McCaskill, the sunny face of the forecast, dies at 78
IAN McCaskill, the BBC weatherman with the perennially sunny outlook, has died aged 78 following a five-year struggle with dementia.
With his large glasses and chirpy forecasts, the genial Scot became a much-loved figure during his two decades on the BBC.
The Glasgow-born presenter’s exuberant approach meant he was often imitated – most memorably by Spitting Image. The forecaster described it as ‘the greatest compliment’.
Years after his retirement, McCaskill confessed he had advised forecaster Michael Fish to tell viewers ‘not to worry’ ahead of the Great Storm of 1987.
Fish said last night: ‘Sad to hear the news about Ian McCaskill. A lovely man and a pleasure to work with. One of the old guard.’
Daughter Kirsty released a touching statement saying: ‘[He] was a truly lovely man who loved his family unconditionally and brought lots of sunshine to people’s lives with his friendly smile, kindness and sharp wit.’
He is survived by his ‘adored’ wife Pat, daughters Vicky and Kirsty, two step-sons, Tim and Matthew, and nine grandchildren. McCaskill was a firm favourite with viewers during his 20-year career presenting the weather on the BBC from 1978.
He was even crowned Britain’s sexiest weatherman in 1994 and began his 1987 Christmas Day forecast by pulling open a cracker. After his retirement, the TV veteran accused his successors of baffling viewers with meteorological jargon. In a call to revert to simpler times, he said Britons simply wanted to know whether to take an umbrella to work.
In 2005 he admitted he had been the senior forecaster on the night before the Great Storm of 1987 and had missed the warning signs. It became an infamous blunder after Fish told the nation not to worry during a broadcast and the raging storm went on to batter the South East hours later, killing 18 people.
McCaskill said a career low came when he predicted four inches of snow, adding: ‘I promised every child in the South East they would wake up to snow. And of course, there wasn’t a flake.’
The son of an insurance agent, McCaskill was born in 1938 and studied geology and chemistry at Glasgow University where he also joined the dramatic society.
He met his first wife Lesley Charlesworth in Malta in 1959 while working as a meteorologist for the RAF before he went on to work for the Met Office.
Lesley, the mother of his two daughters Vicky and Kirsty, died of breast cancer in 1992 before McCaskill married family friend Pat Cromack six years later.
Since retirement in 1998 the former weatherman appeared on several television shows, including Celebrity Fit Club in 2002. The former weatherman, who died on Saturday, was remembered by other colleagues yesterday as ‘warm and generous’. BBC forecaster Carol Kirkwood described him as a ‘larger than life’ character who was ‘ always full of life’.
She added: ‘ He was a funny man as well and exuberant, enthusiastic in his delivery and passion and love for the weather.’ Kirkwood, who worked with McCaskill when she was a rookie presenter, added: ‘ He was very funny, but as well as that he really, truly was a master of his craft.’
One fan posted on Twitter last night: ‘ Sad to hear of the death of Ian McCaskill. He could forecast torrential rain, 20ft of snow, blizzards, fog and you’d still be happy.’