Faces of the week

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Our regular look at some of the names which have made the news this week. Above are SIR PATRICK MOORE (main picture), with <a href="#anchor">KATE MIDDLETON,</a> <a href="#anchor">MISBAH RANA,</a> <a href="#anchor">BINDI IRWIN</a> and <a href="#anchor">CAPTAIN ROBERT SCOTT</a>.

SIR PATRICK MOORE

The man with his eyes on the stars, who has presented 650 episodes of The Sky at Night and whose enthusiasm has introduced countless viewers to the wonders of the heavens above.

It seems inconceivable that a television programme about science, which is broadcast once a month late at night, and on a very small budget, would last very long.

Presenting The Sky at Night in 1959The fact that just such a series, The Sky at Night, has celebrated its 650th edition, and will mark 50 years on the air this coming April, is undoubtedly a testament to its presenter Sir Patrick Moore. His slightly dishevelled appearance, shambling gait and monocle make him an interesting, if not surprising, television presenter.

But what really marks him out is his great enthusiasm - even at the age of 83 and after years of talking about the stars, he still maintains a boyish wonder.

"I've always been fascinated with the subject. We're always learning and I want to spread the word and get people interested," he says.

He's obviously a self-deprecating man and believes that the programme's success has little to do with him. He puts its longevity down to it being "the cheapest thing on air" and goes out late at night, "getting in nobody's way".

Look around youThe scheduling does cause him some anguish though. When the 650th programme went out at 1.55am this week, he wasn't pleased.

"We went out after some old American film that everybody had already seen anyway," he says, adding that other anniversary programmes have been given greater prominence. But the BBC insists that the programme has been broadcast in the small hours for some time.

But the snub - as he sees - wouldn't make him resign. "I'll keep going as long as I can and as long as they want me."

Lost love

He certainly looks like the classic English eccentric, and Sir Patrick's education fits into the same mould. He is the quintessential amateur enthusiast.

A stamp to mark the anniversaryBecause of a heart problem he didn't go to Eton as his parents planned, but was taught by tutors at home in Sussex.

His passion for astronomy was ignited when he picked up his mother's copy of The Story of the Solar System, by GF Chambers. He was only six but a good reader and devoured the book. He soon had his own telescope and became fascinated by the Moon. At the tender age of 13, he had a paper accepted by the British Astronomical Association.

He was all set for Cambridge and a degree in geology when World War II broke out. Instead of going to university, he joined the RAF, training as a navigator and flying Wellington bombers.

It was during the war that he met the only love of his life, Lorna. They became engaged, but she died driving an ambulance in the Blitz and he never met anyone else. In interviews, he talks fondly of his "girl" and openly regrets that he never had any children.

When the fighting stopped, he briefly taught at a prep school in Kent before writing a book on the Moon. That led to Sir Patrick being asked to present a new live astronomy show in 1957 - the rest is history.

Despite having no formal training, he is hugely knowledgeable. He helped create the first maps of the Moon's surface and is credited with discovering its Eastern Sea.

National treasure

However, his greatest skill lies in his ability to convey all that information to the non-specialist. The astronomer, Professor Gerry Gilmore, who appeared on the recent anniversary programme, is a great fan.

A star in his own right"He obviously gets it right. But most of all it's his enthusiasm. You can't help but get excited about the subject. You're caught up in it," he says.

Astronomy is not Sir Patrick Moore's only passion. Like many successful people, his talents straddle a number of disciplines. He played cricket into his 70s and is said to have bowled an unusual leg-break. He's also an accomplished composer and musician.

Journalists often talk of his loneliness. He admits to having missed his mother hugely since her death in 1981 at the age of 94. She was a singer and a talented artist, who drew many cartoon drawings of little green men for the young Patrick.

Some comment has also been made in the media about his politically incorrect views on Europe and immigration. But many people will see that as irrelevant.

The producer of the Sky at Night, Jane Fletcher, certainly believes so. "People are entitled to their own views - it doesn't affect how he presents The Sky at Night. He has a brilliant mind and a powerful personality - but most of all he has this joyful enthusiasm for what he does and a fantastic ability to communicate."

For most of us that will be enough - his place as a national treasure is secure.

KATE MIDDLETON She's often compared with Princess Diana and now is facing the same press exposure that contributed to the death of her boyfriend's mother. Prince William has appealed for the paparazzi to stop harassing Ms Middleton, who's just celebrated her 25th birthday. But that may not be enough to prevent the intrusive behaviour of some photographers and his lawyers are looking at taking legal action.

MISBAH RANA The 12-year-old schoolgirl appears to have won the right to stay in Pakistan with her father. Her mother, Louise Campbell, has offered to end her fight to bring Misbah back to Scotland in return for visiting rights. She's said to be suffering from stress brought on by the legal battle over her daughter, who's now reported to have joined a religious school with links to al Qaeda.

BINDI IRWINEight-year-old Bindi appears to be following firmly in the footsteps of her father, the Australian television presenter, Steve Irwin. Just four months after the "Crocodile Hunter" died when he was hit in the chest by a stingray, she is in the US to promote a new TV series. The Australian tourism industry is delighted, but some commentators have suggested she's too young to be exposed to such media attention.

CAPTAIN SCOTT It's nearly 100 years since the polar explorer joined the ranks of the UK's tragic heroes. But letters going on display at Cambridge University for the first time show just how brave and stoical he was, despite facing certain death after being beaten to the South Pole by the Norwegians. In a letter addressed "to my widow", Scott urges his wife to remarry saying: "Cherish no sentimental rubbish about re-marriage... you ought to be your happy self again."

Written by BBC News Profiles Unit's Helen Morgan-Wynne