Editing Patrick Moore (section)

==Other interests and popular culture==
Because of his long-running television career and eccentric demeanour, Moore was widely recognised and became a popular public figure. In 1976 it was used to good effect for an [[April Fools' Day]] spoof on [[BBC Radio 2]], when [[Jovian–Plutonian gravitational effect|Moore announced a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event]] that meant that if listeners could jump at that exact moment, 9.47 a.m. they would experience a temporary sensation of [[weightlessness]].<ref name="page 252">{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=252}}</ref> The BBC received many telephone calls from listeners alleging they experienced the sensation.<ref name="page 252"/> He was a key figure in the establishment of the ''[[International Birdman]]'' event in [[Bognor Regis]], which was initially held in Selsey.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=254}}</ref>

Moore appeared in other television and radio shows, including the [[BBC Radio 4]] panel show ''[[Just a Minute]]''. From 1992 until 1998, he played the role of [[GamesMaster]], a character who knew everything about video games, in the [[Channel 4]] television series ''[[GamesMaster]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=188}}</ref> GamesMaster would issue video game challenges and answered questions about cheats and tips. The show's host, [[Dominik Diamond]], said that Moore did not understand anything he said on the show but recorded his contributions in single takes.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gibson |first=Ellie|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-06-04-gamesmaster-the-inside-story|title=GamesMaster: The Inside Story|work=[[Eurogamer]]|access-date=15 March 2015|date=31 August 2014}}</ref>

Moore was a keen amateur actor, appearing in local plays.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=246}}</ref> He appeared in self-parodying roles, in several episodes of ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' and on the [[Morecambe and Wise]] show, and broadcast with [[Kenneth Horne]] only a few days before Horne's death.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=247}}</ref> He had a minor role in the fourth radio series of ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy]]'', and a lead role in the [[BBC Radio 1]] sci-fi play, ''[[Independence Day UK]]'' in which amongst other things, Moore fills in as a navigator.<ref>{{harvnb|Mobberley|2013|p=408}}</ref> Among other shows, he appeared in ''[[It's a Knockout|It's a Celebrity Knockout]]'', ''[[Blankety Blank]]'' and ''[[Face the Music (UK TV programme)|Face the Music]]'', and in the ''[[Q.E.D. (British TV series)|Q.E.D.]]'' episode "Round Britain Whizz".<ref>{{harvnb|Mobberley|2013|pp=397–411}}</ref>

Moore expressed appreciation for the science fiction television series ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and ''[[Star Trek]]'', but stated that he had stopped watching when "they went [[political correctness|PC]] - making women commanders, that kind of thing".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6634255.stm|title=Moore blames women for 'banal' TV|access-date=18 August 2015| date=8 May 2007|work=BBC News}}</ref> Despite this he made a [[cameo appearance]] in the ''Doctor Who'' episode "[[The Eleventh Hour (Doctor Who)|The Eleventh Hour]]" in 2010, which was [[Matt Smith (actor)|Matt Smith]]'s debut as the [[Eleventh Doctor]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/apr/03/doctor-who-eleventh-hour | title= Doctor Who: Matt Smith's debut in The Eleventh Hour - the verdict | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=Daniel | last=Martin | date=3 April 2010 | access-date=18 August 2015}}</ref> In the 1960s, Moore had been approached by the ''Doctor Who'' [[story editor]] [[Gerry Davis (screenwriter)|Gerry Davis]] to act as a scientific advisor on the series to help with the accuracy of stories, a position ultimately taken by [[Kit Pedler]].<ref name="Burk/Smith">{{cite book |author1=Graeme Burk |author2=Robert Smith|title=Who's 50: 50 Doctor Who Stories To Watch Before You Die - An Unofficial Companion|year=2013|page=38|publisher=ECW Press|isbn=978-1770411661}}</ref>

A keen amateur chess player, Moore carried a pocket set and was vice president of Sussex Junior Chess Association.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icu.ie/articles/display.php?id=123|title=Sussex v. Ireland Junior Match 2002|access-date=17 February 2008|author=Herbert Scarry|work=The Irish Chess Union|archive-date=18 November 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118231007/http://www.icu.ie/articles/display.php?id=123|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2003, he presented Sussex Junior [[David Howell (chess player)|David Howell]] with the best young chess player award on [[Carlton Television]]'s ''Britain's Brilliant Prodigies'' show. Moore had represented Sussex in his youth.<ref name="page 41"/>

Moore was an enthusiastic amateur cricketer, playing for the Selsey Cricket Club well into his seventies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sir-patrick-moore-in-tune-with-music-of-the-spheres-2198463.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/sir-patrick-moore-in-tune-with-music-of-the-spheres-2198463.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Sir Patrick Moore: In tune with music of the spheres|work=The Independent|date=30 January 2011|access-date=13 October 2010|location=London}}</ref> He played for the [[Lord's Taverners]], a cricketing charity team, as a bowler with an unorthodox action. Though an accomplished [[leg spin]] [[Bowling (cricket)|bowler]], he was a [[Batting order (cricket)|number 11 batsman]] and a poor [[Fielding (cricket)|fielder]].<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=78}}</ref> The jacket notes to his book "Suns, Myths and Men" (1968) said his hobbies included "chess, which he plays with a peculiar leg-spin, and cricket." He played golf and won a Pro-Am competition in [[Southampton]] in 1975.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=81}}</ref>

