Francis Wilson (meteorologist)

Francis Alfred Wilson, FRMetS, CMet (Chartered Meteorologist),^[1] (born 27 February 1949)^[2] is a Scottish-born weather forecaster who was a presenter and the Head of Weather on the then BBCbreakfast 1981 until 1992 and Sky News, from 1993 until 2010.^[3]

Early life[]

Wilson was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Imperial College London.

Career[]

Wilson worked as a Meteorological Office forecaster from 1972. He became a Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society in 1973, and later a Chartered Meteorologist.

In 1978, he joined Thames TV as weatherman, and joined the BBC Breakfast team in 1983,^[4] using computer-generated graphics for the first time on British television. Wilson joined Sky News in 1993 and, until June 2010, headed the weather department, which broadcast weather forecasts for Europe 24 hours a day.

In 1979, Wilson was invited by Ian Anderson to contribute to the Jethro Tull album Stormwatch. He reads the Shipping Forecast on the track "North Sea Oil", and the spoken introduction to "Dun Ringill".

In 1998, Wilson was invited to Morocco by Sir Richard Branson to advise on meteorological conditions for his Virgin Earth Challenge balloon attempt.^{[citation needed]}

Awards[]

Wilson has won the title of "Best Television Weather Presenter - Worldwide" at the International Television Weather Forecasters Festival in 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2003.^[5] He also won a Gotcha Award after being pranked by Mr Blobby.^[6] He is also the author of seven books, including The Great British Obsession (1990).

References[]