Man anchors received an unexpected moment in the spotlight on the BBC’s recent Stargazing Live broadcast.
On the final night of this year’s series, Thursday January 10th, astronomer Mark Thompson was in Derby to unveil a newly built Herschel telescope that aims to replicate William Herschel’s famous 40-foot telescope, built in the 1780s.
Although the weather was uncooperative, meaning no live pictures could be obtained with the telescope, the team were still able to demonstrate its focusing and movement – including the ability to rotate the base of the telescope simply by pushing it round.
During the broadcast, Mr Thompson commented on the fact that he was tethered to the viewing platform as a safety precaution – and that was not the only mention for man anchors associated with the show.
Before going live on air, he had also commented on the fact on his Twitter account,