personality behind them, in this case, Sir Patrick, was and will always be the driving force/association. As with shows like Springwatch, which went from an obscure slot on BBC to a prime-time slot with a revamp/rehash and refresh of presenters, I do firmly believe that there is mileage in a public facing astronomy show, one only has to look at the phenomenal success of Stargazing Live or Brian Cox's Wonder's series to recognise that fact.

Whilst viewing figures for the Sky at Night have held since the sad death of Sir Patrick, maybe it is a good time to reflect and see what positive can come from this. Having been on the show several times, and interviewed by Chris/Patrick etc, and known Patrick for many years, it's sad.. but not unexpected. So, let's see what positives can come , moving forward.

Maybe a revamp, maybe a totally new show, but astronomy in the UK is thriving, and the BBC I hope will recognise this and continue in a strong and positive manner to engage the public in the wonder that is our Universe."

 

Personally, I don't think the programme's been quite the same. I've nothing against the presenters as, on the whole, they do a good job. It's just that someone's been tinkering with the format and trying to make it appeal more widely, conveniently forgetting it's lasted 56 years because the format hasn't changed significantly.  I doubt it's a particularly expensive programme to make (and would probably be even cheaper if studio based like it used to be) and it could hardly be accused of occupying vast swathes of the schedule! It doesn't need a "re-vamp" and certainly doesn't need "dumbing down" to appeal to the masses - astronomy is a subject that people from all walks of life are interested in. Sir Patrick knew that, and knew just how to "pitch" it. The BBC Charter specifies that the mission of the Corporation is to "inform, educate and entertain" - something which The Sky At Night has done for so many years.

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foundaplanet

foundaplanet

Posted
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Summary of the relevant info: 

Petition http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/the-bbc-please-do-not-axe-the-sky-at-night

Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1398459717050634/

BBC complaints: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/complain-online/

Hashtag #SaveSkyAtNight

BBC email addresses: danny.cohen@bbc.co.uk, kim.shillinglaw@bbc.co.uk, john.lynch@bbc.co.uk, david.jordan@bbc.co.uk, janice.hadlow@bbc.co.uk, natalie.humphreys@bbc.co.uk, emma.swain@bbc.co.uk

...and the latest from the Daily Fail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2430228/The-Sky-At-Night-cancelled-just-year-Sir-Patrick-Moores-death.html

Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10329846/The-Sky-At-Night-faces-the-axe-one-year-after-Sir-Patrick-Moores-death.html

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Paul M

Paul M

Posted
Posted

In all the years that Sir Patrick hosted S@N there was never any debate on how it should/could be improved. It was what it was - take it or leave it.

Much of the time I left it...

Now there is a hole in the programme and we all have varying ideas of what the new format should be.

Personally I think it's singular strength is in advancing amatuer astronomy or just good old basic star gazing. In that respect I'd rather watch a whole programme of practical stuff. Pete Lawrence is the star of the current format for my money. His contribution is exactly what I like to watch.Even if I already know all about his particular item. I enjoy his delivery and in-built love of the night sky. If that doesn't make you want to get the scope out then you've got no soul :D

Other than Pete's slots I think much of the magazine style content is done just as well by Stargazing Live. Perhaps that's the Beeb's thinking? Too much overlap?? We can have one or t'other?? 

Maybe, as other have said, the end result will be a hybrid. More S/L but no monthly programme.

Perhaps they could transplant the S@N theme tune into S/L and no one would notice it's gone? :)

Sorry, I'm not helping am I... :)

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Beulah

Beulah

Posted
Posted

I deeply resent having to fork out £143 for an irrelevant TV network. Have done this time, every year, for many years now.   :-(

I will look forward to the day when I won't have to.

My guess is, that the Sky at Night has been dead in the water for years and that Patrick's commitment was the only thing that kept it going, for the sake of breaking records of the longest running TV series with the same presenter.

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tenbyfifty

tenbyfifty

Posted
Posted

I think there is a wider issue about what sort of people are running the bbc these days.

If its not vacuous,shallow &  lowbrow they are not interested. when u look at some of the pap

served up on bbc 3 u get the feeling aunty is  being  run by a bunch of hair dressers these days.

S@N may have low viewing figures but how many of their programmes have been watched by the same people for decades? Surely its lasted this long because its always had some kind of audience and probably always will.

The loyalty of an audience is as important as quantity!!!

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Macavity

Macavity

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Posted

Whatever their REAL virtues (part time) full time academics, often have to move on?

You might still imagine, with such numbers of (fine) amateur astronomers in the UK,

someone with the requisite knowledge, skills and TIME (looks?) could be found...  :D

I seem to remember a celebrity presenter in a "humanities" subject admitted that, including after dinner speaking etc., he was earning £70k p.a., *via* work at the Beeb - On the occasional MINI-series? I imagine having a famous close relative as past BBC presenter gave him access to the right people! But so it is with very many jobs. Pie in the Sky, maybe, but "cometh the hour cometh the wo/man"? ;)

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tenbyfifty

tenbyfifty

Posted
Posted

Also discovered the other day that Ian Hislop gets paid £40,000 per episode for 'Have I Got news

for you'. If those fees are typical for all the panel shows the Beeb are addicted to these days

thats a lot of money being spent on a bunch of perennial sixth formers to sit around having a laugh.

Don't get me started on the abysmal mediocrity of Alan Davies.....

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted

I've just remembered a piece on S@N a couple of months back where they had a "tug of war" between "gravity" and "energy" as some sort of bizarre means of illustrating the balancing forces in a star.  It was cringingly awful and totally unnecessary.  One of the things I do appreciate about S@N is that they just get on with the science and assume the viewer can keep up.  If they're going to have more stunts like that one then frankly the programme is better off being killed off.

James

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Space Dragon

Space Dragon

Posted
Posted

A couple of years ago, when it was announced that BBC Radio 6 was due to be axed, there was a spirited outcry from enough people to stop this from happening.

David Bowies interest also helped the cause and despite it being viewed as a minority station, the decision was quickly reversed.

As is probably the case with a lot of people, S@N first grabbed my imagination as a child and it should continue to inform and inspire both adults and children.

Stargazing Live, I think is great but at only 3 days a year, it's not enough. Maybe it could be extended to once a month or whatever.

Having an inspirational figure like Patrick Moore is obviously the key to pulling in potential viewers and budding astronomers, I think Brian Cox can fulfil this role to an extent but there big shoes to fill of course.

The bosses at the BBC probably view astronomers as slightly crazy outsiders and while this might be the case, if enough voices are heard, they may well listen.

That's the problem with democracy....the majority aren't always right :-)

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andrew63

andrew63

Posted
Posted

I guess we have only one side to base our opinions on. Reading around a few things, it might be that the BBC is intending to launch a different sort of show / format astro related next year -  we will have to wait and see what develops.  

Perhaps with a view of widening it's general appeal like Stargazing. It might not be a bad idea to explore other avenues to get people involved in science just like The Sky at Night did for us.

andrew

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paulastro

paulastro

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I sincerely hope the rumours are unfounded.  Irrespective of what our individual views are  when comparing the programme with Patrick at the helm and afterwards, surely anyone subscribing to this forum wouldn't 'vote' to it being shelved?  I find it incredible that  anyone who has the smallest pretence to being an astronomer would not support the S@N continuing.   When you look at he sordid cacophony of soap operas and so called reality television type 'documentaries'  that is the usual television offering it should be the last programme on the BBC to be dis-continued!!

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