that's the weather, for now

Weather Show - September 2011

The latest edition of the Weather Show is due on this coming weekend.

According to the BBC programme page:

At the top of the BT tower, the team see how the weather affects high-tech communications. In the name of research Carol flies high in a cloud, and Peter Gibbs flies low over water. Plus a look at viewers' pictures, and questions answered.

It'll be broadcast on the BBC News Channel on Saturday 3rd September at 04:30 and 22:30, then again on Sunday 4th September at 01:30, 05:30 and 22:30.

15th July

Weekend Weather
No Powder Watch forecast for us this week, unfortunately - but we do get a brilliant Weekend Weather forecast instead:

Some showers:
Not a plan-spoiler by any means.

Whatever you're going to be doing, maybe taking the kids away for the holiday break, you've got some great-looking weather.

Don't be surprised as well, Saturday morning, you might be out there with the scraper [scraping gesture] on the car.

If you're going to maybe take the family out to the park for the day, always the details on the website, any time you need them. That's the weather, for now.

Am swooning over the return of 'that's the weather, for now', (in fact, I actually cheered) although no point-and-nod... yet.

The video is embedded below. UPDATE: March 2012 - The video is no longer available; MetService recently deleted all their old video forecasts from their YouTube account.

Twitter
Also, there's finally been a tweet from ^DC on the @MetService Twitter account.

Great British Weather
In off-topic news, this week's Great British Weather show on BBC1 was a huge disappointment, so much so that I might not even bother to watch next week. I realise that not everybody has GCSE or O Level geography, but this was dumbed down in the extreme. Perhaps if they'd had better presenters...

Great British Weather

While we wait (some of us more patiently than others) for news of Dan, more details have been announced about the forthcoming BBC One programme on the weather (formerly known as 'Weather Show Live'). From Mr. Schafernaker's website:

Great British Weather
The on-screen team for The Great British Weather, a new and live 4 x 60 [minutes?] series for BBC One has been announced.

The programme is to be presented by Alexander Armstrong (Have I got News for You, Armstrong and Miller), Carol Kirkwood (BBC Weather) and Chris Hollins (BBC Breakfast, Watchdog) alongside veteran weather presenters John Kettley, Michael Fish MBE and Bill Giles OBE and meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker.

The Great British Weather is an interactive live series set to tap in to the nation's obsession with weather, as we find out which clouds mean we should dig out our brollies and where to head for the most sunshine in Britain. It also helps to answer our annoying weather questions, does it really rain cats and dogs – or does it actually rain frogs? Does red sky at night really mean shepherd’s delight? Why are there so many types of clouds and why are they so different?

We will see Chris Hollins get up close and personal with the Basking Shark in Cornwall, all in aid of discovering why this enormous creature is attracted to the Gulf Stream.

Carol Kirkwood will also report on the weather, not from the safety of a BBC Studio - but from 15,000 feet in the air as she paraglides into the heart of an enormous Cumulus cloud. How vast is it? How much does it weigh? What does it taste like? Carol gets her head in the clouds to find out.

Specialist Meteorological Reporter and 2010 winner of the TRIC award for “Best Weather Presenter”, Tomasz Schafernaker will also join the The Great British Weather team across the country as they visit Cornwall, the Lake District and Greenwich (London) on its tour with a live and local audience at each destination.

No news of a broadcast date though.

Goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway); this programme would obviously be much better if Dan was on it. Gah! [forlorn sigh]

UPDATE 20/6/11:
Someone on Twitter asked El Schaf when the first episode airs. He replied 'first one is July 13 or 14....I think.'

Knut

It's sad to hear of the death of Knut, the polar bear who inspired this classic:

In other off-topic news, John Prescott read the Shipping Forecast last night (well, part of it) for Comic Relief.

Children in Need

Unfortunately, I shall be filing this under 'off-topic', as this year's weather-related Children in Need eBay auction item (singular) is only barely relevant to our interests:

eBay: BBC Weather Experience

The BBC Weather team have kindly offered the opportunity to present the weather and meet some of the team. If you’ve always wanted to be a weather reporter, then this is perfect opportunity for you.

The winner, and one companion, of this package will experience:

• A tour of the BBC Weather Centre at Television Centre
• Meet weather presenter Carol Kirkwood and get an understanding of how the weather reports are made
• Present a weather forecast (off air) in the BBC Weather Studio and take the recording home on DVD.

This is a fantastic experience for anyone who is keen to get into weather presenting or learn about how our presenters predict weather patterns.

Wonder why they've just restricted it to Carol this year. Pure speculation, but perhaps it's got something to do with the fact that, unlike Dan and the rest of The Others, she's not a Met Office employee.

