Biography
With brollies at the ready, we plunge into the history of the BBC weather forecast.
The Basics
Our obsession with the weather has been taken for granted ever since Dr Johnson remarked in the 18th century that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather. We take care to note what the forecast will be for the next day, whether or not it will have the slightest effect on what we have to do.
The BBC Weather Forecast
Weather forecasting on the BBC has always been a joint venture with the Meteorological Office, originally founded in 1854 to provide maritime forecasts for shipping. The Met Office began supplying weather forecasts to the press in 1879, from which point it was assumed that the general public at large – and not just mariners – may well take an interest in what conditions they could expect the following day.
