Alex joined the Met Office in 1974 as an observer at Glasgow Airport and after training as a forecaster, he worked as an operational aviation forecaster at various defence sites and airports.
In 1982, he moved to Glasgow Weather Centre as a forecaster and was weather presenter on STV’s early evening news programme Scotland Today (1981 – 1984).
Alex then took up a post as senior forecaster at the London Weather Centre, and later senior forecaster, ITV, where he qualified as a trainer in presentation techniques for the ITV Association.
He helped with the launch of the new ITV National Weather and was one of the presenters, from 13th February 1989 until 1995 (he was on Christmas Day duty as the ITV National Weather presenter in 1990). He also made occasional appearances on ITV’s LNN/Carlton London forecasts (1994 – 1995).
After being diagnosed with MS, he moved into management and became head of London Weather Centre in 1997 followed by a period of frontline management for southern England and Europe covering London and Cardiff Weather Centres and the Met Offices on defence stations from Akrotiri in Cyprus to St Mawgan in Cornwall.
He took up the post of Met Office chief advisor for Scotland and Northern Ireland in March 2008 and moved to Edinburgh.
In 2016 and 2017, Alex appeared as a relief weather presenter on STV.
Correspondence
Paul R. Jackson corresponded with Alex in November 2017:
“I have retired from the Met Office and am filling my days in other ways: two novels, a blog and occasional guest appearances on STV, filling in for the regular presenter for about a year now.
“TV was always just a sideline for me and I was never employed directly by STV or ITV. I worked for the Met Office for 40 years before retiring in September 2014.
“I was a senior forecaster at London Weather Centre when I auditioned for the ITV national job and helped to design the programme. It was full of TV firsts, ITV’s first national weather programme, the first to use animation and the first (I think) ITV programme to be sponsored.
“My one claim to fame is that I once performed a comedy sketch on TV with Manuel (Andrew Sachs) from Fawlty Towers in support of Comic Relief.”
Publications by Alex, via Amazon.
Personal information
Clips of Alex on The TV Room
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Online presence
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Alex Hill (2010). SUPPLIED BY: Online (UHI Climate Change Conference 2010). COPYRIGHT: Unknown.
Remember Alex did a PR stint with British Gas/Transco. He was the ultimate professional and prepared me to do a few radio/TV interviews following supply interruptions. Just stunned to find out he’s younger than me 🤣.
I am one of Alex’s best friends and have known him since our schooldays together. I am so proud of his achievements and his ability to diversify, keep calm and carry on. He now has 4 books to his credit. Even though we are 7000 miles apart, we still communicate regularly through social media and we hope to visit personally next summer, during a trip to Scotland for a friend’s Golden Wedding Anniversary.