However, this restriction may be a blessing in disguise; as I have previously stated here, who the hell wants to make a fool of themselves presenting the weather in front of Dan?! I'm fairly sure I'd be unable to form a coherent sentence if I was in the same room as him, let alone present a forecast.

No sign of the usual bandana, but I note that it made a late appearance last year.

UPDATE:
The weather experience went for £960.

Mini Dan's weather station

Yay! It's been a while since my first mention of young Dan here, but it's good to hear that he is still interested in the weather - and now has his own weather station:

Now THIS is what we need to see on the Weather Show!

weather stuff

While we eagerly await the return of Dan, you may be interested in a couple of off-topic weather-related bits I stumbled across this weekend.

Firstly, on the BBC News site, there's a short video report about the Shipping Forecast:

The Shipping Forecast has been running on BBC Radio since the 1920s - and while its purpose is to tell mariners the sea conditions, the forecast also has an enduring appeal to land-locked listeners.
Nick Higham finds out why the Shipping Forecast is such an important part of the British consciousness - helped by Met Office forecaster Steve Randall, Devon fisherman Geoff Ingram and Radio 4 announcer Carolyn Brown.

Secondly, it seems there are more changes afoot for the BBC Weather website.

We have made it easier to "Find a Forecast" when you arrive and easier to scan the 24-hour and five-day forecasts to see the weather trend over the coming hours or days.
Everything you found on the site before, you'll still find there now - it'll just be easier to get to the forecast information you need.

Reading the comments, it seems ironic that many people prefer the old weather website.
And I didn't write comment #13, honest!

Dan Corbett links #19

We haven't seen Dan for a few days, so let's see what's been said about him on the interwebs lately.

Facebook
Starting off on a familiar note; not one, not two, but THREE new Dan-related Facebook groups...

Dan Corbett the Weather Man

Dan is the most entertaining weather man ever!!

Daniel Corbett for Prime Minister
Here's a selection of quotes from the group's founder:

Well into autumn now, not a good looking weekend coming along, one of those where you look out the window on Saturday morning with a king-sized hangover and say 'Oh Christ', time to dig out the doggies' coats perhaps, put some oil on the cat flap, watch out for those spiky chestnut pods falling on your bonce - oooch! - don't go for the lemonade and Auntie Edna's walnut cake in the park for lunch, not cold enough for the old long johns yet at least so let's be thankful for small mercies - that's the weather - for now

Dan's Manifesto to be published soon! Not seen it but I have it on good authority that highlights will include pledges to cut capital transfer tax on beach huts, higher thresholds on parasol import duties AND - best of all perhaps - the proposed abolition of all work on Friday afternoons and Monday mornings from May to September for those agreeing to perform a twice-weekly sun dance to make it worthwhile.

Get the brollies down from the loft for the weekend, barbecues dusted off, there's a low that's a bit of a troublemaker coming in from the Azores, something of a picnic spoiler, have the factor fifteen at the ready ... that's your weather - for now

Cough.
Well, I'd vote for him.

Daniel Corbett Appreciation Society

A group for the true followers of BBC Weather Presenter Dan Corbett.
His down to earth, amusing, descriptive anecdotes and colourful metaphors create happiness right the way up the country.

And back down again. Hooray!

Not only have I lost count of the number of Dan-related Facebook groups, but I have also lost count of how many are named 'Daniel Corbett Appreciation Society'.

BBC Points of View Message Board
Who is your favourite BBC weather person?
Message #1:

Mine has to be Daniel Corbett. He is always so enthusiastic and cheery.

From such a promising start things rapidly descend into the usual message board nonsense; a mix of Dan-bashing (consider yourself duly warned) and amusing replies. For example, message #8:

I love Daniel Corbett. I call him 'The Bot' because he always closes like a robot with that outstretched arm of his.

The Bot!? o.O
Daniel Corbot...?

And though this isn't really the place to pass comment on The Others;
#9: Neutral? The Schaf?? Pfft!
#10: Nice to see a bit of Des appreciation.
#26: 'John McElwee'?! Who Hell He?
#29: Poula Fisch - scorchio!

'Diddy' Daniel Corbett!!
Yes, a thread devoted entirely to Dan! But beware, there are a few anti-Dan comments - and the c-word raises its ugly head again. Message #1:

He's back!! Our favourite camp weatherman was back on our screens tonight. An exquisite hand ballet and the synopsis is showers tomorrow and fine for the rest of the week. Good to see you back Danny.

You can see me rolling my eyes, can't you?
This is yet another thread that rapidly descends into nonsense. I'm still trying to decide whether the reference to 'Thomas Shaveanacker' in message #28 is deliberate or an unfortunate spelling error.

