Born in Mumbai, India, Shefali Oza arrived in broadcasting by an unconventional route.
With a pragmatic eye on financial security, she first qualified as a solicitor – her insurance policy against the uncertainties of a life in television. It was a career she would never need to fall back on.
Her breakthrough came when she was spotted at an audition organised by the BBC’s Multicultural Programmes Unit.
In January 1993, she joined Midlands Today – BBC TV’s flagship regional news programme for the Midlands – as its first regular weather presenter.
More than three decades on, she remains a fixture on screen; as of 2026, she holds the distinction of joint longest-serving regional weather presenter in the UK, sharing that record with ITV’s Emma Jesson, both of whom have accumulated 33 years of continuous broadcast service.
Over the years, Shefali’s role on Midlands Today expanded well beyond the weather map.
She fronted Shefali’s Diary, a popular Friday segment rounding up leisure and cultural activities across the Midlands, and regularly anchored weekend editions of the programme.
Her wider television work has spanned an impressive range of output, encompassing Inside Out, the network BBC consumer series Watchdog Daily, and Countryfile. For over a decade, she was also one of the principal faces of the Midlands coverage of Children in Need.
Away from the studio, Shefali made history as the first civilian woman ever to spend a week aboard a nuclear submarine, HMS Splendid – a testament to the kind of fearless, go-anywhere journalism that has defined her career.
Her contributions to broadcasting have been recognised with considerable distinction.
In 2003, University College Worcester conferred upon her an honorary master’s degree in acknowledgement of her professional achievements.
In 2020, she was named Journalist of the Year at the Asian Political and Public Life Awards.
Correspondence
Paul R. Jackson corresponded with Shefali in January 2026. He began by asking when she moved to the UK?
“The day of the moonwalk – 16th July 1969.”
Was it always an ambition to work in TV and be in front of the camera?
“No ambition to work in TV, but I used to watch Jan Leeming reading the news and thought I could do it.
“Weather presenting was never on the agenda. Acting was the dream, which I never pursued.”
How did you come to audition at the BBC and was it particularly for the weather or as a general presenter?
“My sister-in -law at the time was told there was an open day audition for Network East. My mother said I should try as she thought I’d be good at it.
“I went along and didn’t get that job, but the audition tape was seen by the editor of Midlands Today, who then asked me if I’d like to audition for the role of weather presenter for the programme.
“So, I took the opportunity.”
Do you work for the BBC and did you train at the Birmingham Weather Centre?
“Yes – I trained there for a short period. And yes, I work for the BBC.”
What was the date of your first Midlands Today weather broadcast?
“4th January 1993.”
Who were the main Midlands Today presenters before Nick Owen joined permanently in October 1997?
“David Davies and Sue Beardmore, as well as Kay Alexander.”
Apart from presenting the weather, what other roles have you fulfilled on the programme?
“I was the regular Midlands Today Sunday news bulletin presenter for around a decade until September 2025, when cutbacks meant I had to present weather five-days-a-week instead of four.
“I was also the relief news co-presenter for the main weekday programme from the late 1990s/early 2000s.”
Have there been changes to weather presenting arrangements recently – you’ve also been appearing (in 2025) on Look North and Look North West Tonight?
“We’ve lost one weather hub through cutbacks and so we’re all having to chip in to cover other regions, hence the change to me presenting weather now five-days-a-week and occasionally seven-days-a-week.”
Some of the BBC regional presenters have done some network presenting – have you been offered any shifts and would you like to do it in future?
“I haven’t been offered any network presenting but that is the ultimate.
“Actually the ultimate would be acting.”
Finally, any anecdotes on anything that went wrong either in studio or on location and any favourite locations that you have filmed at?
“I haven’t any favourite locations – the variety was good and the stately homes were wonderful. Interviewing Sting was special as we got on very well.
“As for bloopers – I can’t remember what made me laugh so much, but I once laughed all the way through a forecast and as you can imagine, trying to suppress the laughter just made things worse. It made for good TV.”
Personal information
Clips of Shefali on The TV Room
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Online presence
Acknowledgements
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