that's the weather, for now

9th June

How does this thing work? Oh yes, I remember.

Was a bit disappointed not to have seen Dan on the afternoon/evening shift earlier as advertised in the RT and TBT; I was looking forward to a few mentions of deckchairs and picnic baskets. Then, checking BBCi on a whim, there he was!

Fortunately, the now trusty Sky+ caught all of the evening's forecasts on BBC News. it was just the weather at the end of the News at Ten I think I missed.

But there were mentions of deckchairs and picnic baskets:
We were urged at 19:55 to get the deckchairs into the garden. Then, at 20:55;
It's more than likely by the end of the week the umbrellas [standard umbrella gesture] could be out as opposed to the picnic baskets.

21:55 BBC News
Some problems with the news graphics through this one.
Hello there. It's been a day for the picnic baskets across a good part of the British Isles and not looking too bad as we head to the course of Tuesday. Some subtle changes I think later in the week where the picnic baskets could get pushed to the side [does so].

The numbers barely dropping away; maybe one of those nights for the old fan in the bedroom [spins finger in fan gesture].

Here's our wiggle of a weather front here, like a little blue sausage.

I don't think the old shorts will be coming out, more than likely maybe a couple of extra layers.

Nice line on the iPlayer weather forecast (as I type, available for the next 22 hours) near the end;
Say goodbye to the twenties, say hello to the umbrella.

Just spotted him again on the iPlayer at the end of Newsnight (about 47 minutes in) and a different forecast at the end of Newsnight Scotland (about 20 minutes in) both available for the next 6 days and worth watching for the great BBC2 graphics.

The programme about the Jet Stream he plugged at the end there shows up on the iPlayer too. Didn't see Dan when I fast-forwarded through, although I'll watch it properly later. Kirsty McCabe was on (about 36 minutes in) and there was a nice shot of the weather cupboard. The Jet Stream and Us, available for 6 more days.

UPDATE: Dan was on Weatherview too.

forecast forecast

Angela has delivered some alarming news over on the Yahoo! group;

The format seems to have changed in the RT; next week it doesn't say who is on afternoon/evenings at all, just the 10 o'clock news shift. Don't know if it's permanent or not.
From next week for several weeks Kirsty will be checking, as I am going abroad for 3 months.

Firstly, does this mean we're supposed to rely on the wonky old TBT as our sole source of information about when Dan's going to be on? And, secondly, will I remember to check the RT?

Have a great holiday, Angela!

28th April

As the TBT has been so erratic lately, I checked BBCi at regular intervals throughout the day - and there was Dan at about 15:55;

Your raincoat will be coming in handy.

Keep the umbrella handy.

With BBC News on in the background, I was poised to make notes as soon as the weather came on but... no Dan! Gasp!

19:26 BBC Four
[in a slightly more enthusiastic tone than usual] Hello there! I think this is one of those weeks where the raincoat probably won't have much of a chance to dry off.

You can see the main arc of rain spiralling round, almost like a blue-armed octopus [spirals arms around].

24th April

Contrary to what follows, I do actually listen to Dan when he's on. I knew rain was forecast yet, for some unknown reason, I still planned two outdoor lessons for today.
I woke up, saw the sunshine outside, left the warm coat on the stair-post and went off to work.
About five minutes later, it clouded over.
Gah.

At work, I decided to consult BBCi. Just as the BBC Weather page was loading, a colleague walked into my room and a conversation about whether I'd get away with those outdoor lessons began. I clicked on 'Watch / Listen to BBC Weather' and... there was Dan! [shakes fist at TBT]

It was an unusual experience, watching Dan with someone who knows nothing about me keeping this blog - yet who, fortunately, found Dan just as amusing as I do.

Just managed to squeeze in another viewing (to jot down the Dan-isms) before the kids came in.

08:45 BBCi UK Forecast
Hello there. Today was one of those days where you peer out the window in the morning [looks up] and you say, 'I don't need the umbrella'. Just put it in the bag, just in case.

The bend of blue, almost like a big little blue boomerang.

