Snowstorm: Britain's Big Freeze

[Nick L]

also the snow melted fairly rapidly due to the dewpoints.

Well you must have had locally high dew points, because I for one had snow for 2 weeks. And most in southern England had snow for at least a week.

But the Big Freeze title is OTT. The late Dec/early Jan was more of a big freeze, I don't think anyone can deny that that spell WAS very cold.

Edited February 26, 2009 by nick2702

[Nick L]

Just watched the first part and thought it was garbage to be honest lol. Way OTT, unnecessary sound effects and just a complete dramatisation of what the UK should experience every now and again. Give us another episode of a Very British Storm Junkie instead please Channel 4!

Edited February 26, 2009 by nick2702

[londonsnow]

given up on this programme now. garbage

[saperlo]

Started watching but gave up - very poor programme full of hyperbole

[Nick L]

And they sure liked the old fashioned whistling wind sound effect didn't they :lol:

[londonsnow]

it's actually embarrassing

[Geordiesnow]

Very much OTT and the narrator's voice just adds to the OTT nature of this programme but saying that there is nothing much else on and it is about my fav weather type so its actually really interesting too watch.

[dogs32]

yes it is over the top....but still worth the watch

why is the narrator whispering :lol:

Edited February 26, 2009 by dogs32

[damianslaw]

Yes just posted a thread about this programme on the whining thread. I managed about 20 minutes, and it just annoyed me. Overhyped sensationalist tv viewing - lost credibility when it stated that by the 1st Feb the whole of Britain was under a deep blanket of snow - this was untrue. Should have said by the 1st Feb much of central, southern and south eastern england was under the deppest cover of snow since feb 1991.

Don't like such programmes at all, I remember a program about July 2006 a couple of years back that was similiarly sensationalist but at least it merited the words heatwave, whereas early feb 2009 does not warrant the tag big freeze, as others have pointed out early jan 09 was colder.

[Tom Quintavalle]

Half way through this. What an absolute load of tosh! Way OTT, on this basis Jan '87 merited a 20 week series.

Now we are led to believe that the Met Office attributes this snowfall to a mid-Jan stratospheric warming, when that didnt start until Jan 22/23 or so I thought.

Regards,

Tom.

[PB22]

Programmes like this are an insult to the science of meteorology. :lol:

[dogs32]

incredible facts though...Midlands in 1947 was 6 ft of snow..wow

[Nick L]

Programmes like this are an insult to the science of meteorology. :lol:

I do wonder why the Met Office agreed to it though....£££?

[PB22]

I do wonder why the Met Office agreed to it though....£££?

I guess its good enough for Joe Public. Those of us with a keen interest in the subject and who study meteorology to a greater extent will always find it easy to pick holes in it! For me its a poor programme, but I suspect my other half would find it interesting!

[dogs32]

I guess its good enough for Joe Public. Those of us with a keen interest in the subject and who study meteorology to a greater extent will always find it easy to pick holes in it! For me its a poor programme, but I suspect my other half would find it interesting!

excellent point Paul I do they same with musicians..

The guys voice makes me laugh as he is always whispering.

He as just said from 16 to 18 hundreds we were in a mini Ice Age...Is this true...lol

Its hard to know whats true on this programme though I I know about 47 and 63 as my dads always telling me..

Edited February 26, 2009 by dogs32

[Nick L]

excellent point Paul I do they same with musicians..

The guys voice makes me laugh as he is always whispering.

He as just said from 16 to 18 hundreds we were in a mini Ice Age...Is this true...lol

Its hard to know whats true on this programme though I I know about 47 and 63 as my dads always telling me..

I believe so. It wasn't really an ice age as such though of course. But it was a prolonged period of below long term average temperatures, giving it the nickname - as you said - the mini ice age.

[londonsnow]

switch over to question time on bbc1. much more interesting

[dogs32]

I believe so. It wasn't really an ice age as such though of course. But it was a prolonged period of below long term average temperatures, giving it the nickname - as you said - the mini ice age.

John Kettley is the only sensible speaker on this tv programme

guys voice is doing my head in now..

Hes making it sound like the Battle of Britain

THE GREAT WHITE BLIZZARD

[Crepuscular Ray]

He as just said from 16 to 18 hundreds we were in a mini Ice Age...Is this true...lol

Its hard to know whats true on this programme though I I know about 47 and 63 as my dads always telling me..

It's called the Little Ice Age commonly and many climatologists relate it to the Maunder Minimum of the sunspot cycle when there were not sunspots for ages as a long-term trend, not a day-to-day forecasting mechanism (ducks awaiting incoming flak).

My parents tell me about 63 in Sussex - after the initial snowfall, the roads were cleared and they just got on with it. The roads were cleared within the first few days and then everything was much as normal for most people within corridors of the white stuff, but not for farmers who lost most of their stock and in those days got no compensation. 63 was unusual in that it had an initial very heavy snowfall and then just stayed cold for months so the remaining snow didn't melt.

I'm not sure but I think the narrator was Sean Pertwee, son of the gorgeous Jon of Dr Who fame.

Edited February 26, 2009 by crepuscular ray

[tom_f123]

Well that was cr.ap :lol: narrators voice did my head in throughout making it sound like the end of the world, when in reality a few inches of snow fell in parts, embarrasing really.

No doubt that if this was a northern event which didn't effect london and the SE it wouldn't have been made

[❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️]

Average.

Can't really expect more from a channel 4 documentary.

For there to be a blizzard there has to be heavy snow and 30mph+ winds, just snow with hardly any wind isn't a blizzard!

Contained a lot of shots of snow though, cant complain :lol:

I would love to be in New York when they have a snow day!

Edited February 26, 2009 by RAIN RAIN RAIN

[osmposm]

it's actually embarrassing

Completely agree.

I came in a little late, listened to five minutes of the hushed voiceover talking about blizzards in Devon & Northants - accompanied by shots of light to moderate snow falling at about 20 degrees off vertical, and cars struggling in 4 inches of it - and could stand it no longer: I switched back the fall-of-Margaret-Thatcher drama.

Lamentable.

[Cookie]

Programmes like this are an insult to the science of meteorology. :lol:

well said

[NorthantsSnow]

As expected they went for the whole sensationalist angle. Can hardly blame them I suppose given this was a mainstream weather programme. The worst part for me though was actually the Met Office bigging themselves up throughout. Absolutely cringeworthy. "We got this right, we got that right." Yeah but you didn't call a below average winter back in Oct did you?

The whole thing was worth it though for some magnificent footage, albeit executed in a rather slapdash manner. Will be keeping that on the PVR for sure as a keepsake, no doubt look back on it in the future with fond memories, perhaps with the sound on mute though and coupled with some appropriate music.

[J10]

Well you must have had locally high dew points, because I for one had snow for 2 weeks. And most in southern England had snow for at least a week.

But the Big Freeze title is OTT. The late Dec/early Jan was more of a big freeze, I don't think anyone can deny that that spell WAS very cold.

I agree, perhaps this show should have been called the Big Snow ( as per the Vicar of Dibley).