When I became the producer of the Sky at Night in 2002, I was given some
friendly advice: "It's a quiet little programme, not much happens in
astronomy." How wrong they were! It's been a hectic and enthralling time
ever since:, with missions arriving at distant planets; new discoveries
in our Universe; and leaps in technology, which mean amateurs can take
pictures as good as the Hubble Space Telescope. What a privilege it is
to work on a programme with such a huge heritage! I am constantly amazed
looking back at the flotilla of excellent programmes which have gone out
over the past five decades. The Sky at Night has always been at the
sharp end of science broadcasting, whether it's showing the first view
from the far side of the Moon or pictures of a new comet which has swept
into our sky. Viewers can depend on Sir Patrick to tell them the latest
news and explain what it means. It's an outstanding achievement and Sir
Patrick still holds the world record for being the same presenter on the
longest running TV programme. Our guests love coming down to Farthings,
Sir Patrick's home. For them, me- ing him is like meeting their
astronomical hero. Over the past five decades, the Sky at Night has
managed to talk to the space scientists and astronomers making the
landmark discoveries. No matter how busy they are, they make room for
Sir Patrick.
