Trevor the Weather

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"Trevor the Weather" was the popular soubriquet for the Welsh [1] weather forecaster, Trevor Baker [2]. He joined the Met Office in 1941 and worked all over the UK (as well as a stint in Hong Kong between 1953 & 1956) before being seconded to the BBC[3] in 1962. After a few months he moved to Southern Television's flagship, the evening news magazine Day by Day. Over time he developed a tremendous rapport with his other co-presenters[4] and his role gradually expanded (reading out congratulatory messages, writing a book[5])until eventually he was given his own show Trevor Baker's All Weather Show[6]. Unlike many of the team, Baker survived the cull when the franchise changed to TVS (Television South) in 1982. He carried on, by now a cult figure [7], until 1987. In all he was on-air for 25 years; and, until eclipsed by Michael Fish in 1999, held the title of "Britain's longest serving TV weather forecaster".

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ In Wales people are often known by a combination of their first name and the job they do: see Under Milk Wood, Thomas, D Everyman's Classics ISBN 0460110063
  2. ^ Not to be confused with the Canadian Christian singer/songwriter[1] or the Australian biographer[2]
  3. ^ All BBC forecasters are trained meteorologists
  4. ^ At different times: Cliff Michelmore, Barry Westwood and Fred Dinenage.
  5. ^ Baker, T: Science and the Weatherman (1974) Exeter, A Wheaton & Co ISBN 0080176569
  6. ^ 1980, produced by Bryan Izzard and directed by David Pick (BFI Archives)
  7. ^ When people in the region said "Trevor says it's going to be fine today.", nobody ever said "Trevor Who?": he had achieved that ultimate accolade, accorded to very few, of being immediately identifiable by his first name.

[edit] References