Moore: BBC 'run by women'

British TV standards are deteriorating because the BBC is "run by women", according to astronomer Sir Patrick Moore.

In an interview with Radio Times he described female newsreaders as "jokey," and called for separate channels to cater for the needs of the different sexes.

The Sky at Night presenter said: "The trouble is the BBC now is run by women and it shows soap operas, cooking, quizzes, kitchen-sink plays. You wouldn't have had that in the golden days.

"I used to watch Doctor Who and Star Trek, but they went PC - making women commanders, that kind of thing. I stopped watching."

Moore added that interesting programmes were screened too late at night, and said he would "rather be dead in a ditch" than appear on Celebrity Big Brother.

The BBC has responded by calling Sir Patrick one of "TV's best-loved figures" and said his "forthright" views were "what we all love about him".