News/weather forecasts
This thread starts off with a complaint about Dan.
A complaint?! Outrageous. Best avert your eyes and skip straight to message #3:

Dan Corbett is actually one of the best weather men to appear on the BBC for the last 20 years, I wish the Beeb would dispense with their other weather presenters and stick solely with Mr Corbett. I also think he could branch out into presenting shows such as Escape To The Country & Cooking In The Sun.

In this day and age you'd think the BBC would've come up with a way to have Dan present every forecast, using CGI or somesuch.
And, as much as I look forward to Dan's occasional appearance on The Weather Show, I'm not entirely convinced about him presenting other programmes. However...

DigitalSpy
Campaign - Dan Corbett for New Blockbusters Host!

If they ever bring back Blockbusters I vote for Dan Corbett to switch from weather presenting to becoming host. Anyone agree?
"That's a nice little P there, just look at the little fellow, nestling rather like a cuckoo in a nest, just waiting for the early morning dew of Spring... Ah, fingers on the buzzers for this question..."

Waxing Void
Dan Corbett - Weather presenter, Grandma obsessive

For a year or so I have always listened carefully to Dan Corbett's weather reports, not particularly for the weather, but for further evidence of a particular presenting tic he seems to have developed, which gives me a Stephen King style glimpse of his soul.

The fact is, he keeps mentioning "Granny".

For example "It's going to be cloudless and cold tonight, resulting in a little ground frost, so if you're popping over to Granny's house remember to take care".

He just said something similar a minute ago, prompting this post, but I was so busy laughing I didn't catch quite how Grandma was referenced.

I mention Stephen King, because he always seems to paint familiar matriarchs with a degree of reverence and spookiness, has Old Mother Corbett some mystical grasp over young Danny? Does she know he drives a 57 Plymouth Fury in Red? Is her care home built on an old Indian Burial Ground... possibly in Bolton?

Anyhow, I think I shall be noting these Granny references in more detail. It's just odd.

Odd? Charming, more like.
Always makes me think of Little Red Riding Hood.

I Don't Know Do I?
Mr Corbett

What's that, who's my favourite weather presenter? Good question, thanks for asking me. I thought I'd left all that "pretending to like weather presenter" stuff behind me at university and maybe I have for here's a specimen I genuinely admire. First brought to my attention when I went round to my friends house but then reaffirmed by my father, it proves this chap really does appeal to a wide demographic. His name is Daniel Corbett (or 'Dan' to his colleagues) and he's a cut above the rest. His arm movements are generally more animated than your average presenter but graceful with it, no one wants Kris Akabusi telling them it's going to rain tomorrow do they?

He gives you something deliciously different every time, until he signs off that is, then he's consistently resolute as a Beefeater during Lent. Daniel will always say "That's the weather (points at camera) for now."

Daily Mail
Quentin Letts: 50 people who have wrecked Britain
In at 28; Helen Willets. Yeah, WTF?!

It is naive to believe that weather forecasters are there simply to predict the following day's climatic conditions in as quick and clear a way as possible. Forecasters have become some of the most familiar faces and voices in national life. They have become celebrities and entertainers, but most of all symbols of what society - or its string pullers in the metropolis - accepts as the ruling average. Culturally, this makes them powerful.

However, where we once had Fish, Kettley and stick-on cloud symbols, the BBC has now inserted a cadre of pushy modernisers - many of them northern-accented show-offs who speak to the viewers as though they were sub-teen morons.

Ey, there's nowt wrong wi' a northern accent.

Mr. Letts then proceeds to bash most of the BBC Weather Team. Dan is not exempt. You may wish to avert your eyes again:

There's wide-eyed, camp-as-a-daisy Daniel Corbett, clapping his hands together with cruise-ship entertainer relish at the prospect of an incoming front of high pressure.

Ugh. Daily Fail indeed.

Anyhow, speaking of stick-on cloud symbols...

Merchandise
Off-topic, but relevant to your interests: Retro weather fridge magnets and weather symbol t-shirts!

Here's some video, in case you're too young to remember such things on the BBC.

Teaching Expertise
Primary Assembly: Weather Forecasting
Yet again, Dan's name is mentioned in conjunction with teaching. Really, what's going on there? I'm beginning to suspect all teachers are obsessed with Dan.

This primary assembly looks at the work of the meteorological office and the people who are involved with forecasting the weather as part of their career.

In Britain, debating the weather is a national pastime. At this time of the year we’re all pondering the important question – is it going to be a hot summer?

One of the most popular weathermen is Dan Corbett. He’s a hit on YouTube for his flamboyant and exciting style of speaking. He even has several fanblog sites! Dan is the man who has described bad weather as being 'like cold treacle running down fudge pie' or 'like a two-legged octopus'. I’d like to see one of those!

Why does he find the weather so fascinating?
‘I loved the weather and wanted to learn more about it, especially having grown up in the U.S. with its big snowstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes... Every day is different.’

