Derek Brockway

Derek Brockway
Born 29 October 1967
Barry, Wales, United Kingdom
Nationality Welsh
Education Barry Boys Comprehensive
Coleg Morgannwg
Reading College of Technology
Occupation Meteorologist, TV Presenter
Agent Elite Management
Notable credit(s) BBC Wales
BBC Wales Today
Website
http://www.welshstars.co.uk/artistes/derek_brockway.html

Derek Brockway (born 29 October 1967) is a Welsh meteorologist employed by the Met Office and based at BBC Wales in Cardiff, Wales.

Education

Brockway was born in Barry. He first attended Holton Road Primary School and then Barry Boys Comprehensive from 1979 to 1986. He later went to Coleg Morgannwg in Pontypridd, and Reading College of Technology where he received a BTEC Higher National Certificate in Mathematics, Statistics and Physics in 1993. He has also completed professional forecaster training courses at the Met Office College.

Career

Derek Brockway's interest in the weather began as a boy during the long, hot summer of 1976.[1] After A levels, he left school in 1986 and became a Civil Servant and joined the Met Office, based mainly at Cardiff Weather Centre but with spells observing the weather at Cardiff Airport, Birmingham Airport, and eight months in the Falkland Islands in 1993/4 working closely with the Royal Air Force.[2] After further study and promotion, he qualified as a forecaster in 1995 and was posted to Birmingham Weather Centre, broadcasting on several BBC Radio stations across the English Midlands.

In December 1995 he moved to London, working at The London Studios on South Bank with fellow forecasters Martyn Davies and John Hammond, and briefing weather presenters Siân Lloyd, Laura Greene and Femi Oke. As well as preparing the ITV National Weather and Channel 4 weather, Brockway also broadcast on GMTV's The Sunday Programme presented by Alastair Stewart and Steve Richards.

After a year in London, Brockway took a position at the Met Office headquarters in Bracknell as an Environmental Consultant. He returned home to Wales in September 1997 and joined BBC Wales Today replacing Helen Willetts as the lead weather forecaster. Brockway can be seen on BBC Wales Today, broadcasting the lunchtime, evening and late weather forecast. He also presents weather bulletins for BBC Radio Wales during the week from Monday through to Friday.

Brockway has had a lifetime fascination with the weather and has presented a TV show (Derek’s Welsh Weather) and radio show (Derek's Lightning Guide to Weather) on the subject.

A keen walker, he has also had five series on BBC Radio Wales entitled Weatherman Walking before the programme was converted into a popular television series. A new series of walks was shown on BBC One Wales in January 2011 with another planned for 2012. His other TV appearances include X-Ray, a Welsh consumer programme, Jamie and Derek's Welsh Weekends and The Big Welsh Challenge a programme in which Welsh personalities are challenged to learn Welsh. He has also been a guest panelist on the Radio Wales show What's The Story?.

The BBC Wales weather department expanded in 2008 and Brockway is now joined by weather presenters Sue Charles and Behnaz Akhgar who cover breakfast and the weekends. They also stand in for him when he is away. On 26 November 2009, Brockway had an appearance on BBC One in Gavin & Stacey series 3, episode 1 as himself presenting the weather. On 10 January 2010 he was mentioned in the Sunday Times newspaper.[3] On 22 June 2010, Brockway featured in the WJEC Higher tier Welsh Second Language Listening and Responding exam, reading the weather headlines and also being interviewed by the exam board's regular interviewers. He introduced himself with his trademark, 'Shw'mae!'

Personal life

Brockway is single[4] and lives close to Cardiff. His hobbies include playing tennis, learning the Welsh language, skiing, walking, yoga and travel.

Publications

Brockway has written four books, two by Gomer Press and two walking books by Y Lolfa

His fourth book, a children's book, was published on 31 October 2009

See also

BBC Weather

References

  1. ↑ 1976 hot summer
  2. ↑ Bio at BBC Wales
  3. ↑ Sunday Times
  4. ↑ WalesOnline - A day with BBC Wales weatherman Derek Brockway
  5. ↑ Suzanne Carpenter

Video links

External links