Galaxy was a short-lived British satellite television channel, owned and operated by

British Satellite Broadcasting British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) was a television company, headquartered in London, that provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom. They started broadcasting on 25 March 1990. The company was merged with ...

. The station, focused on general entertainment and children's programming, was one of the five BSB channels, based at the network's headquarters at

Marco Polo House Marco Polo House (originally stylised as "Marcopolo") was a large marble-effect, glass-clad office building and TV studio at 346 Queenstown Road, facing Battersea Park in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It was built in 1987–1988 and complete ...

in Battersea. Galaxy broadcast a mix of original programming, American imports and archive repeats from the BBC library. Its most infamous production was ''

Heil Honey I'm Home ''Heil Honey I'm Home!'' is a British sitcom, written by Geoff Atkinson and produced in 1990, which was cancelled after one episode. It centres on Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun, who live next door to a Jewish couple, Arny and Rosa Goldenstein. T ...

'', a sitcom about

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

, which aired only its pilot episode.

History

Original programmes

Some of the programmes made for Galaxy included:

''Jupiter Moon''

Jupiter Moon was Galaxy's sci-fi soap opera, shown three times a week (on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 6.30pm), with an omnibus at weekends. 150 episodes were made, but only the first 108 were broadcast by Galaxy before it closed, while the last 42 episodes would air six years later on the

Sci Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

. The cast included Richard Derrington, Anna Chancellor, Alison Dowling,

Lucy Benjamin Lucy Benjamin (born Lucy Jane Baker; 25 June 1970) is an English actress. After appearing in various television series including '' Close to Home'' (1989–1990), ''Press Gang'' (1989–1993) and '' Jupiter Moon'' (1990, 1996), she was cast in ...

Fay Masterson Fay Masterson (born 15 April 1974) is an English actress and voice actress. She is best known for her roles as Head Girl in ''The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, Andrea Garnett in '' The Last Ship'' and Gail Jones in '' Fifty Shades Dar ...

, Richard Lintern and

Jason Durr Jason Durr (born 2 December 1967) is an English actor (although he also holds an Irish passport) of theatre, television and film. After trading at LAMDA he began his career with The Royal Shakespeare Company, later making his television debut a ...

. The entire series has been released on Region 1 DVD.

''Up Yer News''

This was Galaxy's topical satire show, which aired a 15-minute episode each weeknight. It featured Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci,

Stewart Lee Stewart Graham Lee (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian, screenwriter, and television director. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, deadpan delivery, and consistent breaking of the fourth wall. Lee b ...

Richard Herring Richard Keith Herring (born 12 July 1967) is an English stand-up comedian and writer, whose early work includes the comedy double act Lee and Herring (alongside Stewart Lee). He is described by ''The British Theatre Guide'' as "one of the lead ...

, Patrick Marber, Steve Coogan,

Rebecca Front Rebecca Louise Front (born 16 May 1964) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She won the 2010 BAFTA TV Award for Best Female Comedy Performance for '' The Thick of It'' (2009–2012).Jennifer Lipma"Bafta for Jewish actress Rebecca Front" ...

Doon Mackichan Sarah Doon Mackichan (; born August 1962) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She co-created, wrote and performed in the double Emmy award winning '' Smack the Pony''. She frequently collaborates with Armando Iannucci and Steve Coogan, h ...

, David Schneider, Jon Thomson,

Al Murray Alastair James Hay Murray (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor, musician and writer from Hammersmith. In 2003, he was listed in ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy, and in 2007 he was voted the 16th gre ...

, Julian Clary,

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...

David Baddiel David Lionel Baddiel (; born 28 May 1964) is an English comedian, presenter, screenwriter, and author. He is known for his work alongside Rob Newman in ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'' and his comedy partnership with Frank Skinner. He has als ...

, Rob Newman,

Steve Punt Stephen Mark Punt (born 15 September 1962)Mr Stephen Mark Punt
company-director-c ...

Hugh Dennis Peter Hugh Dennis (born 13 February 1962) is an English comedian, presenter, actor, writer, impressionist and voice-over artist who has appeared in the comedy double act Punt and Dennis with partner Steve Punt. He played Dr Piers Crispin in the ...

, Henry Normal, Fred Harris, Jo Brand,

Mark Heap Mark Heap (born 13 May 1957) is an English actor and comedian. He is known for his roles in television comedies, including, '' Brass Eye'', '' Big Train'', ''Spaced'', '' Jam'', ''Green Wing'', ''Friday Night Dinner'', '' Upstart Crow'' and '' ...

, and Alistair McGowan.

''The Happening''

A weekly 90-minute music and comedy show presented by Jools Holland.

''31 West''

Galaxy's showbiz magazine show broadcast each weeknight, 6.00–6.30pm, presented by Simon Potter, Debbie Flint and Shyama Perera and soap expert Chris Stacey. The show got its name from the placing of BSB's Marcopolo Satellite at 31 degrees west.

