Thursday, October 06, 2005

04/10/05 The Sky At Night

...is apparently clear and bright, deep in the heart of Texas! So there you go...
Actually, I watched the BBC programme of this title the other night.
I'm not a regular viewer, but it generally is quite an interesting show, and usually throws up a few fascinating, mindblowing statistics for my puny brain to attempt to wrestle with.
Patrick Moore is one of those people who I've always assumed will live forever, and has obviously signed some pact with "Old Nick" guaranteeing immortality and a rolling contract from the BBC to present TSAN until the Universe implodes.
I would guess that he is currently about 143 years old.
He hasn't really changed much in all the time I've seen him presenting this show.
A lot of his monologue leaves me slightly bewildered, but I've always liked him...mainly because he has a real infectious passion for his subject and I respect that.
I was a bit perturbed to see that old age does seem to have finally caught up with him though.
That distinctive, rasping delivery isn't quite there any more. There's a degree of slurring in his speech, and physically, he seemed a bit wobbly.
I remember noticing the same about David Coleman's commentary. His voice always had this great immediacy and intensity about it, but he latterly started to warble, and it was all a tad sad, as you felt he'd gone on a little beyond his natural shelf-life as a top commentator.

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