There's even a suggestion that a clip of Dan could be shown to the pupils;

Go to YouTube and search 'Dan Corbett' and 'treacle'.

It needs to be done.

Alistair McGowan
According to Alan Cooper, writing in Portsmouth Today, Alistair McGowan had everyone in stitches during his recent appearance at the Kings Theatre, Southsea.

My particular favourites were Jools Holland and BBC weatherman Daniel Corbett.

Dare we take this to mean Alistair's impression of Dan has improved since May? Let's hope so.

Twitter
Apologies for the intermittent Twitter coverage on the blog. I keep forgetting to add relevant tweets here. However, you can see what people have been saying about Dan by looking at the ttwfn favourites or, if you've got a Twitter account, follow me.

news

As you might have read in the comments, Weatherwatcher posted a link to a BBC Weather page about the next edition of The Weather Show - with (wait for it...) the promise of Dan-content. Yay!

Peter Gibbs will look at the history of weather modification while Dan Corbett will go behind some of the recent meteorological news from around the globe.

The programme will be broadcast over the weekend of the 24th and 25th October, times yet to be confirmed.

In other news (off-topic, but perhaps relevant to your interests), there is now a Tomasz Schafernaker fan blog; The Schaf.

And, if you haven't seen Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs yet, I can highly recommend seeing it in 3D. I mean, come on - weather PLUS comedy, it's a killer combination.

5th September

16:56 BBC News
You're probably thinking of going out-and-about, maybe a trip to the park or something; for a lot of us it's fine. There's the wet weather, easing into Wales, south-west England, problem is [?] the early part of the afternoon if you're planning that trip to the park, out-and-about early on.

17:27 BBC News
It's not going to be clear skies for the night [looks up] ... it might not be the best night for the telescope [looks up again].

Sunday:
Isn't a bad-looking start, maybe you're thinking, 'well, we could be out early, or perhaps for the day, or perhaps heading out somewhere'.

Looking at the cloud it looks like bits of Swiss cheese.

UPDATE:
Blimey, it's on YouTube already

UPDATE 26/5/12:
It seems this video has been deleted.

BBC Radio 4
Kind of off-topic, but relevant to your interests, I tuned in early to Radio 4 for the forecast just before 6pm (no Dan-isms of note, BTW). It was iPM (yeah, Eddie Mair again); a listener had written in to say she often finds her attention drifting away during the weather forecast. To discover whether she was alone in this, last Friday iPM asked its listeners to pay close attention to the weather forecast. Apparently, 60% of people said they didn't remember the weather despite listening closely.
There were some interesting insights from various experts as to why this might be, and a semi-poetic rant about forecasters telling people what to wear/do/feel etc. that set my eyes rolling.

Listen to the full piece on the iPlayer, it's about 16 minutes in. Plus, as a bonus, Dan's forecast is at the very end (27m in). The programme description says it's available until 1st January 2099, so you can listen at your leisure.

UPDATE 16th September:
A couple of possible solutions to this problem have been posted on the PM blog (don't read the comments, though).

The Weather Show

The Weather Show is on again this weekend.
The programme details are on the BBC Weather site, but there's no mention of Dan.

Catch it on the News Channel on Saturday 30th May at 01:30, 04:30 and 22:30; Sunday 31st May at 01:30, 15:30 and 22:30 - or on the iPlayer.

Update: I watched it; no Dan.

BBC Four Weather series

Here's the trailer for the BBC Four series; The Weather - A Very British Obsession:

BTW - I've seen a slightly different version of this trailer which ends with 'that's it from me, for now'.

The programmes are spread over three weeks, with documentaries on rain, snow and wind.

Rain
BBC Four, Monday 13th April, 9pm.

Documentary series about the weather looks at rain. It's an essential part of being British, giving us the English lawn, the sliding tackle and endless grounds for complaint, but what do we really know about rain?

The programme uncovers the true shape of a raindrop, shows how and why rain falls and tells remarkable stories of how we have adapted or succumbed to this elemental force of nature, such as James Glaisher's seven-mile hot air balloon ascent in 1862 and how Charles Macintosh invented the waterproof coat.

The Victorians believed that they could master the rain and push it aside, but today climate change threatens us with rain that is wilder and more unpredictable than ever.

Watch 'Rain' on the BBC iPlayer, available until 4th May.

Snow
BBC Four, Monday 20th April, 9pm.

Documentary series about the weather looks at snow, that most fleeting and beautiful of elements which endlessly fascinates us. Using rare footage we journey into the microscopically small world of the snow crystal, finding out how a snowflake forms and why it is always six-sided. The science of snow tests British Rail's claim that the snow that crippled their rolling stock in 1991 really was the 'wrong type of snow', and explains how a British company is the world's biggest producer of snow.

