Sky One axed: Nostalgic viewers share memories of channel from past 40 years

‘Well, there goes my youth,’ tweeted one fan

Sky is retiring its flagship channel Sky One after nearly four decades and launching Sky Showcase in its place.

The long-running channel, which was launched in 1982, has been home to many fan-favourites over the years, from new episodes of The Simpsons to the Friends reunion special.

On 1 September, Sky Showcase will take over and feature a selection of content from across Sky’s portfolio, including Sky Nature, Sky Crime, Sky Arts and Sky Documentaries.

Viewers who have watched Sky over the past 40 years were heartbroken at the news, and many took to Twitter to share their memories of the channel.

“Well, there goes my youth,” tweeted one fan.

Another added: “This makes me feel rather melancholy. The Sky One logo throws me straight back to being a teen and our first Squarial before we got the dish. Granted it was just Diff’rent Strokes and Facts of Life, but when they got X-Files, 90210 and Melrose Place, life changed for me!!”

Speaking about the changes, Sky’s director of program strategy, Jamie Morris, told Variety: “We’d like to think of it as a bit of a time for a reset. It’s been really successful year [for Sky One], so the content is stronger than ever. We just want to make our portfolio offering as clear as possible to customers.”

Other changes planned by the broadcaster include the launch of an entirely new channel, Sky Max, which the network says will be the home of “blockbuster entertainment”.