How Bernard Lovell's telescope was used by both the Americans and the Russians to track their competing spacecraft and put Britain at the forefront of radio astronomy.
The unlikely story of how one man with some ex-WWII army equipment eventually turned a muddy field in Cheshire into a key site in the space race. That man was Bernard Lovell, and his telescope at Jodrell Bank would be used at the height of the Cold War by both the Americans and the Russians to track their competing spacecraft. It also put Britain at the forefront of radio astronomy, a new science which transformed our knowledge of space and provided the key to understanding the most mind-bending theory of the beginnings of the universe - the Big Bang.
Last on
More episodes
Next
Coming soon
Clips
![]()
Sir Bernard Lovell's "spark" moment
Duration: 01:22
![]()
The Russian probe Luna 2
Duration: 03:30
![]()
Building the Lovell telescope
Duration: 01:59
![]()
Cold War player
Duration: 02:05
Music Played
Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes
![]()
00:01Bonobo
Kiara
![]()
00:02Bonobo
Prelude
![]()
00:03John Coltrane
Blue Train
![]()
00:03John Coltrane
Blue Train
![]()
00:03Bonobo
Kiara
![]()
00:07Nina Simone
I Put A Spell On You
![]()
00:11The Chordettes
Mr Sandman
![]()
00:11Glenn Miller
In The Mood (feat. Jodie Prenger)
![]()
00:13Miles Davis
So What
![]()
00:21Ted Heath & His Music
Ad Lib Frolic
![]()
00:36John Barry
Main Title (from The Ipcress File)
![]()
00:40Johann Sebastian Bach
Well Tempered Clavier Book I - Prelude and Fugue in C BWV896
![]()
00:42Bill Evans
Peace Piece
Performer: Bill Evans.![]()
00:43The Byrds
Eight Miles High
![]()
00:45Echo & the Bunnymen
The Killing Moon
![]()
00:51Joy Division
Disorder
![]()
00:56Radiohead
Reckoner
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Narrator | Maxine Peake |
| Producer | Chloe Penman |
| Director | Chloe Penman |
| Series Producer | William Naylor |
| Executive Producer | Michael Poole |
Broadcasts
- Mon 16 Nov 201521:00
- Tue 17 Nov 201502:50
- Sun 22 Nov 201519:00
- Wed 16 Dec 201520:00
- Sun 3 Jul 201623:30
- Wed 6 Jul 201602:00
- Thu 1 Sep 201623:00
- Fri 2 Sep 201602:45
- Sun 14 May 201723:25
- Thu 18 May 201701:35
- Wed 9 Aug 201700:00
- Thu 31 Aug 201723:00
- Sun 16 Dec 201823:15
- Thu 27 Jun 201900:00
- Thu 23 Apr 202020:00
- Wed 11 Aug 202122:50
- Mon 25 Apr 202223:55
- Tue 19 Mar 202421:00
- Thu 21 Mar 202423:50
