A corporation spokesman insisted it was ‘always striving to deliver excellent value’ and said presenters worked across multiple platforms
The BBC has defended paying around two dozen forecasters to present the weather on local and national news bulletins.
Senior figures inside the corporation said the broadcaster employed about 24 full-time weather presenters, but strongly denied criticism it was wasting licence fee payers’ money by employing too many.
The BBC dismissed reports that it employs a total of 45 such presenters on local and national TV, as well as radio stations. At least half of them were used as emergency cover for sickness or holiday absences.
A senior source at the broadcaster rejected the claims by making a reference to one of its former forecaster’s infamous dismissal of the Great Storm of 1987. They said: “Reports that the BBC employs 45 weather presenters is about as accurate as Michael Fish when he dismissed the hurricane in the 1980s. It is completely wrong.”