Quite a smattering of showers, almost like you've just sort of taken a paintbrush and put paint on it and go fmmm [two-handed flick of 'paintbrush' at map], like that at the old weather map.

10:35 BBCi UK Forecast
Seventeen; not a bad-looking afternoon - maybe even a picnic, you never know.

Got home this evening to find that the Sky+ was still being temperamental and, instead of skipping the odd word here and there, only the odd word and phrase remained.

09:27 BBC News
The entire first portion of this forecast was one continuous skip, then it played normally in time to catch;
Like taking lumps of blue and just going like that, fwww [two-handed flicking gesture], at the map.

The 09:56 and 10:28 were rendered completely unwatchable by constant skipping. I blame the weather ;-)

We're continuing to have internet access issues (the wireless has suddenly and mysteriously stopped working), so updates may be erratic.

13th March

Although the TBT said he'd be on the afternoon and evening shift today, I only saw Dan on BBCi and on BBC Four. Better luck tomorrow, perhaps.

12th December

Again, the TBT had Dan down for the afternoon / evening shift and, again, he was on BBCi (at least twice) and BBC Four - but not News 24.

16:35 BBCi UK Forecast
The ice-scraper probably coming in handy this morning.

If you're nipping out, grab that warm parka.

You can see this haze of blue, like someone's tipped a can of blue paint that's gone vmmm [dropping gesture].

And for Wales, you might have the ice-scraper in hand.

19:15 BBCi UK Forecast
Hello there. For some of us over the past couple of nights it's certainly been the night for the extra-thick duvet on the bed [gestures thickness] and the ice-scrapers in the morning.

You'll be out with the parka as you start the day.

Thanks to Dan, scraping the car in the morning is no longer the annoying chore it used to be. Now I smile as I scrape.

19:26 BBC Four
This weather front trying to come in but just like a big lump of cement stuck in a stream blocking the flow of the weather system.

11th December

The TBT said Dan would be on the afternoon / evening shift today, so I watched the BBCi UK forecast online at work as usual;

Hello there. It's certainly been a day for the warm parkas and the same sort of thing tonight as well. Maybe you're heading out, you'll definitely want to grab the old parka, the mittens coming in handy too.

It looks like a can of blue paint has just sort of been tipped [gestures tipping can of paint] and spilled across much of the eastern parts of the map.

Imagine my surprise to get home to find Carol Kirkwood presenting this afternoon and evening's News 24 broadcasts (she did the earlier afternoon shift as well). Maybe the RT is right after all.

Very strange.
Perhaps Dan was putting the decorations up on the weather centre Christmas tree and got tangled up in the tinsel ;-)

UPDATE: Looks like he managed to untangle himself in time to do the 19:26 on BBC Four.
And another BBCi:

Hello there. With cold Arctic air across a good part of the British Isles, that warm coat and even the mittens [mitten gesture] have certainly come in handy.

As we go through the day, what's left of our little weather front, just like a little blue piece of string, fizzles out.

And the regional forecast for Look North (North East and Cumbria);

Hello there. Those warm coats certainly coming in handy today, probably even the mittens as well. I think tonight the extra blankets will certainly come in handy on the bed.

Not as chilly, still going to be an extra blanket night.

What's going to be happening over the next couple of days? Well, remember our ridge of high pressure? That's sitting there, think of it like taking a big stone [gestures holding big stone], you throw it in the stream ['throws' stone] and all the water can't flow past it.

I think you're definitely maybe going to be out-and-about the high street with your warm coat.

And the 'after you' at the end.

forecast forecast

The TBT has been out of action this past week, but at least we had the information from the Radio Times to go by.

This week's RT says he's on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and evenings. As I doubt those will be the only times he'll be on next week, we have to hope that the TBT will be updated [shakes fist at weather pixies].

Due to the impending festive season, the RT is out early. Angela reports that the issue for 8th - 14th December says Dan is on Monday 10th December, the usual afternoon / evening slot.

yay or nay?

What disappointment; the TBT does not agree with the RT's prediction that Dan will be gracing our screens this afternoon.

