Isle of Man to be showcased on BBC’s Great British Railways series

BBC2's Great British Railways programme featuring the Isle of Man will be broadcast on Friday 27th January at 6.30pm.

In a series of five epic journeys, TV presenter, journalist and former conservative politician and Cabinet Minister, Michael Portillo travels the length and breadth of the country, with his copy of George Bradshaw’s Victorian Railway Guidebook, to see how the railways changed us, and what of Bradshaw’s Britain remains. In week four of the series he will be travelling through the north of England from Berwick-Upon-Tweed, crossing the Pennines to the Lake District before completing the journey to the beautiful and unique Isle of Man.

Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

Michael sets sail from Heysham to the Isle of Man, where he discovers the horse trams of Douglas, the 19th century secrets of the Laxey Waterwheel and the Victorian history of the Snaefell mountain railway.

Talkback Thames, the production company, visited the Isle of Man in August 2011 to film for the very popular travel documentary. The main subject of the programme is about how the Victorians travelling to the Island would have been surprised at the feats of engineering in the local infrastructure for both industry and leisure. The television crew were assisted by Department of Economic Development, Department of Community, Culture and Leisure, Manx National Heritage and Isle of Man Steam Packet Company during their visit.

Member for the Department of Economic Development responsible for Tourism, Mr Geoff Corkish, MBE, MHK said:

"Once again the Isle of Man will feature on a nationwide television programme and this time having special interest to railway enthusiasts. It will provide tremendous profile to our Island and surely encourage visitors to our shores to see for themselves our unique transport systems and our beautiful scenery and lifestyle."

Colin Kniveton, Chief Executive Officer, the Department of Economic Development, said:

"The Department of Economic Development is pleased to have worked withTalkback Thames in covering the Isle of Man in the series and we are looking forward to the benefits gained from this and other programmes like it. Encouraging TV crews to visit is part of our overall PR strategy and will be important in raising the Island’s profile as a unique and attractive visitor destination as we continue through 2012."

The Department of Economic Development assisted another TV crew from BBC Scotland in July 2011. They visited the Island to film the programme ‘All Over the Place’. This is a CBBC programme in which presenter Ed Petrie travels around the country to find out about some of the weird and wonderful things happening in the British Isles. The Isle of Man will feature in episode one of the series on Wednesday 25th January and episode five on Wednesday 22nd February at 5.45pm. In the first episode they visit the Joey Dunlop statue at the Bungalow on the Snaefell Mountain road where they talk about Joey Dunlop’s achievements and the TT Races and episode five features the Tin Bath Races at Castletown.

The Isle of Man Department of Economic Development’s marketing team targets a broad range of media throughout the year, from national and regional newspapers to consumer magazines and television programmes, all of which remain key to the overall PR campaign. Television programmes hosted last year also include World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides, BBC The One Show, BBC Spring Watch, Come Dine with Me and Granada TV’s ‘Where’s Fred’.

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Reach for the skies | Astronomy events Isle of Man 2012

TRANSIT OF VENUS: The planet Venus crossing the face of the sun in June 2004, taken by Howard Parkin from the Isle of Man Observatory in Foxdale. The rare event will be repeated in June of this year.

THE Isle of Man is home to some first-rate star spotting – and not just when the likes of Zac Efron, Johnny Depp or John Malkovich have been here filming on location.

The Isle of Man Astronomical Society (IoMAS) is keen to promote astronomy in the island and has released details of significant cosmic events that will be visible in Manx skies in 2012.

Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

By way of introduction to the subject the society will be hosting a live stargazing event in Noble’s Park on January 18.

IoMAS chairman Howard Parkin explained: ‘We haven’t done it before, but it’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while, as we can’t invite the public up to the observatory [in Foxdale].

‘The dates coincide with the BBC’s Stargazing Live event, so we thought we’d do a Manx version.’

An estimated 40,000 people scan the skies across the British Isles during the annual Stargazing Live event, and in Noble’s Park IoMAS members will be on hand to explain constellations and supervise telescopes.

Howard assures us that it is an interesting time to be looking to the heavens: ‘There are spectacular views of Venus low in the west, Jupiter high in the south, Mars in the east and Saturn can be seen in the morning,’ he said, adding: ‘The stars of winter are always impressive.’

Providing the sky is clear enough for the event to go ahead, enthusiasts should gather near the tennis courts from 7pm-9pm.

Howard, who has been teaching astronomy at the Isle of Man College since 1984 and has delivered lectures in Hawaii, South Africa and in the UK, is most excited about June 6, when Venus will cross the face of the Sun. These transits only occur every 100-plus years, and then in pairs eight years apart. The last one was in 2004 and the next is in 2117.

He says 2012 will also see a few conjuctions (when two planets come close in the night sky), as well as the usual meteor showers, although they could be better than previous years as moonlight will not interfere with the best showers, the Perseids in August and the Geminids in December.

On January 25, Howard will also be delivering a lecture at the Noble’s Park Pavilion on the Manx Night Sky in 2012, and a look at the island’s role in space commerce. The talk will be from 7.30pm, and the £2 charge includes refreshments. Tickets are available from the Henry Bloom Noble Library in Douglas.

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Astronomical Society to discuss Manx night sky

TICKETS are still available for a Manx Night Sky presentation which will be given by the chairman of the Isle of Man Astronomical Society.

On January 25 Howard Parkin will discuss what local stargazers will be able to see in the Manx skies over the Isle of Man during the next 12 months.

The event follows another successful Manx Night Sky presentation in November last year when ticket supply was unable to meet demand.

Cherrywood Four Star Bed & Breakfast in Ramsey Isle of Man proudly brings you news of enjoyable events taking place on the wonderful Isle of Man. Why not browse our site to find out more.

Douglas borough librarian Jan Macartney explained: "Howard Parkin's talk in November attracted record numbers to the library which meant that we couldn't accommodate everyone.

"So in a move – literally – to ensure more people can enjoy what I'm sure will be another fascinating presentation we're holding the Manx Night Sky 2012 event in the Noble's Park Pavilion community room which is a much larger venue, has easy parking outside and disabled access.

"The timing for the talk couldn't be better with BBC 2 running its Stargazing LIVE series from January 16 to 18.

"We're especially excited about this as the Stargazing Live website will be promoting local stargazing events and Howard and some of his Isle of Man Astronomical Society colleagues will be hosting a Stargazing LIVE event in Noble's Park on January 18 from 7pm to 9pm to give people an opportunity to discover a little about the wonders of the solar system and our Manx night skies."

The Manx Night Sky presentation will take place on Wednesday, January 25 at 7.30pm. It should finish at 9.30pm. Tickets cost £2 and are available from the Henry Bloom Noble Library on Victoria Street in Douglas.

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