Dan Corbett

[PersianPaladin]

I have to admit, that amongst a seeming multitude of generic and rather boring weather presenters across the various channels - Dan Corbett stands out as a character. You know that it is going to be unique when he appears on the screen, grinning, and ready to leap into action. It is not only his enthusiasm which makes him a very likeable character in my view; but his amusing asides and suggestions that he makes throughout his forecasts (he apparently described a band of cloud over northern england as a "shawl over the shoulders of a mourning widow"). His asides and banter are more notable when he is on the radio.

I think the forecasting world needs more Dan-Corbetts...and the brilliant 'Corbettisms' that come with them.

Check out some of his forecasts: -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnN-c7UgsZw

He even has his own fan-blog: -

http://kirsty.typepad.com/ttwfn/

Feel free to post any more of his quotes in this thread. Because they just tickle me (although I understand he is a bit like marmite - you either love him or hate him apparently).

Edited April 11, 2007 by PersianPaladin

[PersianPaladin]

Lol.

The weather front just kinking [moves arm in an angular manner] like a little piece of spaghetti wiggling on the plate.

New Year's Eve, you're going to be heading out? This is the problem; look at this thing winding up like taking a lawnmower and going vrmmm! [gestures cranking the engine]

Dan: Hello there. Yes, and it's all because of high pressure and this time of year because of high pressure think of it like putting a lid [lid gesture] over something, almost like having a bowl of soup [gestures a bowl] with steam coming up [gestures steam rising], you put a lid on it [lid gesture again] and all that moisture just sits there. This layer of cloud here, it looks like a layer of cloud, doesn't it?

This is probably the scene, what it's like at your house.

This blob of white here just sitting there and it does just sit there as well because the high pressure just sitting about right here around the centre of it, so with lightish winds it's not going to move. It's like you've taken a lump of white [gesture holding 'lump of white'] and gone bleurgh [gestures throwing it at the map] and just sticks to the map.

Edited April 11, 2007 by PersianPaladin

[johnholmes]

certainly unique.

Another Ian McCaskill but even more so perhaps.

Edited April 11, 2007 by johnholmes

[Greyowl]

Dan Corbetts forcasts are always more interesting with his animated actions. Ian McCaskill was another one who always had a passionate approach to his forcasts.

Great to watch.

[SP1986]

He is a complete legend, fantastic man and personality - "If you're going for a walk, dont forget to cover up your dog, because it will be a little nippy" ...

[NL]

Have to agree simply a legend...

He gave an interview on breakfast tv

a while back, apparently he worked a

lot on American tv......... Explains quite

a lot then;his attitude towards tv weather broadcasts...

and i love his facial expressions especially right at the end off his

forecasts after he's said "And thats the weather for now"

[Upgrade]

Guys

I hate to have a sense of humour failure here but lets have a reality check....... the man's style is just bizarre, distracting, a bit strange and can be slightly creepy sometimes, and also patronising to boot.

He also seems to think everyone in the UK has the same boring lifestyle i.e mum ,dad, 2.4 kids, lives in the suburbs, goes for walk in park on a sunday, has 9-5 job, cuts their lawns, a trip to a retail park for a spot of shopping at Ikea, maybe?

His vapid generalisations about what one might be getting up to in ones daily life really get my goat and if my TV hadnt been so expensive i would have probably smashed it up by now. Who cares about what we might be doing in our every day lives? maybe a 1 second mention - great day for a walk - but not this endless eccentric drivel which sometimes lasts for the entire forecast.

Every word he spends spouting about perhaps you're going for a walk to the shops to pick up some groceries for your nan etc etc etc is time which would be better spent on hard facts and detail about the weather - rather than instructing me as to whether i might like to take a brolly or not, or that i should get out more and enjoy the sun. I might like walking to the shops in the rain naked for all he knows or have a rare skin disorder that makes me alergic to sunlight!

In addition to the unneccesary lifestyle advice, his descriptions of the synoptics are basically patronising baby language which the beeb adopts when spekaing about any kind of "sciency" subject these days. appalling. it thinks is making the weather "accesible" (whatever that means) but it is actually just very very annoying and borne out of an institutional embarrassment about approaching anything on a bit higher level than that which a 12 year old could understand.

there are millions of people in this country who ARE clued up about the weather and we don't need this storms looking like "sphagetti" or "lawnmowers" drivel. leave it for the United States Dan where the average mental age of the viewer and more particularly their awareness of the world around them stops at about 8 years old.