Watch 'Snow' on the BBC iPlayer, available until 4th May.

Winds
BBC Four, Monday 27th April, 9pm.

Documentary series about the weather looks at wind, caused by the interaction of temperature, pressure and the earth's rotation which took scientists over a thousand years to fully explain. We witness some remarkable wind-related stories, such as the tornado that flung Dorothy Allwright and her caravan into the air and how Scottish engineer James Blyth invented the first electricity-producing wind turbine in 1887.

Watch 'Winds' on the BBC iPlayer, available until 4th May.

UPDATE 26th April
Just noticed this on the Radio Times website:

Cloudspotting
Sunday 03 May, 9:30pm - 11:00pm, BBC4
Documentary bringing to life Gavin Pretor-Pinney's bestseller The Cloudspotter's Guide, which draws on science, meteorology and mythology for a magical trip through the world of clouds. From the ethereal cirrus to the scary cumulonimbus, it tells the story of the short but eventful life of clouds and their importance to our planet. We find out how huge quantities of water can stay in the sky for so long, how lightning and thunder are created and the possible existence of a new type of cloud.

Watch 'Cloudspotting' on the BBC iPlayer, available until 10th May.

If you haven't got access to the iPlayer, it looks like they're showing the Rain / Snow / Winds series on BBC Two, starting with 'Rain' on Wednesday 29th April at 9pm.

The Weather

Caught a couple of weather-related (yet sadly Dan-free) clips on BBC News this week that readers might find interesting.

First up; Newswatch, where people have been complaining about the weather.
Nothing new there then.
In response, Newswatch asked Phil Avery to answer some viewers' questions.
I've transcribed some of the interesting bits assuming that the video on the Newswatch website will only be there for the next week. The weathery bit starts just before 7 minutes in and there's a little tour of the weather cupboard before the grilling begins.

Newswatch: Yesterday you changed the weather forecast 3 times and you still got it wrong.

Phil: We're aiming for an overall accuracy of 85% and, as far as I know, we've made those targets not only this year but in past years as well. The perception of accuracy is another matter far removed from those statistics. If, for example, that I say it was going to be essentially a dry across much of Wales but the two showers of the day happen to fall on the good people of Cardiff just as they were going home, then the perception would be that my forecast was rubbish.

What happened to 'don't shoot the messenger'?

Next, a moan about the graphics leading to over-simplification:

Phil: What we've tried to do in recent years is to tailor our bulletins to specific audiences. Now, from audience research I know full well that if I use a pressure chart in a particular bulletin at a particular time of day I won't get the message across simply because that particular audience at that particular time will have no idea what that chart represents.
Newswatch: But that's your job, isn't it? To interpret it for the great unwashed like us.

Unwashed? Speak for yourself, luv.

Phil: Absolutely, and I would love to do so. I'd love to be able to educate the audience into the beauty that is British weather. Having said that, I am constrained by time.

My moan about the graphics would not be lack of detail, it would be too much; tedious tours, I'm looking at YOU.

Ey up, here's one:

Newswatch: Can we just mention the language that some forecasters use ... please could we end the trend for weather reports that describe rain as disappointing and wail about very strong winds. We don't all live in a TV studio seven days a week.

Erm, is there anyone who does? (Tim Willcox excepting)

Phil: I have to say that if my colleagues do stray down that route of saying rain is always disappointing, then they are on very very shaky ground. It's not something that we encourage and if you do stray into that particular territory you are obviously going to alienate somebody straight away.

But, let's face it, MOST people don't like getting wet or blown about by the wind.

My eyes are getting sore from all that rolling. Let's move on.

Next up; Your News.
It came from Basingstoke this week, where this gem fell from the lips of one inhabitant;

I only like to watch the weather, so then I find out what to wear that day, coats and things like that.

You see, Dan is ALWAYS right. He's done his research, he knows what we really want to hear.

Watch the clip on the iPlayer, 11m 50s in, available for the next seven days.

forecast forecast / news

Over on the Yahoo! group, Angela says there's no mention of Dan (again) in next week's Radio Times.

A couple of off-topic news items; it seems the BBC Weather site is to receive a make-over soon - and the next edition of The Weather Show is to be broadcast on BBC News (the weekend of 18th and 19th October):

We want to hear all your thoughts and views on the weather, and any videos of strange weather you may happen to have. And if there is anything you have ever wanted to know but were afraid to ask (about the weather clearly) [sic] send your questions to weathershow@bbc.co.uk and we will put them to two of the smartest men in the BBC Weather Centre.

