Informa Markets

Author Bio ▼

Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP) is first for independent health and safety news.
November 8, 2012

Get the SHP newsletter

Daily health and safety news, job alerts and resources

Presenter mocks BBC over alien-discovery concerns

Physicist and TV host Brian Cox has poked fun at BBC bosses for their apparently overly-cautious policy on uncovering life on other planets.

In a radio interview on BBC 6 Music yesterday (6 November), Professor Cox claimed that the corporation was worried about breaching its broadcasting guidelines, citing “health and safety”, if he successfully made contact with a newly discovered planet live on air.

Professor Cox intended to point a telescope at Threapleton Holmes B – a planet discovered by two amateur astronomers as part of an interactive viewers’ project on the show, ‘Stargazing Live’.

But, according to the presenter, BBC bosses tried to stop the experiment. He explained: “We decided that we’d point the Jodrell Bank telescope at the planet, which had been discovered by these two viewers, and listen, because no one had ever pointed a radio telescope at it and you never know.

“The BBC actually said: ‘But you can’t do that because we need to go through the regulations and health and safety and everything, in case we discover a signal from an alien civilisation.”

Continued Prof Cox: “[I said]: ‘You mean we discover the first hint that there is other intelligent life in the universe beyond Earth, live on air, and you’re worried about the health and safety of it?’ It was incredible. They did have guidelines – compliance!”

A BBC spokesperson laughed off the claims, telling the Daily Mail: “In making the series there were many light-hearted conversations, one of which was about how different organisations might react to the discovery of alien life.”

On Twitter, co-presenter Dara O’Briain also suggested the conversation between Cox and the BBC had been a bit of a joke: “Actually not banned. Some comedic license from Brian here. We still did it live on air and heard nothing, sadly.

“It’s still funny! It’s just that BBC don’t have an ET policy. Neither did the UN. Only the Vatican did!”

After the story broke, the HSE also tweeted Professor Cox, saying: “For health and safety reasons? This one is alien to us too.” Tweeting the regulator back, Cox responded: “Don’t worry guys – it’s an old joke we made on the show last year 🙂 Not your fault!”

Related Topics

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Stephen
Stephen
11 years ago

ah well brian, things can only get better