And that's my rant..........for now.

Edited April 12, 2007 by jimmyay

[Andy Bown]

I like his simile for a decaying weather front being like a piece of string that

you pull at each end.

[Upgrade]

bizarre and meaningless

[Mark Bayley]

Dan is a good forcaster but my favorite one is Rob McElwee

[Azores Hi]

I like his simile for a decaying weather front being like a piece of string that

you pull at each end.

Yes, and he also calls them strings of sausages or says they are being squeezed out like a sponge.

[Joneseye]

I am with Jimmy on this one, I cringe every time he comes on the TV..

[Glideslope]

Yes, and he also calls them strings of sausages or says they are being squeezed out like a sponge.

So when I'll weather breaks it will be an occluded Bratwurst front with low level mash... oh and it will be peaing down... ...... :lol:

[flagpole]

I like him. He's interesting.

Hate the boring suited clones and the make-up caked bimbos.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

I'm sure he's a nice man and all that, but his presenting style does make me want to self harm.

[flagpole]

I'm sure he's a nice man and all that, but his presenting style does make me want to self harm.

Really?

Let's hope we see more of him

[The Penguin]

I honestly think he's the best of the bunch. Really I do.

I do.

He's funny; okay?

[Anti-Mild]

I think he's brilliant!! I remember a forecast of his last Winter (2005/06) and he was on about the weather being perfect for spotting fairies and pixies at the bottom of the garden !

He's as mad as an overheated dog but he's a character!

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

When I first seen him I didn't really like him but now I find him really funny.

For me his trademark is "and that's the weather, for now"

[Terminal Moraine]

Have to agree entirely with Jimmyaye on this topic. Ian McAskill had an eccentric style but it worked because he didn't tarnish his obvious meteorological knowledge with a repetoire of vapid comments and observations.

I get the distinct impression that Dan Corbett has worked as a forecaster in the USA, his syle is remeniscent of the forecasters on some of the more 'popular' channels over there. Their idea of quirky is my idea of irritating.

T.M

[shuggee]

We're big fans of Dan the Man in the shuggee household. Certainly entertaining, puts things simply, and even my other half will pay attention to the weather when it's him...

But (and this is maybe a bit wierd for some) me and Jim plus a few of my more 'interesting' pals follow Matt Taylor with a passion:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/bbcweather/fo...aylor_faq.shtml

The theories we have about the guy cannot, unfortunately, be written in a public forum - but watch him closely next time

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

I like Thomas Shafernaker (sp?)

Just saying his name makes me smile

[PersianPaladin]

Dan Corbett is fun, interesting and informative. A lot of weather forecasters bore me and just make me go 'bleh'. If I want a freakin in-depth overview of the weather....there is the 'tinternet for that or the BBC Website for the first-timers who want more. Sometimes I just want to know what the weather is (particularly at the local scale) and he does a good job of telling it and entertaining at the same time....and btw, he's pretty damn well qualified for the job too.

We're big fans of Dan the Man in the shuggee household. Certainly entertaining, puts things simply, and even my other half will pay attention to the weather when it's him...

But (and this is maybe a bit wierd for some) me and Jim plus a few of my more 'interesting' pals follow Matt Taylor with a passion:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/bbcweather/fo...aylor_faq.shtml

The theories we have about the guy cannot, unfortunately, be written in a public forum - but watch him closely next time

Let me tell you now....they are likely not true.

Edited April 12, 2007 by PersianPaladin

[mackerel sky]

Now my wife doesn't pay that much attention, nor has any interest in the weather, but she knows what she likes in terms of presenters. And Dan Corbett is her favourite.

Lets say for example a nice day is spoilt by a cold front passing through, he will typically say

"There it goes, the little troublemaker, off into the North Sea"

I think he went down a storm with the Americans when he was out there forecasting.

I want more Corbetts and less Betts. You've either got it or you haven't.

Edited April 12, 2007 by mackerel sky

[Don]

Dan is a good forcaster but my favorite one is Rob McElwee

Yes I agree. Dan is a good forecaster but my present favoourite too has to be Rob!