Ian McCaskill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
28 July 1938
Ian McCaskill | |
|---|---|
 McCaskill, 1980s | |
| Born | John Robertson McCaskill 28 July 1938 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 10 December 2016 (aged 78) |
| Education | Queen's Park Secondary |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
| Occupation | Meteorologist |
| Spouses | Lesley Charlesworth
(m. 1959; died 1992)Pat Cromack (m. 1998) |
Ian McCaskill (born John Robertson McCaskill;[3] 28 July 1938 – 10 December 2016) was a Scottish meteorologist and television and radio presenter, who frequently presented weather forecasts on the BBC.
McCaskill attended Queen's Park Secondary in Glasgow, and then the University of Glasgow, where he studied geology and chemistry.[3]
Career
McCaskill joined the RAF in 1959 as part of his National Service and became an airman meteorologist, first in Scotland and then in Cyprus.[4] He once joked that when he joined the RAF he was given a choice between Catering and Meteorology, he did not know what meteorology was but he knew he couldn't cook. He left the RAF in 1961 and joined the Met Office, working at Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Malta and Manchester.
In 1978, McCaskill began working at the BBC Weather Centre, and presented the weather forecast for the BBC on both television and radio. He retired on 31 July 1998.[4]
McCaskill was known for his soft-spoken demeanor,[3] and his presentation style was widely imitated, including by the satirical comedy show Spitting Image and by impersonator Rory Bremner.[4] He was one of the weathermen mentioned on the novelty song "John Kettley Is a Weatherman".[4]
McCaskill worked as a motivational speaker, and appeared on the BBC Television shows MasterChef and on Have I Got News for You, as well as in a number of TV advertisements. He also participated in the first series of Celebrity Fit Club in 2002.
In 2006, he co-wrote the book Frozen in Time, about Britain's worst ever winters, with Paul Hudson.[5][6]