Patrick Moore

This article is about Patrick Moore, the astronomer. See also Patrick Moore (environmentalist).

Moore in popular culture

Moore's reputation for eccentricity stems mainly from his mode of speech, his trademark monocle, and his fondness for the xylophone. An accomplished musician, before being forced to stop due to arthritis, he sometimes performed novelty turns at the Royal Variety Performance and once appeared in a song-and-dance act in a Morecambe and Wise Christmas spectacular. As a pianist, Patrick Moore once accompanied Albert Einstein playing 'Le Cygne' by Camille Saint-Saëns on the violin. However, no recording of the performance exists.

Related Topics:
Eccentricity - Monocle - Xylophone - Arthritis - Royal Variety Performance - Morecambe and Wise - Albert Einstein - Camille Saint-Saëns

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Moore appeared a number of times, usually in self-parodying roles, on The Goodies.

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He was also a regular guest on Just a Minute.

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On April 1, 1976, as an April Fool's joke, Moore announced on BBC Radio 2 that at 9:47am a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event was going to occur that all listeners could experience themselves. Pluto would pass behind Jupiter, temporarily causing a gravitational alignment that would reduce the Earth's own gravity. Moore told the listeners that if they could jump at the exact moment that this event occurred, they would experience a temporary floating sensation. BBC2 later received hundreds of phone calls from listeners claiming to have felt the sensation.

Related Topics:
April 1 - April Fool - BBC Radio 2

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A song composed to accompany a Macromedia Flash animation created by Jonti Picking and Rob Manuel states repeatedly that "Patrick Moore plays the xylophone", which he did for many years until arthritis forced him to stop.

Related Topics:
Macromedia Flash - Jonti Picking - Rob Manuel - Xylophone - Arthritis

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Patrick Moore is also credited among various niches scattered about the Internet with being one of the few men to continue the time-honoured tradition of wearing a monocle.

Related Topics:
Internet - Monocle

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Patrick Moore garnered an affectionate mention in a 2005 episode of the long running BBC series Doctor Who entitled Aliens of London. The Doctor's companion Rose Tyler jokingly suggests Patrick Moore is the world's pre-eminent expert on extra-terrestrial life.

Related Topics:
Doctor Who - Aliens of London - Doctor's - Rose Tyler

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Patrick Moore also participated in the fourth radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He can be heard in several scenes in the final episode of the fourth series, commenting on a UFO landing that took place in London during that series. Moore was recorded by producer Dirk Maggs at home.

Related Topics:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - The final episode - Dirk Maggs

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