I'm clinging to the very small possibility that the TBT might be wrong... [goes off to work, sulking].

a first

Well, I can't remember an occasion when both the TBT and the RT have been wrong before, but it looks like Dan won't be brightening up this wet weekend by appearing on our screens today.

19th October

09:57 BBC News 24
Hello there. It was the morning for the extra warm layers and I think, for some of us, it might even be the morning for the ice-scraper [gestures scraping frost off car].

Oh yes. This morning I had the ice-scraper, warm coat, scarf, the lot.

Quite pleasant afternoon; sunny spells and very, very pleasant. maybe you're just sort of heading out to the park to see some of the lovely trees in their colour [points to autumnal backdrop].

The ridge of high pressure that's brought us the fine-looking weather and the frosty night, sitting right about here [indicates position on map] and it's not moving. It's almost like you just sort of go pppt, stick it on the weather map [places on map].

Chilly old start to Saturday, maybe as you head to the outside perhaps early for the paper.

10:32 BBC News 24
It should be sunny spells as we go into the afternoon. You'll probably start shedding the layers, but the fleece probably came in handy for the morning hours.

BBCi UK Forecast
Because I didn't know Dan had been on today until I got home from work this evening (bloody weather pixies, messing up the TBT again) I missed him on BBCi.
Or so I thought.

How lovely to come home to an e-mail from Mr. George:

He's been on BBCi this morning with his 'walk in the park' and a weather front which 'wiggles it's way away'. I've stuck a video of that on YouTube.

Hooray!

Thanks, Mr. George.

pixies and Facebook (again!)

While we wait for the weather pixies to return from their day-tripping (perhaps it was the Grand Prix today, or maybe Live Earth - at any rate, the TBT was not updated at all), news filters through which is not entirely unexpected; there's another Dan-related Facebook group:

Daniel Corbett rules

a group for the appreciation of the most skilful, elegant weatherman in history...with a twitch of his eyebrows and a dramatic magician-like flourish of his hands, he doesn't merely forecast the weather, he creates it...!

That's eight groups, still counting.

6th July

Perhaps Dan took the weather pixies off to Wimbledon with him this morning, as the TBT page was wrong again.
I deliberately left the Sky+ to record those afternoon broadcasts after Monday's surprise.

11.00-ish BBC One
It's almost a day where you just want to grab a jumper.

16:27 BBC News 24
And many of us might dig out a picnic basket or two this weekend. Yes, that sort of weekend.

[Looking extremely happy] A dry, bright start. One of those ones where you might just nip to the outside.

16:55 BBC News 24
[Still looking extremely happy] And not a bad-looking Saturday. One of those mornings where you maybe head to the outside and, for a change, it's dry.

17:57 BBC News 24
After Film 24:
Hello. The weather we've had it's certainly been the weather for films and being inside over the course of the weekend.

A fine, bright start. One of the mornings we really haven't had on a weekend morning where you can sort of head to the outside and enjoy the south-east all the way down to south-west parts of England.

Sunny spells. A day for the outside. Why not? Push the deckchairs into the garden [standard deckchair gesture] for a change.

18:26 BBC One and News 24
Those raincoats will stay indoors and some of us might discover the gardens, you never know.

You might wake up in the morning and say [looks up], 'Ooh, this is different!'.

weather pixies

Those pesky weather pixies, messing about with the TBT page again.
Dan was down for an overnight shift but appeared on the afternoon and evening one.

For once, my bad memory has come in handy; I set the afternoon forecasts on series link last Monday and then forgot all about it, so today's broadcasts were all there waiting for me.
Yay!

forecast forecast

Angela says that next week's Radio Times has Dan down for afternoons/evenings on Friday 8th June.
Thanks, Angela!

I'm optimistic this won't be the only time we see or hear from him next week, but seeing as the weather pixies responsible for updating the Today's Broadcasting Team page seem to have had a couple of days off over the bank holiday weekend, it might be wise to keep your eyes peeled.

