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6 Dec 2010

Dropping bombs

The Schaf was back from his sub-Arctic adventure, it appears his tongue hasn't thawed out-- or he's been taking diction lessons from James Naughtie (who called Jeremy Hunt something else today!). If you listen carefully, as I'm sure some bored Metro/Daily Wail scribe will have done, Tomasz almost dropped a verbal bomb-- but thankfully averted the giggles. Not as bad as referring to snowfall in terms of just centimetres though, when people 'on the street' talk in terms of inches; although I suppose being stuck in four inches of snow sounds less 'tragic' than 10cm.

A lovely frost-themed tie and hair waiting to be ruffled...



Sadly Media Monkey at the Guardian has been stirring, with this delightful posting. Anyone would think Media Monkey was jealous of Tomasz's popularity, or something. Does MM not realise that he may have been sent out on this special report, because the BBC think highly of him and people would interested in seeing him there (perhaps a trial for a future role with the BBC)?

Also Media Monkey forgets that sending weather reporters 'into the field' is not so uncommon. Liam Dutton reported from floods a couple of years ago, Simon King spent time in Afghanistan.

MM fails to mention that The Schaf was enthusiastic, engaging, proved his worth and his broadcast was well-received. To such an extent, Tomasz gave us a real treat today, obviously mindful that the icicle has struck a chord with many:



I'm sure you have your own phallic-themed comments to make. However two questions: Firstly what is an unexploded bomb doing stuck in Braemar (right background)? And what is that scarf lower down keeping warm. I'll get my thick-lined winter coat...

Oh thanks to Terratec for the video, much appreciated.

PS: Tomasz will be going to Poland for Christmas, so will be disappearing for a couple of weeks around that time. Still on-air a few times before then though!

10 comments:

  1. I couldn't hear that 'verbal bomb' at first. Took me a while :-). I got there. Ho hum indeed.

    Media Monkey: Oh purr-lease!

    That picture: I'm thinking Statue of Liberty meets Tarzan! LOL Make a good statue for something meteorological.

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  2. I think James Naughtie and that MP will overshadow Tomasz's near lapsus linguae!

    I've left a comment on the blog Media Monkey cited, may send an email to MM himself (or herself)

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  3. Of course I enjoyed Tomasz being up in our area and as he said he had flown into Inverness and had gone by 4x4 to Braemar I strongly suspect he must have passes through Nairn, that means that he would have been no more than 200-300 metres from me at one point (swoon ;) ). Having said this, it strikes me that it was a bit of a 'stunt' to send him up to Braemar, just as it was a 'stunt' to send another rather good-looking male reporter from BBC Scotland up to Altnaharra that same night to do similarly pointless if lovely to look at series of reports from a remote spot. No doubt the BBC in London and Glasgow (where BBC Scotland is based) had agreed between themselves which of their reporters (or weather reportes in Tomasz's case) would go to which of the two expected cold-spots. In the event neither was the coldest, it was a place called Kinbrace (which happens to be a bit north of Altnaharra and similarly remote).

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  4. Oohh... a "stunt"? On television-- on a BBC magazine programe during breakfast time? Whatever are you trying to suggest Bill [wink]

    I'm led to suspect there was an ulterior motive by the BBC for sending Tomasz up there, especially given the type of reporting he was doing. I'll just say that for now.

    I do think you're right about the reasoning for location: Given Braemar was expected to be the coldest place-- let's not forget it has been twice in the past for the -27.2C record.

    Although Tomasz is multi-talented, I doubt even he could have predicted that Kinbrace would have been the coldest place. Oh well... he enjoyed himself, did a great job and looked a treat in his clobber and with his icicle :-D

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  5. Does it really matter if it was a 'stunt' or not? He was sent there, he likes to travel. It was a chance to see somewhere and get paid for it. He did is job very well. He was enthusiastic as always. I was interested in what he was saying and the setting up there in Braemar. Seems to be the end of it. Everyone's a winner!

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  6. We should do a 'Have I got news for you' caption competition with that icicle pic. What about...

    - 'Ah! This'll come in handy when I see Paul Dacre next'.
    - 'Tomasz finds an ice cube for Kerry Katona's G&T'
    - 'Ten months after she was too adventurous on Dancing on Ice, much-loved BBC weatherman saves the day when he catches Heather Mills's leg'

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  7. I like the Paul Dacre one! I suspect you don't like Kerry Katona much. She could go back to advertising Iceland, perfect to promote cold turkey.

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  8. Sorry Matt if you think it being a 'stunt' does not matter. Much as I liked seeing Tomasz up our way [and he can come again if he likes ;)] and indeed the very good-looking reporter from BBC Scotland - he is VERY good-looking indeed - these 'stunts' do have to be paid for out of our licence fee money. The airfares, car hire, hotel bills, etc. The costs of these two 'jaunts' were probably relatively minor in the grander scheme of things, but multiply them by a 100 or a 1000 and it begins to become a lot more significant. This is the whole way the BBC has begun to operate with its 24-hour news agenda, trying desperately to fill the airwaves with 'novelties' to titillate increasingly-jaded viewers.

    Sorry to appear to be a kill-joy, I'm really not (I open a bottle of champagne at the drop of a hat, but of course I pay for it/them whenever I feel like it); I think a dose of commercial reality at the BBC would not go amiss.

    Cheers!

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  9. I don't think you're a kill-joy at all Bill. I don't want you to think that for one second :) I'm sure we all have in our minds ideas and wishes about how to make the BBC more licence-fee friendly/efficient. I would go down the route of cutting wages, and paying people for what they actually do and how how long they do it for, not what name they have or how large their ego is.

    What I was saying was sometimes I find it more evoking to be out of a studio and in terms of the weather, to be 'amongst it'. It's one thing to put snow on a map, but another to see visually what heavy snowfall actually looks like. So I found the trip beneficial. It's over now.

    In terms of cost, I don't think it broke the bank, but as you say these things add up and up and up and before you know it, there is no money. There is probably something written somewhere a clause that says a percentage of the fee goes toward trips, that are deemed in the public interest. That's what news is supposed to be - stories that are in the public interest (most of the time).

    I'd much rather have a flexible BBC than a static, sit-in-a-studio-all-day BBC.

    All the best!

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  10. You both make very valid points above.

    I'd imagine Tomasz's trip out was peanuts compared with the huge cost of sending small legions of crew out to certain events. A recent example is the Chilean Mine Disaster, where other channels managed with two or three people each-- the BBC allegedly six! Or some of the inflated salaries doled out to managers within the corporation.

    I agree that actually showing viewers the sheer scale of unusual weather phenomena is better than talking about, although I suppose the BBC could have sent that BBC Scotland reporter there.

    However from this blog's point of view, I strongly suspect there was an ulterior reason for Tomasz going out in the field, the BBC perhaps doing a test on Tomasz, for future presenting roles. If it means Tomasz stays on our screens, then I prepare to forgive 'misuse' of the LF this time ;-)

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