That's Phil Avery and Rob McElwee, apparently.

forecast forecast

So, there's still no sign of Dan in next week's Radio Times - BUT my eye was caught by the word 'weather' in the description of this Saturday's Weakest Link:

Anne Robinson presents a special edition of the quick-fire general knowledge quiz in which nine news and weather presenters compete to win prize money for charity.
Contestants include Martin Bell, Lara Lewington, John Suchet, Martha Kearney and John Kettley.

Not even Professor Google knew the identity of the other five contestants, so it could be one to watch. Saturday 30th August, BBC1, 7.05pm.

I spy with my little eye...

...something (or someone) beginning with D.
Watch The Weather Show very carefully during the bit in the Weather Centre with Carol (about 13 minutes in). I may be wrong, but even Husband agreed it looked like Dan in the background.
UPDATE: screengrabs [pic1, pic2] - what do you reckon?

The rest of it is standard Weather Show fare, but the outtake at the end with Phil Avery and Rob McElwee is worth a watch.
The Weather Show: BBC News 24: today and tomorrow at 8.30pm; Bank Holiday Monday at 10.30am, 1.30pm and 10.30pm and on the iPlayer (available until 11pm on 1st September).

There was a flurry of excitement here at TTWFN Towers this morning upon hearing the news that the shipping forecast will feature in the London section of tomorrow's Olympic Games closing ceremony (via BBC News). The speculation then began; who would be reading the forecast? However, as Mr. George subsequently discovered, disappointment lurks;

"and excerpts from the shipping forecast read by Radio 4 regular Zeb Soanes".
(via The Guardian)

UPDATE: More about the shipping forecast in the ceremony from BBC News.

However, the rest of that part of the ceremony sounds ridiculously cringeworthy (after reading that first BBC article I had to check the calendar; it isn't April 1st), so watch at your peril.

Finally, Dan was on Radio Five Live this morning and, as you know, there's not much that can tempt me to listen to that nonsense.

Dan Corbett links #16

Long overdue, here's another set of Dan-related links for your amusement.

Facebook
To start, let's get the inevitable out of the way; the latest crop of Facebook groups:

Daniel Corbett is my favourite weatherman
Eccentric, slightly Kraftwerk style arm action and very very excited about the weather, what more could you want from a weatherman?

And a comment on the group's wall;

What a hero!! Truly the best weatherman out there. His enthusiasm and passion for lucid communication of the week's meteorological status is legendary and inspiring!

Exactly.
And now, yet another Daniel Corbett Appreciation Society, but with a slight difference;

Daniel Corbett Appriciation Society
THE best weatherperson, like, evurrrrr

'Appriciation'? Sounds nasty.

Next up, the delightfully named,

When I watch BBC weather with Daniel Corbett I feel Comforted and Reassured
Daniel Corbett, one word, legend.

On the group's wall you are advised to watch this YouTube video 'all the way through as you will feel severly [sic] reassured by the end.'
Alas, this group is only for people in the Birmingham network, or I would have joined like a shot.

Still, his popularity isn't waning; that's sixteen different Dan-related Facebook groups now.

RaccoonAndCo
Tu parles Français? This is another site linking to a YouTube video, but this time the comment is in French. I used to be quite good at French, but I can't really make out what's being said here. Babelfish wasn't much help either.
UPDATE 16/04/11: This page no longer exists. Such is the transient nature of the internet. Ah well.

BBC News: How Tornadoes Form
More video now, this time from the BBC News website; Dan talking about how tornadoes form. See, why does the next edition of The Weather Show need Peter Gibbs? They already have a perfectly good explanation from Dan.
Gah!

Twitter
This next link comes from Twitter, (a bit like Facebook's 'status update'). @lewiswebb said:

Dan Corbett is the best BBC weatherman... and I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

Ursa Medium
Not only is he the best BBC weatherman, but also 'the singular happiest man on television', by this account.

Daniel Corbett Watch
Lisa (who had a mention on this blog in the first collection of Dan-links) now has a category on her blog devoted to Dan; Daniel Corbett Watch:

What was Daniel on last night? And I quote, "and almost like having bollards in a car park and having to drive 'round them" Then, later in the same forecast "almost a summersault or a backflip" Is he okay? I'm guessing he's been working too hard and needs a holiday as he's rambling and saying these random things.

Erm, rambling? Random? Those are finely crafted Dan-isms.
Anyway, surely the opposite would be true; stress level high = Dan-ism count low.

BBC Points of View message board
Moving swiftly on, here's further proof that Dan Is Always Right;

Congratulations to BBC weatherman, Daniel Corbett.
The other day he warned that it was going to be cold at night, and we might want to 'reach for the central heating'...
...well - I've just switched mine on. chilly down here in the wells.

In true messageboard style, the discussion goes downhill after that first post.

