G and T with Patrick
by Paul Miller
Melissa and Nic went to meet the bastion of English astronomy on Tuesday, Sir Patrick Moore. This man is a legend. After leaving Eton at 16, he was a fighter pilot in the war before becoming the most famous "amateur" astronomer of the century. His maps of the moon were used by NASA and the Russians during the Space Race and an uninterrupted 45 years of his BBC The Sky at Night programme makes it the longest-running TV programme in history. An asteroid has been named after him and his acquaintances have included the likes of Einstein and Yuri Gagarin. Now he lives in a celebrity outpost of thatched cottages with his cats, entertaining the odd visitor like Piers Sellers and indulging in the bloody marys. And it's said that he makes a damn fine gin and tonic...
Paul Paul
But did you know that Patrick has also recorded a song (albeit somewhat Shatner-esque). The ultra-cool Another Late Night series on Azuli records - featuring compilations of laidback grooves chosen by the likes of Rae and Christian, Zero 7 and Groove Armada - has also included on three of its volumes a story narrated by Patrick in three parts. The man is superfly.
Helen Helen
don't even go there girlfriend...
Nic Wilson
With thanks from a technophobe...
Cheers Paul!