''The Last Laugh''

Stand-up comedy show. Comedians featured included

Ben Elton Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. He was a part of London's alternative comedy movement of the 1980s and became a writer on the sitcoms '' The Young Ones'' and ''Bla ...

Nick Revell Nick Revell is a British comedian and writer for radio and television. Born John Revell, he studied at Lincoln College, Oxford. Revell started performing stand-up in 1980 at Comedy Store, where he later became a regular MC, between 1982 and ...

Jack Dee James Andrew Innes Dee (born 24 September 1961), known professionally as Jack Dee, is an English stand-up comedian, actor, presenter and writer known for his sarcasm, irony and deadpan humour. He wrote and starred in the sitcom ''Lead Balloon'' ...

, Kevin Day, Simon Fanshawe, Punt and Dennis, Norman Lovett, Mark Steel and Mark Thomas.

''Corrigan & Womack''

This was a comedy series, starring Bernadine Corrigan and Steve Womack, where they would perform comedy sketches. This show was carried over to Sky One following Galaxy's closure.

''Doctor Who'' weekend

Galaxy broadcast early episodes of '' Doctor Who'' every week, and on the weekend of Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 September, the channel presented a complete weekend.
Saturday 22 September: 9.15am

An Unearthly Child ''An Unearthly Child'' (sometimes referred to as ''100,000 BC'') is the first serial of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC TV in four weekly parts from 23 November to 14 December 1963 ...

, 11.15am The Daleks (episodes 1–3), 12.35pm Doctor Who's Who's Who, 1.40pm The Daleks (episodes 4–7), 3.30pm The Edge of Destruction, 4.30pm The Yeti Rarities ( The Abominable Snowmen episode 2 and

The Web of Fear ''The Web of Fear'' is the partly missing fifth serial of the fifth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 3 February to 9 March 1968. The serial is set on the ...

episode 1), 6.00pm

The Space Museum ''The Space Museum'' is the seventh serial of the second season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Written by Glyn Jones and directed by Mervyn Pinfield, it was broadcast on BBC1 in four weekly parts from 24 A ...

, 8.00 The Keys of Marinus, 11.00pm The Aztecs, 1.00am Dr. Who and the Daleks (film).
Sunday 23 September: 9.15am

The War Games ''The War Games'' is the seventh and final serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in ten weekly parts from 19 April to 21 June 1969. In the serial, an unnamed alien r ...

(episodes 1–5), 11.30am

Whose Doctor Who "Whose Doctor Who" (a.k.a. 'Whose Dr. Who') is a 60-minute television documentary, (part of the BBC's ''The Lively Arts'' series) which was first transmitted on Sunday, 3 April 1977, on BBC Two, BBC 2. It was produced and directed by Tony Cash; ...

, 12.45pm

(episodes 6–10), 3.00pm The Dominators, 5.45pm The Mind Robber, 8.00pm The Three Doctors, 10.00pm Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (film), 11.30pm The Yeti Rarities ( The Abominable Snowmen episode 2 and

episode 1), 12.30am The Edge of Destruction.
Between the stories, there were also many editions of BSB's own programme, 31 Who, presented by Debbie Flint, Shyama Perera and

John Nathan-Turner John Nathan-Turner (''né'' Turner; 12 August 1947 – 1 May 2002) was an English television producer. He was the ninth producer of the long-running BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. He was also the final producer of the series' firs ...

, and featuring interviews with

Sylvester McCoy Percy James Patrick Kent-Smith (born 20 August 1943), known professionally as Sylvester McCoy, is a Scottish actor. Gaining prominence as a physical comedian, he became best known for playing the seventh incarnation of the Doctor in the lon ...

Carole Ann Ford Carole Ann Lillian Ford ( Higgins; born 16 June 1940) is a British actress best known for her roles as Susan Foreman in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and as Bettina in the 1962 film adaptation of '' The Day of the ...

Elisabeth Sladen Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen (1 February 1946 – 19 April 2011) was an English actress. She became best known as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series ''Doctor Who'', appearing as a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside ...

Peter Purves Peter John Purves (; born 10 February 1939) is an English television presenter and actor. He played Steven Taylor in ''Doctor Who'' under the First Doctor, a role he continued to play in audio dramas for Big Finish Productions. He later became ...

Wendy Padbury Wendy Padbury (born 7 December 1947) is a British actress and former talent agent. She has appeared in television series since 1966, including as Zoe Heriot, a companion to Patrick Troughton's Doctor in ''Doctor Who'', from 1968 to 1969. Earl ...

Terrance Dicks Terrance William Dicks (14 April 1935 – 29 August 2019) was an English author and television screenwriter, script editor and producer. In television, he had a long association with the BBC science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', working a ...

, Bob Baker & Dave Martin,

Nicholas Courtney William Nicholas Stone Courtney (16 December 1929 – 22 February 2011) was an Egyptian-born British actor. He was known for his long-running role as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Ea ...

