BS: Michael Fish Has Retired

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 10 Oct 04 - 12:35 PM

Hmm... I always thought Bill Giles came over as a nice bloke! I've no reason to dispute the info given by Eric the Red and PeterK. Sounds to me in reality, he was far from pleasant.

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 10 Oct 04 - 11:36 AM

Keith, as stated in the BBC account quoted by Jon, a news broadcast preceding the forecast included an item about a storm causing damage in the Caribbean. Michael Fish did warn of strong winds, but at that time the met office thought that the main thrust of the storm would be along the English Channel.

I wrung this out of Bill Giles, no less, when he gave a lecture to the Institution of Eletrical and Electronic Engineers in the early 1990s, when he was head of the BBC forecasts team.

As for Giles himself, I would say Eric the Red has got his measure far better than Jon. The BBC was arraigned before an Industrial Tribunal on account of his bullying and tormenting of subordinates. In the lecture I attended he spent much of his time belittling his subordinates by name - not least, Michael Fish and Ian McCaskill.

As for the best - well there's only one Suzanne Charlton.... and it was the icing on the cake when the Radio Times described her as Jack Charlton's niece (rather than Bobby Charlton's daughter)!

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 10 Oct 04 - 09:07 AM

He says that now , but at the time he gave the excuse that we did not have a revolving tropical storm. I don't remember any mention of Florida.

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 12:24 PM

Michael Fish a drummer? hmmmmmmmmmm

the thing about a meterologist is that at 100 paces he can tell whether.

I'll get me raincoat...........

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 04:57 AM

Kieth, I have double checked my reference in view of your comments. The article is here. Here is a short quote from it:

"Earlier on today apparently a lady rang the BBC and said she heard that there was a hurricane on the way. Well don't worry if you're watching, there isn't."

This is frequently quoted from Michael's evening weather broadcast on the 15 October, the night the storm hit. However Michael wasn't talking about the UK at this point and was referring to a story in the News.

"My remarks referred to Florida and were a link to a news story about devastation in the Caribbean that had just been broadcast. The phone call was a member of staff reassuring his mother just before she set off there on holiday!"

"I did broadcast saying 'batten down the hatches there's some really stormy weather on the way' - if the full clip is used all would be revealed."

Jon

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: alison
Date: 09 Oct 04 - 04:23 AM

John Ketley is a weatherman
and so is Michael Fish,
and so is Ian McCaskill!!

slainte

alison

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 08 Oct 04 - 02:07 PM

His reassurance about the hurricane was not about Florida.
A woman had phoned in because the French were predicting hurricane force winds.
He admitted his mistake but said that he had denied a hurricane, not hurricane force winds, the difference being that a hurricane is strictly a revolving tropical storm.
Not much of an excuse I thought.

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: alanabit
Date: 08 Oct 04 - 09:57 AM

It's probably the only way he can find to annoy more people than he could by getting the weather wrong.

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Jeanie
Date: 08 Oct 04 - 09:38 AM

Reported in 'The Times' yesterday:

"The country's longest-serving weatherman intends to devote a significant portion of his retirement learning to play the drums."

I trust this will include the bodhran !

- jeanie

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 08 Oct 04 - 09:21 AM

Woof to that one johnny boy!!!! That's what weather presenters should look like!! Michael Fish was bloody dull.

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Strollin' Johnny
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 06:42 PM

gimme Jo Blythe any day

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 08:41 AM

John Ketley is OK, well he does come from Todmorden

eric

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 08:34 AM

What will we do with the Tribe of Toffs song now???

John Ketley is a weatherman
a weatherman
a weatherman
John Ketley is a weatherman
and so is Michael Fish...

Who can remember any more btw? The only memorable bit for me after that was

Andy Crane has got no brain and
John Ketley is a weatherman...

I hope Mr F has clear blue skies, or at least sunny intervals, for his retirement anyway:-)

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Mr Red
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 07:36 AM

No - he told Mrs Trellis of North Wales that there would be no danger of retiring today.

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 07:33 AM

Bill Giles was even worse than Michael Fish, all his colleagues hated him, the BBC had to retire him to prevent the disruption he was causing.
He once lost his temper on air when he said the weather was fine outside and an irate viewer rang up and told him to look out of the window.

What a twat.

eric

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 06:33 AM

In fairness to Michael Fish, he was reffering to Florida when he made his infamous statement. Apparently it bugged him for years that it was taken completely out of context. It seems it was intended as a lead to an article on America but a bit got cut.

I liked him and I think to hold down the position for 32 years indicates he must have done something right. Still I think my favourite weather forcaster was Bill Giles.

Subject: RE: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 07 Oct 04 - 04:30 AM

Good riddance, he was a complete arsehole, WHAT HURRICANE ???

eric

Subject: BS: Michael Fish Has Retired
From: vectis
Date: 06 Oct 04 - 07:00 PM

He's been presenting the weather on the BBC for as long as I can remember but he retired tonight.
He was a real character who frequently placed one or both feet firmly in his mouth on air. He was the one who famously said that there was no hurricane en route a few hours before the thing hit us in 1987.
The weather won't seem the same without him.