The Sky at Night: 60 stellar years

When the first episode of The Sky at Night was transmitted in April 1957, the space age had yet to begin, Big Bang was just a controversial theory, and it was still thought that Mars could be home to advanced life.

The show’s presenter was a little-known astronomer called Patrick Moore. With his monocle and eccentric manner, he was a TV natural - and before long he was a national figure.

He continued to present it until his death, at 89, in 2012, by which time it was the longest-running programme with the same presenter in television history, extending to around 750 transmissions.

Most of the early shows were broadcast live and are now lost. But for its anniversary, the BBC is broadcasting a special edition looking at how our knowledge of the universe has been transformed in the last six decades - from the exploration of the solar system to the detection of black holes and planets orbiting distant stars.

It will feature birthday messages from a host of stars of the non-celestial variety.

The programme’s famous theme music is At the Castle Gate, written in 1905 by Jean Sibelius, and performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.