According to this week's Radio Times, we can expect to see Dan on our screens later today. For digital viewers, if you usually catch the BBC Four forecast at the end of 'The World', this programme has now been brought forward an hour and renamed 'World News Today', so watch out for the weather from about 19:25.

he's back!

Pack the picnic basket, light the barbecue, get the deckchairs out and, more importantly, set the video;

Dan's back!

18th April

Well, I've no idea what was supposed to have been happening today.

The Today's Broadcasting Team page said he was going to be on the afternoon / evening shift, which he wasn't (it was Carol Kirkwood, who was down as doing BBCi / BBC World). Angela, it looks like the Radio Times was right after all!

Having said that, Dan was on BBCi this afternoon and evening - and on BBC Four;

19:40 BBCi UK Forecast
A weak little weather front of sorts, but it's an area of patchy rain which, if anything, you just pull it apart like a piece of spaghetti [stretching gesture] and it just thins out.

20:27 BBC Four
Most of the energy with this weather system will go into the North Sea. Think of it like a blue piece of string being pulled apart [same stretching gesture].

Anyone catch Dan elsewhere today?

22nd March

09:57 BBC News 24
Not on the Today's Broadcasting Team page today (not that it would have made much difference; it wasn't updated before I left for work this morning), Dan made a surprise appearance on News 24 and BBCi.

Hello there. The cold Arctic air that's been sitting across parts of the British Isles is slowly moving away like a big lump of cement.

forecast forecast

Angela reports on the Yahoo! group that, according to the Radio Times, Dan is due on the afternoon/evening shift next Sunday and Wednesday (4th and 7th March).

Because the RT only seems to list a forecaster for this afternoon/evening shift, as always, keep an eye on the Today's Broadcasting Team page. But given how unreliable that's been lately, perhaps the other eye should be kept on your TV.

25th February

16:30 BBC News 24
Well, now I don't know what's going on with the shifts. The Today's Broadcasting Team page says it should be Jay Wynne again, but (for the fifth day in a row!) it's Dan. Not that I'm complaining...

Remember our little sandwich between the two weather fronts, this guy? He's moving away, finally. He's finally put into first gear [gear-changing gesture] and taking his cloud with him.

16:56 BBC News 24
Well, I tell you, this has been one of those weekends where the umbrella probably hasn't even had a chance to dry off, but at least it will tonight and tomorrow. [Unintelligible] sunglasses, in fact - a different sort of day.

And then Tuesday, that weather system sitting out in the Atlantic, boom, here it comes [sweeps it in].

So, grab the sunglasses tomorrow, a drier-looking day with some more wet weather by the mid-point of the week. That's the weather, for now.

17:56 BBC News 24
Hello there. It's been low pressure that's been hanging round for the weekend, like an unwanted house-guest after Sunday lunch, just doesn't leave.

19:34 BBCi UK Forecast
Just happened to catch a trailer on News 24 for the interactive services - and there was Dan on the BBCi 'red button' weather - but not on the UK forecast online.

Hello there. It's been low pressure that's brought us a fairly cloudy and, yes, a wet weekend at times. But the low is finally packing its bags and starting to move off the British Isles.

Heading back to work, it's going to be a better-looking day, a dry, a bright day. You might even grab the sunglasses as you're heading back to work.

20:02 BBC One
Hello there. Low pressure that brought us the cloud and the rain for the weekend, finally slipping away, almost like slipping your car into gear and moving away.

And as you come north; Birmingham, Manchester, how about you? Sunny spells, nine for both, not bad for the afternoon and even a packed lunch day.

24th February

According to the Today's Broadcasting Team page, he wasn't supposed to be on today. Perhaps this was the swapped shift with Jay Wynne?

Peter Sissons: Weather time now. Dan is in the weather studio. Whatever happened to all that talk of hosepipe bans, Dan?

Dan: [laughs] Yes, we're talking about, I tell you, it's like we want them to turn off the hose in fact, as far as the rain.

The main area of low pressure just spinning around [circling gesture] the British Isles, like a big washing machine really, clothes just spinning around, that's the areas of wet weather.