Wild About Britain
On the Wild About Britain weather forum, there's a discussion about favourite BBC weather presenters that doesn't degenerate into nonsense. Chris says,

I'm obsessed with BBC weather forecasts. Here are my top three forecasters:
1. Daniel Corbett (number 1 by a long way)
2. Rob McElwee
3. Nick Miller

Obsessed with BBC weather forecasts?! Who ever heard of such a thing...?

BBC Tour
And to finish, kind of off-topic, but... somebody I know and two of her weather-obsessed friends (cough) went to London last week and did the tour of BBC TV Centre.

The most interesting part of the tour was, of course, the Weather Centre, where the walls really are lined with images of the Gods.

A webcam-type shot allowed a peep inside the teeny-tiny weather studio where one of The Others was recording something. There was also a short demonstration of why weather presenters can't wear certain colours (due to the green-screen), then the tour guides roped one of the blokes on the tour into having a go with the graphics.
And although that's something you know I would never have volunteered to do in a million years, my friend and her companions thought they could've done a better job of it.
For starters, they would never have missed the golden opportunity to utter those immortal words; 'that's the weather, for now'.

behind the scenes

On the BBC News site there are a couple of fascinating videos, peeking behind the scenes at the Weather Centre, presented by Carol Kirkwood.

The first video is about forecast preparation (and the hazards of broadcasting from the Blue Peter garden); the second is about presenting a forecast from the weather studio.

Obviously, these videos lack a certain... someone, but interesting all the same.

The Weather Show: Graphics

Here's the clip about the weather graphics from the latest edition of The Weather Show:

The Weather Show: Easter 2008

I am shocked.
It had the potential to be the best Weather Show I have seen so far, holding my interest for almost the entire duration... until it came to the 'weathermen' section. Angela was right; when the show's description mentioned 'two grumpy weathermen', it really wasn't referring to Dan!
Gah!

Despite a shocking lack of Dan, it wasn't a total failure; I really enjoyed Peter Gibbs' feature on the polar ice caps and it was interesting to hear he'd spent quite some time in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey (and there's more about that on his BBC biography).

It was good to see the perpetually cheerful Laura Tobin popping up to discuss the weather's effect on air travel, although I do know of a certain other person who has relevant experience in that field.

We got to find out a bit more about the weather graphics in the 'gadgets' section (which has previously been a little weak), including a quick peek behind the blue screen in the weather cupboard!

In the words of Phil Avery,
Well, I say 'bring back Dan...'.

Exactly.

The Others (part two)

Previously on TTWFN;

Being such a huge fan of Dan's, the other BBC weather forecasters barely register on my radar.

Dan is not only head and shoulders above the rest, he's practically in orbit, that's how much better than The Others he is. In fact, a Solar System analogy is a good one (here's a handy visual companion).

Dan: the Sun (obviously), the bright, shining star at the centre.

Matt Taylor and Phil Avery (because of his Weather Show double-acts with Dan): Saturn.

The Schaf: Uranus.

The rest of The Others: Pluto.

However, a new presenter has appeared on my radar; Des, on East Midlands Today.

When Dan's on the afternoon/evening shift he sometimes presents a regional forecast. Being that I am not omnipresent and the Sky+ can't record all the regional channels at the same time, I rely on the mighty power of the internet to keep up with the regional forecasts.
As a consequence of this, I am fairly au fait with the various regional weather presenters.

With Dan's recent absence from our screens I hadn't needed to check the regions for a while, but upon his return this Wednesday I once again trawled the regions - and that's when I first saw Des.

I'm fairly positive that if you are a Dan-fan then you cannot fail to be charmed by Des. Perhaps it's the jazz-hands (and dance moves), perhaps it's the ease with which he communicates with the viewer, perhaps it's just because he's bound to raise a smile; you decide:

Oh, and if you think you've seen him somewhere before, that's because you probably have.

Des: Mars.

Children in Need

Yes, it's that time of year again.

I am supposing that in lieu of doing an excruciating song and dance routine on BBC One (does anyone ever actually enjoy watching those?), the BBC Weather team have opted for a much more sensible way of raising money for Children in Need - an eBay auction;

An Experience with the BBC Weather Team
The BBC Weather team have kindly offered the opportunity for some lucky eBay bidder to present the weather and meet some of the team. If you've always wanted to be a weather reporter, then this is perfect, you will get to:

- Have a tour of the BBC Weather Centre at Television Centre

- Meet the weather presenters on shift and get an understanding of how the weather reports are made

- The opportunity to meet and receive training by your favourite weather presenter (or one of the presenters on shift that day)

- Present a weather forecast (off air) in the BBC Weather Studio and take the recording home on DVD.

This is a fantastic experience for anyone who is keen to get into weather presenting or to learn how a BBC weather forecast is put together.

I was eating as I read the auction details and almost choked when I read the third list item.

