Weatherman Bill’s fond memories of the late Ian McCaskill

EX BBC Weatherman, Bill Giles OBE, who lives in the Thame area, has been recalling fond memories of his old friend and fellow weather forecaster, Ian McCaskill who died yesterday aged 78.

Memories of the late Ian McCaskill & fellow BBC Weather forecaster Bill Giles (image courtesy of the BBC)

Speaking to Thame.Net, Bill, who is President of Thame Bowls Club, recalled: “Ian was a breath of fresh air when he joined my weather team in the late 1970s. He quickly developed his own style, a rather bumbling, cheerful man whom everyone adored whether they could understand what he said or not.

“He showed us all how to engage with our viewers (up to 15,000,000 at peak times) with his opening one-liners and cheerful ‘Hello’. He could fall asleep at the drop of a hat and frequently did during my staff meetings which were often held late in the evening, only to wake up and complain that I hadn’t covered a particular topic!

“His driving skills, or lack of, were well known and coming down from a high floor level at the BBC car park late one evening, he mistook the level he was on and crashed his car into a pillar, writing it off.

“Although it is many years now when we both retired I will miss him and all he brought to our world-beating weather team.”

Bill Giles OBE