The BBC has apologised after viewers complained that some of its weather broadcasts were “virtually incomprehensible”.
The issues occurred as Judith Ralston, a BBC Scotland regular, delivered the forecasts on UK-wide broadcasts last week.
One viewer posted on X: “There is a new weather forecaster called Judith Ralston on the BBC news channel. I can’t understand a word she mutters! Does she require a better microphone?”
Another claimed Ralston “mumbles [and] is quiet”, while a third said: “Your new weather person speaks really, really quietly and is virtually incomprehensible.”
But the presenter wasn’t the issue.
open image in galleryThe BBC has now issued a statement acknowledging the complaints, saying: “Unfortunately, a technical issue affected some of Judith Ralston’s weather forecasts during the first week of August, causing the audio levels to be lower than intended.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and are pleased to confirm that the issue has now been fully resolved.”
Ralston, from Edinburgh, is a former opera singer-turned-weather presenter, whose singing career ended due to a vocal injury in the late 1990s.
Last week, she gave fans a glimpse behind the scenes at the BBC’s London HQ, New Broadcasting House, writing on Instagram that she’d had “the most interesting week at […] the mothership, presenting the national weather”.
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Alongside a video featuring shots of her colleagues and the BBC newsroom, Ralston added: “I had the privilege of working with the best teams who are kind and generous and very talented.
“Some of the pictures here [are] the forecasters who work behind the scenes. We work with them too in Glasgow. It’s one big weather family.”
Tagging BBC Breakfast meteorologist Matt Taylor, she added: “He’s a king amongst kings, simply thee best, my weather brother from another mother.”
“LOVED having you with us sis!” he replied.
Taylor took over from Carol Kirkwood as BBC Breakfast’s main weather presenter when the veteran star retired after 28 years with the broadcaster back in April.
Kirkwood quit presenting to spend more time with her husband, Steve, and told fans in her emotional final broadcast: “Thank you for trusting me, be it telling you about heatwaves or snow, to the everyday question of ‘do I need to take a brolly?’
“To my colleagues past and present, both in front and behind the camera, I owe you all so much. You’ve been my team, my safety net, and, very often, my family.
“We’ve shared breaking news, long shifts, plenty of laughter, bad hair days, and the occasional moment of pure chaos,” she added. “And do you know what? I wouldn’t change a second of it.”