Until forced to give up because of [[arthritis]], Moore was a keen pianist and accomplished [[xylophone]] player, having first played the instrument at the age of 13.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=103}}</ref> He composed a substantial corpus of works, including two [[operetta]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=108}}</ref> Moore had a ballet, ''Lyra's Dream'', written to his music. He performed at a [[Royal Command Performance]], and performed a duet with [[Evelyn Glennie]].<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=107}}</ref>

In 1998, as [[List of Have I Got News for You episodes#Series 15 (1998)|a guest]] on ''[[Have I Got News for You]],'' he accompanied the show's closing theme tune on the xylophone and as a pianist, he once accompanied [[Albert Einstein]] playing ''[[Le cygne|The Swan]]'' by [[Camille Saint-Saëns]] on the violin (no recording was made).<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=31}}</ref> In 1981 he performed a solo xylophone rendition of the [[Sex Pistols]]' "[[Anarchy in the U.K.]]" in a [[Royal Variety Performance]].<ref>''[[The Daily Telegraph]] – 21 August 1981, pg 21, "Xy-Moore-phone"''</ref> He did not enjoy most popular music: when played ten modern rock songs by such artists as [[Hawkwind]], [[Muse (band)|Muse]] and [[Pink Floyd]], in a 2009 interview with journalist [[Joel McIver]], he explained, "To my ear, all these songs are universally awful."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thequietus.com/articles/01994-space-rock-the-final-frontier-sir-patrick-moore-on-interplanetary-pop|work=The Quietus|title=Space Rock The Final Frontier: Sir Patrick Moore on Pop|first=Joel|last=McIver|date=29 June 2009|access-date=9 December 2012}}</ref>

Before encountering health problems, he was an extensive traveller and had visited all seven continents, including [[Antarctica]]; he said his favourite two countries were [[Iceland]] and Norway.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|pp=202–218}}</ref> On 7 March 2006 he was hospitalised and fitted with a [[Artificial cardiac pacemaker|pacemaker]] because of [[Arrhythmia|cardiac dysrhythmia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4785340.stm|title=Pacemaker for Sir Patrick Moore|access-date=25 February 2011|date=8 March 2006|work=BBC News}}</ref>{{sfn|Mobberley|2013|pp=565–566}}

Moore was a friend of the [[Queen (band)|Queen]] guitarist and astrophysicist [[Brian May]], who was an occasional guest on ''The Sky at Night''.<ref>{{harvnb|Moore|2003|p=249}}</ref> May bought Moore's Selsey home in 2008, leasing it back to him for a [[Peppercorn (legal)|peppercorn rent]] the same day to provide financial security.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10112755.Sir_Patrick_helped_by_music_star/?ref=rss |title=Sir Patrick helped by music star |work=The Argus |location=Brighton |date=17 December 2012 |access-date=15 March 2015}}</ref> May, Moore and [[Chris Lintott]] co-wrote a book ''Bang! The Complete History of the Universe''. In February 2011, Moore completed (with Robin Rees and Iain Nicolson) his comprehensive ''Patrick Moore's Data Book of Astronomy'' for [[Cambridge University Press]]. In 1986, he was identified as the co-author of a book published in 1954 called ''Flying Saucer from Mars'', attributed to [[Cedric Allingham]], which was intended as a money-making venture and practical joke on UFO believers;<ref name=allen>Allan, C. and Campbell, S. ''Flying Saucer from Moore's?'', ''Magonia'' v. 23 (July 1986): pp 15–18</ref> Moore never admitted his involvement.

Moore believed himself to be the only person to have met the first aviator, [[Wright brothers|Orville Wright]], the first man in space, [[Yuri Gagarin]], and the first man on the moon, [[Neil Armstrong]].<ref name=telegraphobit>{{cite news|title=Sir Patrick Moore dies aged 89|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/9732777/Sir-Patrick-Moore-dies-aged-89.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/9732777/Sir-Patrick-Moore-dies-aged-89.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=1 April 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph|location=London|date=9 December 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In March 2015, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a 45-minute play based on the life of Moore, ''The Far Side of the Moore'' by Sean Grundy, starring [[Tom Hollander]] as Moore and [[Patricia Hodge]] as his mother.<ref>{{cite web|title=Far Side of the Moore|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05nt1vb|website=BBC|access-date=20 June 2015}}</ref>

Moore is portrayed by [[Daniel Beales]] in the [[Netflix]] series ''[[The Crown (TV series)|The Crown]]''.<ref>{{Cite episode |last=Morgan |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Morgan |title=Moondust  |series=The Crown |network=Netflix |date=2019 |season=3 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-111819a-the-crown-apollo11-moon-landing.html|title=Apollo 11 first moon landing receives royal treatment in 'The Crown'|date=18 November 2019|access-date=18 November 2019|website=collectSPACE}}</ref>