Fish, Michael

Michael was born in Eastbourne. He was employed by the Met Office for over forty years (1962 – 2004). His first posting was Gatwick Airport and in 1965 he transferred to the Bracknell HQ to work on research projects.

Whilst based at the London Weather Centre, he studied Applied Physics at City University (1966 – 1968).

Michael’s broadcasting career began in 1971 on BBC Radio. In January 1974, he joined the BBC TV team. His final broadcast was after the BBC News at Ten on 6th October 2004. This makes him the longest-serving national TV weather forecaster, with 30 years’ service.

He also made occasional appearances on Breakfast Time (BBC One, 1985 – 1987) and Breakfast News (BBC One, 1991 – 2000).

Michael presented the weather on Christmas Day six times (1977, 1982, 1984, 1989, 1993 and 1998). He was on duty on Sunday 1st February 1985, when the magnetic rubber symbols were used for the final time on a national weather forecast.

He ensured lasting notoriety due to comments at the start of the lunchtime forecast on 15th October 1987, around 12 hours prior to the Great Storm: “Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way…well, if you’re watching, don’t worry, there isn’t!”

Fish later claimed (in 2007) that he made up the story and the woman didn’t exist. The Mirror claimed it had tracked down the woman.

Each year, on the anniversary of this weather event, rarely is it mentioned that it was in fact Bill Giles who provided the last BBC TV weather forecast prior to the Great Storm – and not Michael. Bill was the on air presenter late afternoon and evening on 15th October.

In an interview years later, Fish claimed that his hurricane comments were in fact in relation to Hurricane Floyd in Florida – linking back to a story carried on the One o’Clock News, which preceded his infamous weather bulletin. However, there’s no reference to Florida in his lunchtime weather bulletin.

Since retiring, he has returned as a relief weather forecaster for BBC TV’s South East Today, based in Tunbridge Wells (March 2005 – May 2012). He also presented the weather on GMTV for a week (12th – 16th October 2009).

He contributed to the online service Netweather.com (2006 – 2021) and lectured around the country, particularly on the perils of climate change.

In December 2021, Michael made an announcement via Twitter:

“You had probably noticed that my weekly podcast swere becoming intermittent. First, because I needed a new computer, then there was a lack of data, and more recently because of the effects of Parkinson’s, which I have suffered from for the last five or six years.

“To provide a forecast over a week ahead was becoming extremely difficult, quite apart from the fact that the weather itself is becoming more extreme and difficult to forecast. Sadly I have decided that, after about 15 years working for Netweather.tv it is time to bow out and let the next generation take over with their knowledge of things never dreamt of in my day.

“I will be sad to go, as it’s been nice to keep my hand in after retirement, but good things can’t last forever and it’s time to hand up my weather station.

“Of course, I will miss giving the forecast, especially when mine was sometimes better than the Met Office’s. I will be keeping in touch as apart from anything else the science is very good and a useful source of data.”

Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society. In 2004 he was awarded the MBE.

Personal information

Clips of Michael on The TV Room

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Rewind | Clean Feed

Online presence

Acknowledgements