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Post by ajsmith on Dec 9, 2012 13:15:01 GMT
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Post by John Green on Dec 9, 2012 13:20:24 GMT
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Post by Greg H on Dec 9, 2012 15:13:10 GMT
Abysmal news  RIP Patrick. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2012 15:54:33 GMT
Truly one of a kind and though his passing today comes as no real surprise given his age and his physical decline on "The Sky At Night" in the last year or two, I'm deeply saddened all the same. Great communicator and teacher from whom I learned a lot.
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Post by cjones on Dec 9, 2012 17:53:39 GMT
What a gent. He will be missed.
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Post by Paul Vanezis on Dec 9, 2012 20:35:37 GMT
It is such a shame Patrick didn't get to his 90th birthday, but even he would say that he'd had a good innings!
I was honoured to have been the series producer of 'The Sky at Night' in 2009 & 2010 although I'd worked with Patrick on and off since 2006, also directing the 50th anniversary programme 'Time Lord'.
Throughout my time associated with the programme, Patrick was a genuine rock, someone I could always rely on to answer my questions when I wasn't sure of the direction we should take. He was a tough man to please and always wanted the programme made the same way he thought it always had been. He didn't like to do more than one take and insisted he'd never used a script in his life.
All of that was untrue; he often used a script previously and quite often had done more than one take, even in the 1960's, but it built his reputation amongst his friends in his later years and put us all in our place!
Away from the recording, he was a great host. He would change out of his suit, get into his kaftan and come into the dining room where we'd laid out a spread of food for the contributors to the programme, the camera and sound team, his carers and the few production staff. Once people started to leave, he'd always suggest "one for the road".
As a producer on this programme, I was also the director and on occasion, cameraman. I had regular meetings with Patrick, where we'd sit in his study or if the weather was good, in his garden discussing content for future shows. He was a man with a real sense of what astronomers wanted from the programme and refused to accept he was anything special in the world of astronomy. "I'm just an amateur, you're the professional" was what I'd hear him tell eminent scientists, all of whom would then politely inform him that they had grown up with and had been inspired by 'The Sky at Night'. What they really meant was they had grown up watching Patrick Moore and had been inspired by him.
A sad loss. I do hope the programme continues. That would be his great legacy.
Patrick - Good Knight.
Paul
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2012 21:28:02 GMT
Thank you Paul for sharing your tribute and memories of Sir Patrick.
What is coming across in the vast majority of the tributes that's been paid over today is of his generosity - always answering letters, often phoning those who had written, forever donating his time, knowledge and money. The 50th anniversary specials were great fun and Brian May was a good egg dressing up in the wig as himself in 2057.
The show must indeed go on ensuring his legacy will live on.
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Post by Brian Denton on Dec 9, 2012 22:30:43 GMT
Patrick Moore and I first became acquainted (in a tv sense only, I hasten to add!) in 1971 with the closest Mars approach in a generation. In the next few years of my teenagehood I always caught the monthly broadcast, no matter what graveyard shift or late cancellation the BBC saw fit to hit me with. I also remember hearing him a couple of times on Any Questions and being appalled by his Monday Club political views. But I forgave him!
Please God don't let there be any skeletons...
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Post by Peter Stirling on Dec 9, 2012 23:47:56 GMT
I don't see how the programme can continue?
Even in the later years when he was taking a bit of a back seat and they were shot at his home,both him and his home had a presence, something that cannot be recreated even with Dr.Brian Cox on top of an expensive location mountain saying "wow! dig that man, we are star dust"
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Post by John Green on Dec 10, 2012 0:01:54 GMT
So how many 'Sky at Nights' exist? Lostshows says that 1988-2007 are complete...
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Post by Paul Vanezis on Dec 10, 2012 0:30:35 GMT
So how many 'Sky at Nights' exist? Lostshows says that 1988-2007 are complete... I'll put a list up sometime. Technically though it's still on series one! Paul |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 10, 2012 10:01:56 GMT
A list of holdings has been posted on here by Andrew Martin in the past, actually. So you can probably find it down the threads, folks!
R.I.P. Patrick. Someone that had always been there as long as I could remember, presenting The Sky At Night and of course the many space mission programmes, which I would watch avidly. It was nice to know he had a sense of humour and other sides to his personality as well. A great shame but a good and interesting life all the same. I hope The Sky At Night will continue in some form but it has Patrick's character and enthusiasm so heavily stamped on it that it will need to re-invent itself to quite a degree to work in future.
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Post by John Green on Dec 10, 2012 13:20:10 GMT
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Post by felixdembinski on Dec 10, 2012 16:59:41 GMT
This is very sad news.
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Post by Colin Anderton on Dec 10, 2012 17:51:19 GMT
It's taken me all day to really take this in! An absolutely irreplaceable man.
The nation has lost a National Treasure.
Actually, I hope "The Sky at Night" ends next month with an hour-long tribute to him via the many programmes that exist in the vaults. There is no way anyone else could "take over" from him!
However, I hope a monthly astronomy programme - under a different name - continues. Chris Lintott, perhaps, could present it.
But I honestly think the programme that we've all come to know should pass on with dear Patrick; that to my mind would be a fitting tribute, and an acknowledgement that nobody else could take his place.
Colin.
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RIP Patrick.
