Weather forecasts; BBC vs Five

The BBC introduced a new graphics format for weather forecasts in 2005. The brightness of the map indicates cloud cover and temperature which means that most of the time the UK is a horrible sludge brown colour. The map was angled which made Northern England and Scotland disproportionatly small. This was supposedly to resemble the curvature of the earth but the effect suggested that the country should be viewed from the south and that the north was 'up there' somewhere ie away from 'us'. To rectify this the BBC decided to extend the length of time spent doing their 'flyby'. At a given time of day we visit each part of the country to see what the weather is like. This is highly bewildering and I soon switch off, especially during some of the more needlessly elaborate forecasts.

It should be simple. Map of UK, short summary, then talk about rain, wind, temperature, hours of light and any other relevant details. 'It will be mild tomorrow with a band of rain moving from the southwest across the country during the day'. Keeping an eye on a clock in the bottom corner could help me to figure out when the rain will hit me. The old system that the BBC used was great and they did the best forecast on TV, with isobars and everything. The new system claims an accuracy for itself that it does not possess and as a communication tool that relies on clear graphics it is fundamentally flawed. If you would like to complain then e-mail them.

The other TV channels attempt a weather forecast but I don't have much more to say about any of them except Channel 5, who do the best forecast on TV at the moment. Quick, simple and memorable, it does not indulge itself in a virtual, time accurate flyby of a brown bit of land. Five are also currently producing excellent kids TV and by showing the best of American TV they are providing quality TV in a cost effective manner. And Megastructures is one of my favourite shows.