The Sky at Night - 50th show is clouded out, 1961
To celebrate the 50th edition of The Sky at Night, Patrick Moore looks around the night sky through George Hole's 24-inch telescope at Patcham and the 36-inch telescope at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh. Weather permitting, it is hoped to obtain the first-ever 'live' pictures of probably the most beautiful object in the heavens, Saturn and its rings.
On the night of the broadcast, heavy clouds made stargazing impossible, and the programme quickly descended into farce. For 20 minutes Patrick Moore and Mr Hole - showing consummate professionalism, unflappable determination and unwavering enthusiasm - tried again and again to find a clear patch of sky.
The result is one of the most unintentionally hilarious, and undeniably precious, broadcasts in the BBC Archives.