, William Russell, Jon Pertwee,

Frazer Hines Frazer Simpson Frederick Hines (born 22 September 1944) is an English actor. He began his career as a child actor and appeared in ''A King in New York'' (1957) with Charlie Chaplin. He later played Jamie McCrimmon in ''Doctor Who'', appearing i ...

Deborah Watling Deborah Patricia Watling (2 January 1948 – 21 July 2017) was an English actress who played the role of Victoria Waterfield, a companion of the Second Doctor in the BBC television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1967 to 1968. She began her career a ...

and many more.

BBC programmes

The archive BBC programmes on Galaxy were: * '' Doctor Who'' (occasional airings outside of the Galaxy Club strand) * '' Secret Army'' * ''

The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television com ...

'' * ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black and w ...

'' * ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...

'' * '' Porridge'' * '' Till Death Us Do Part'' * ''

Are You Being Served? ''Are You Being Served?'' is a British sitcom created and written by executive producer David Croft (Croft also directed some episodes) and Jeremy Lloyd, with contributions from Michael Knowles and John Chapman, for the BBC. Set in London ...

'' * '' The Young Ones'' * '' Target''

American imports

The American programmes on Galaxy were: * '' The Facts of Life'' * ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984 to May 31, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan municipal court presided over by a young, unorthodox judge, Harold "Harry" T. Stone (portray ...

'' * '' The Outer Limits'' * ''

China Beach ''China Beach'' is an American war film, war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by Amer ...

'' * '' Murphy Brown'' * '' Doctor Doctor'' * '' Designing Women'' * ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' * ''

Parker Lewis Can't Lose ''Parker Lewis Can't Lose'' is an American teen sitcom that originally aired on Fox from September 1990 to June 1993. It was produced by Clyde Phillips Productions in association with Columbia Pictures Television. During the last season, the s ...

'' * ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, ...

'' * ''

The Bold and the Beautiful ''The Bold and the Beautiful'' (often referred to as ''B&B'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. It premiered on March 23, 1987, as a sister show to the Bells' other soap opera ''The Yo ...

'' * ''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'' * '' Naked City'' * '' Mike Hammer'' * '' Police Story'' * '' Baby Boom''

Galaxy Club

The station also broadcast children's programmes under the 'Galaxy Club' strand, which featured original programming, mixed with imported cartoons and series.

Logo

The Galaxy logo, along with all the BSB logos, has been critically acclaimed. On the

TV Ark TVARK is an online archival website of images, sound and video clips illustrating British television presentation history. Content includes idents, programme promotions, title sequences, public information films, commercials, daily start-ups ...

website, an archive of British television presentation history, Hayden Walker writes: ''There is no doubt the BSB identity was a serious coherent design. The project of work stretched back over a year and included product designers, model makers, composers and other specialists. The BSB identities emerged with startling clarity, with an upmarket pitch. Stylish and distinctive both on screen and in print,

Lambie-Nairn Superunion is a global brand and design consultancy, headquartered in London. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WPP. Superunion was formed after five agencies merged in January 2018, and employs 500 people across 16 offices.

designed identities which told stories.'' And of the Galaxy logo in particular: ''The ident had a lovely warmth to it, with animated swirls of colours and stars.''

Galaxy archives

Apart from ''

Jupiter Moon ''Jupiter Moon'' is a science fiction soap opera television series first broadcast by British Satellite Broadcasting's Galaxy channel in 1990. 150 episodes were commissioned and made, but only the first 108 were broadcast before the closure of ...

'' and many of Galaxy's imported programming, the vast majority of the original programming made for broadcast by Galaxy, such as ''Up Yer News'' and ''The Happening'', is now missing. Most was made by various independent production companies, including

Noel Gay Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places * Noel, Missouri, United States, a city * Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, Briti ...

Television, with both the broadcaster and production company deleting their master copies – each thinking the other will have kept theirs.

Closure

Following the merger of BSB and Sky, the decision was taken to hand over Galaxy's transponder to Sky One, who took only a few programmes from Galaxy and incorporated them into its channels line up. Galaxy closed down for the last time at 1.00am on 2 December 1990, ending with a clean playout of the main ident, which quickly zoomed out of vision before fading to the station's test card.

References

External links

Galaxy at TVARK
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galaxy (Television) Sky television channels Defunct British television channels Television channels and stations established in 1990 Television channels and stations disestablished in 1990 1990 in the United Kingdom 1990 in British television 1990s in the United Kingdom 1990s in British television History of television in the United Kingdom

History

Original programmes

''Jupiter Moon''

''Up Yer News''

''The Happening''

''31 West''

''The Last Laugh''

''Corrigan & Womack''

''Doctor Who'' weekend

BBC programmes

American imports

Galaxy Club

Logo

Galaxy archives

Closure

See also

References

External links