Interview with Tom Brisley, Arrow Media

20 February 2014

The following feature is available free for reproduction in full or in part.

For the brains behind Channel 4’s epic space season, Tom Brisley, the opportunity to share with the nation breathtaking and unique, live TV footage as the International Space Station (ISS) orbits around the world will, undoubtedly, push new boundaries.

And nobody is more excited than Tom himself who has spent the last 20 months developing, negotiating and preparing for the special series of TV programmes, including a live show, which will enable millions to watch the ISS complete one full orbit of Earth in 90 minutes.

“I had been thinking about what a fantastic area space would be to explore for a while,” explains Tom as he sets out how the idea for the TV specials came to fruition. “Space has come back into vogue and I felt it would be amazing to be able to tell the story to a new generation. My ‘Eureka’ moment, as such, came when it struck me that the ISS makes 16 orbits around the world every day, which means one orbit every 90 minutes. To take millions around the world in 90 minutes seemed like the perfect backdrop for a big, live television event.

“I then went to see Channel 4 and we agreed to develop it from there.”

The first obstacle to overcome, adds Tom, was to gain the approval and support from NASA.

“I plucked up the courage to phone and tell them I had this crazy idea,” he says, laughing as he does. “They told me to send it over and after further discussions, they warmed to the idea. We then went to talk to the astronauts who were going to be up in the space station. They felt it would be great to show people what life on the space station is really like.

“That was a year and a half ago and now as we put the programmes together, it is such a privilege to be involved in one of the most scientific stories of the moment. The more you dig into it, the more special it becomes and I can’t thank NASA enough for their brilliant support.” Tom, joint creative director and co-founder of Arrow Media, and his team of 50 have been working around the clock ahead of the space season, which will take an in-depth look at what it is actually like to be an astronaut. The three astronauts currently in space, Rick Mastracchio, Koichi Wakata and Mike Hopkins have been regularly filming footage from the space station for Tom’s team to use as part of the TV mini-series. Professor Stephen Hawking will also be on hand to give his verdict on how he views the future of our solar system. “The more I work on this project, the more fascinating it gets,” admits Tom, whose recent TV credits also include Terror in the Skies, Hairy Bikers’ Restoration Road Trip, Miracle on the Hudson and Concorde’s Last Flight.

“The collaboration between the global super powers for the good of mankind is really fascinating and I will be so pleased if viewers do learn more about the space station, what is happening up above us and the amazing visuals that micro gravity gives us.

“Hopefully people will learn so many new, interesting facts. I know I have. Even little things like what happens to the waste up there. They load it into supply rockets that are then released and burn up and disintegrate on the way back to Earth! And what is also fascinating is the space station slowly falls in micro gravity and so it has to be regularly boosted back – these are just some of the nuggets viewers will find out about.”

“For me, it is mesmerising to see the images of living in space that are being shot by the astronauts.”

“The biggest logistical nightmare of putting together a programme like this was always going to be the fact that communication with the ISS isn’t straightforward. We have been relying on the astronaut’s ability to film within their own tough work time line. But they have done a remarkable job and they have been really good at capturing what everyday life is like up there from the moment they unzip their sleeping bag to the moment they go to bed.

“What we take as routine on Earth can be complicated in space. Simple things like how to wash, eat and go to the toilet, take on a whole new complexity.

But microgravity makes things endlessly fascinating to watch. Take, for instance, brushing your teeth. We have footage of Koichi as he puts toothpaste on his toothbrush. He then turns to stow his toothpaste and leaves his toothbrush floating in the air. It’s just hanging there! It's totally mesmerising. It’s so alien to life on Earth.” He pauses and then reflecting on Stephen Hawking’s views, Tom continues: “Within the next 100 years, humans might not be here and so you do have to explore life away from Earth. That is what the space station is doing. It is pioneering techniques that may one day allow us have a base on Mars. It boils down to the survival of humankind. Again, we explore this and many more areas.”

Tom is extremely pleased to have Dermot O’Leary on board as the live presenter. “He will see space as viewers do,” he adds. “He will ask the questions every person wants to ask. He will bring it alive and make it relevant to our lives today.”

Definitely not daunted by what lies ahead as Channel 4 cameras beam pictures down from space, Tom admits his dream would be to turn this season into an annual event.

“I would love to be able to bring this back as an annual programme,” he confides. “British Astronaut Tim Peake will be going up next year and it would be great to do something with him. Hopefully these programmes will whet people’s appetites.”

As for whether Tom would like to go up to space himself and the answer is a resounding yes. “Having seen the footage from the astronauts living in micro gravity, I would love to have the opportunity to experience that,” he explains. “When you look back down to Earth, it must change you. To see the Earth as one complete living entity – well you can’t fail to be affected by that…”

 

ENDS

CREDIT: “Live from Space season airs on Channel 4 in March 2014”