[Neil Jones]

It closed this morning. There was no fanfare, the channel was removed from the EPG and then switched off moments later.

Isn’t it unusual for a channel to switch off after removal? Normally we see a black screen or in some cases a closure slide.

No. When ABC1 closed down in September 2007 it did this:
www.youtube.com 

It closed at 12pm, and you can see that when a channel closes on Sky, the box dumps you back on Channel 998. From the search and scan banner All traces of ABC1 on Sky were gone in just 13 minutes.

Like I say - no fanfare, no emotion, no "poor us", just air your ident and off you pop.