Today on Radio 4: A drama about Patrick Moore

Had a listen to this on iPlayer this afternoon, during a particularly repetitive piece of work that I was doing (iPlayer link is here).

I wasn't sure whether to give it a listen, as I thought it might be a hatchet job, but I thought it was pretty good. It's clearly based on Martin Mobberley's book and surrounds the events of April 1957 when The Sky at Night was first commissioned.

Henry King (later to become president of the BAA, and one of Patrick's "serpents") doesn't come out of it very well! I have access to the BAA journal archive, and his review of Patrick's book "Sun, Myths and Men" in March 1955 is what caused the rift.

Quote: "In playing at science one can, like playing with fire, get burnt; and Mr Moore, however slightly, keeps burning himself.
...
In the reviewer's opinion, popular scientific exposition demands the same care and attention as does the preparation of a scientific treatise; simplification can so easily lead to falsification. Expression must be concrete, clear and unmistakable—the writer must be honest with himself and to his public. One cannot help feeling that once an otherwise serious and talented astronomer discards these and similar precepts, he sows the seeds of irrationality."

Scathing stuff.

I listened to it as well and enjoyed it. I wasn't entirely sure about the extent to which it was historically accurate or simply 'inspired by' real events, but it had a ring of truth and I thought Tom Hollander did a good job of capturing Moore's character and voice. In fact, it was just like being in the same room as John Culshaw 😉