The Greys

“Stargazing Live” is a BBC show hosted by Britain’s current rock star scientist, Professor Brian Cox, and Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain. It runs over three nights, with the aim of encouraging the British public to get out of their armchairs and step outside to see the wonders of the night sky (or, depending on location, to just wonder about what the night sky might look like without so much light pollution).

And yes, during the first series in 2011, they genuinely did miss a meteor falling right behind one of the presenters.

The classic gag of a character being completely oblivious to events taking place behind them is one of the staples of British humour. Every year thousands of audiences around the country enter into the pantomime tradition of shouting “he’s behind you” at a lead character, only for the subject of the cry to disappear out of sight before the leading character turns round. Yes, that’s what passes for amusement on our little island.

When treated more seriously the notion of an oblivious character raises its head quite frequently in the world of science fiction. How often have we been treated to a stalker’s-eye view of a character, before the camera angle changes and we see that same character checking behind them for the now-hidden (or invisible) stalker – usually just before they decide they must have been mistaken, continue on regardless, and die a grisly death?

With such widespread use in both comedic and dramatic contexts, this is a plot device that was ripe for us to parody – so thanks to the BBC for giving us a second series of “Stargazing Live” and with it a perfect opportunity for this joke.

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