We can finally get rid of all this wet weather on Monday, off you go [shoos it away], goodbye. Little ridge of high pressure, this is the dry day and, of course, yeah, probably going back to work.

And then whoosh! Here it comes, good south-west winds, big lump of rain... so another umbrella day.

And, as always, now you can press the red button [gestures pressing button on remote control] and get the weather on Freeview or the website. That's the weather, for now.

16:56 BBC News 24
Hello there. An area of low pressure certainly made it a wet old day. It's one of those days where you go to the local duck pond and you probably see all the ducks having a grand old time. Needless to say, it's been wet for many of us to the outside.

The main low is spinning round, it's almost just like a washing machine, the bits of clothing the areas of wet weather moving through [much arm-waving as emphasis].

How about a dry day? Well, go back to work, yeah, here it is. Monday.

This forecast got at least four repeat airings on News 24.
The Rugby is on. Co-incidence?

forecast forecast

Our eagle-eyed Radio Times reader, Angela, reports that Dan is due on the afternoon/evening shift next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (21st, 22nd and 23rd February).

She adds that the RT doesn't name the forecaster for any of the other shifts, so we still need to keep our eyes peeled in the meantime.

he's back!

After an absence of over two weeks, Dan's scheduled to be on News 24, BBC FOUR, BBC THREE (never seen any weather forecasts on BBC THREE ever) and BBC ONE this afternoon and evening. Yay!

This is the same shift the Radio Times reckons he'll be doing tomorrow and Thursday.

He always seems to return on a day when I'm busy, so I doubt there'll be much 'live-blogging' today.

UPDATE: 18:38
Gah! The TBT is wrong - it's Jay Wynne on this shift.
There certainly won't be any live-blogging today, then.

forecast forecast

Angela (founder of the Daniel Corbett Yahoo! group) e-mailed me to say that, according to next week's Radio Times, Dan will be doing the weather at the end of the six o'clock news next Wednesday (Valentines Day - bless him; he should be at home with Mrs. Corbett!) and Thursday, and also on News 24 from 5.30pm to 7pm.
This sounds like the 'afternoon and evening' shift to me, which usually starts at around 16:25 on News 24, includes the broadcasts on BBC One at 18:25(ish) and BBC Four at 20:25, as well as that's day's UK Weather Review online.

Apparently, the Radio Times doesn't always specify which presenter will be doing which broadcast, so we still need to keep checking the Today's Broadcasting Team page for the imminent return of Dan!

error?

Where is Dan?
According to the Today's Broadcasting Team page he should have been on this afternoon and evening:

Let's hope he just swapped shifts and isn't ill / on holiday (again).

he's back!

After a three-week absence, the TBT says Dan is scheduled to be on News 24, Radio 4, BBC ONE and BBCi this morning and early afternoon. Hooray!

Today's a busy day for me too, so I won't be updating again until later this evening.

where and when?

The BBC Weather Today's Broadcasting Team (TBT) page shows who is presenting which forecast each day. It is updated each morning, usually around 07:00, but isn't entirely accurate.

For more precise 'when' information try the BBC What's On search or the BBC Weather Schedules page, which gives rough timings of each channel's scheduled weather forecasts.

The print edition of the Radio Times generally names the weather presenter for the weekday BBC News at Six (the afternoon/evening shift) and BBC News at Ten (what the TBT calls 'daytime') but not for any of the other shifts.

The BBCi UK forecast is available to digital viewers via the 'interactive' button on your TV remote control and, along with the BBCi World forecast, also online. Go to the BBC Weather main page, click on 'Watch / Listen to BBC Weather' (far right-hand column) and the BBC Weather Player should pop up.

The BBC iPlayer is also a good place to look if you missed a recent television or radio forecast. The weekday World News Today, BBC News at One, News at Six and News at Ten are usually available for a few hours after their broadcast, plus a weather bulletin by the 'daytime' presenter late evening.

If you're outside the UK you can also view BBC World as a live stream online.

Have I missed something? Please email me:
thatstheweather.fornow@gmail.com