As I hit the 'publish' button, the bidding was up to £460. The auction closes at 8pm this Sunday evening.

If anyone reading this blog wins, we expect a detailed report!

Via BBC Weather Mail

Dan Corbett links #14

It's been such a long time since I last looked for new Dan-links because Google does that for me these days.
Twiddling my thumbs the other day, bored, I decided to have a look about on Google...

School Visit
I was surprised (and also slightly jealous) to find this school newsletter;

The Science Explosion 2007 will take place next week on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th July.
All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will have a different timetable for the two days as they take part in a range of lessons which have a science theme and this year everything will be linked to the environment.
We will be looking at issues such as recycling and waste, flooding and crazy weather patterns, organic and non-organic foods and the global impact of ICT to name but a few. We also have some visiting speakers coming into the school to work with students including BBC weatherman Daniel Corbett.

Never in All my Life
Google e-mailed me this morning with this next link which, I have to say, is one of the most amazing pro-Dan posts I have ever read. You really need to read the whole thing, but here are some edited highlights;

"That's the weather... for now"
My favourite current forecaster is the BBC's Dan Corbett. Where some presenters seem almost fearful of making an impression, Dan just goes for it and imprints himself on the forecast so much the weather map had might as well consist of a massive version of his face.

His clever use of physical movements to keep you engrossed all the way to the end is a mark of Dan's genius. He swoops about the map, often ducking, and simulates projected cloud movements with sharp whips of the hand. I love the way he makes you feel like you're involved too. "Just watch this..." he says, as if preparing you for the havoc about to be unloaded by a particularly vicious area of low pressure. I also love the way he interferes in your daily itinerary by proposing what you might do at a certain time. "Some spots of drizzle bubbling up in Cornwall tomorrow morning - perhaps if you're taking the kids out for the day you'll pack the umbrella and some light cagoules just to be safe."

However, there's a mention of that c-word again (really don't get that at all) and some maligning of The Others (although that's OK in my eyes if they don't work for the Met Office / BBC) but, on the whole, a very entertaining post.

Washing forecast
Slightly off-topic, but you might enjoy this open letter to BBC Weather Forecasters, suggesting the addition of a 'washing forecast'.

mini-Dan's first forecast

Couldn't resist posting this:

Love those weather stickers and map!

UPDATE: he has his own blog!

mini-Dan

While idly browsing YouTube the other day, my eye was caught by the words 'Dan the weather man'. Intrigued by the picture, I clicked to watch.

Although it turned out to have nothing at all to do with our Dan, I wasn't left disappointed;

From his website (which will, annoyingly, re-size your browser);

He is 5 years old and fanatical about the weather. His ambition is to be a television weather forecaster (as seen on the BBC) when he is older.

Fingers crossed there'll be two Dans presenting the weather on the BBC in twenty years' time.

There's a second video of mini-Dan which is also worth a watch, of him talking about his electronic weather station.

And isn't he just the perfect candidate for those Monsoon clothes?!

Monsoon

I went 'Saturday Shopping' today (as you do) and wandered into Monsoon, where my eye was caught by the most adorable range of boys' clothing - with weather symbols on!

Monsoon weather range: cardigan, shirt, weather map t-shirt, t-shirt, slipover, hat, scarf and gloves.

Why is it kids get all the best clothes? I would so wear one of those weather map long-sleeved t-shirts.

You might also be interested in the weather-related items from the National Maritime Museum (although they're not in the slightest bit cute). Look, Mr. George - a shipping forecast t-shirt!

What Would We Do Without Our Weathermen!

If you've been reading the comments lately, you might have seen an ongoing conversation with Angel about (mini) Matt Taylor.

So now, for all your Matt Taylor needs, she's started a Matt Taylor fan blog; What Would We Do Without Our Weathermen!

Dan gets a mention (and a couple of links) because 'he does bring a certain 'je ne sais quoi' to the weather'. Bien sûr.

Be sure to say something nice if you visit; I don't think she'll put up with any Matt-bashers over there!

The Others

Being such a huge fan of Dan's, the other BBC weather forecasters barely register on my radar.
However, there are a couple of exceptions, most notably, Matt Taylor - boy man of no fixed accent. Quite why he's earning a living peddling the weather on TV is beyond me, when he could be making a fortune selling directions to those seeking the font of eternal youth; he looks half his actual age. Shouldn't he be at home revising for his GCSEs or something?
Proof of my schoolboy theory: it's Saturday and he's just been on News 24 without a jacket and tie! No school uniform? It'll be detention for you, boy!
Kaddy presents the regional weather in the South-East region. As with Dan, her genuine enthusiasm is captivating. I can't explain what else it is about Kaddy that makes her so wonderful to watch. She just has it; the ability to engage with the viewer. -->