BBC weather presenter causes concern after breathless performance
A BBC weather presenter caused concern among Radio 4 listeners as he struggled to catch his breath during Sunday morning’s forecast – after running upstairs to make it to the studio on time.
Simon King’s apparent breathing difficulties led to speculation online.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) suggested the weatherman might be having “some sort of “attack”, while another said it was “disgraceful no one took over the reading for him!”
Several listeners also said they were concerned because they had not heard an update on his welfare from the BBC.
The presenter took to social media later that morning to allay concerns.
In a post on X, Mr King explained he had simply been running late and was breathless from racing up multiple flights of stairs to make the live slot.
The presenter wrote:
Thank you to those who asked if I was alright after my radio 4 weather earlier.
Not going to lie, it was horrendous…I just couldn't catch a breath.
Time was really tight after I finished a TV hit so I decided to run upstairs to the radio studio…big mistake 😮💨🤦 pic.twitter.com/o0IntBjA0C— Simon King (@SimonOKing) April 14, 2024
Mr King told The Telegraph he had also been bombarded with messages asking: “You okay? Have you had an asthma attack? Heart attack?”
“Fortunately it was nothing more than just running to get to the studio in time up a massive flight of stairs and then struggling with it,” he added.
On Sundays, the weather reporter is responsible for providing the forecast live on Radio 4, the Breakfast programme, and Radio 5 Live.
Normally the breakfast weather forecast is at 7.45 am, with the Radio 4 slot at 7.57 am, but this morning the TV news was running late.
“I didn’t actually get out of the studio until 7.55 am,” he said, “‘and as I got out of the studio I looked at my watch and realised, ‘Christ, I have only got two minutes before I need to be on Radio 4’.”
The TV studio in Salford is on the ground floor with the radio studio on the floor above the large atrium – up a long flight of stairs.
Mr King told this newspaper he made a “split-second decision” between the lift and the stairs.
“In order to get there and not miss it, I decided I should run up the stairs!” he said, adding: “Obviously when I got to the radio studio and I couldn’t breathe, I immediately thought that was probably a bad idea.
“With Radio 4, that’s your allotted slot, so Neil Nunes, the presenter, handed it to me, as he normally would, and I started, but I just couldn’t get my breath.
“These things get even worse as you start talking. I couldn’t grab my breath whatsoever. It just got worse and worse,” he said.
Supportive listeners
Rising panic exacerbated his breathlessness: “With Radio 4 you know the listener expects a high standard so while I was doing it I realised I couldn’t really breathe properly, [and] the panic set in.”
But on social media listeners were overwhelmingly supportive, with one saying: “I’m glad you are okay, I would still be standing at the first landing gasping for breath.”
Before joining the BBC, the presenter served as an officer in the Royal Air Force Reserve, completing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr King said that the episode had made him think he needs to get “fitter”. He said: “Running up some stairs shouldn’t be too much of a trauma, but clearly it was!”
He told The Telegraph that he had a much more serious incident during the shipping forecast 13 years ago.
“I had a cyst in my spleen, which decided to burst while I was doing the forecast. I was in an incredible amount of pain during that time, and I was rushed off the hospital straight after the shipping forecast”, he said.
“I actually think I styled that out better! I don’t think anyone noticed that my spleen erupted. Compared to this time around – I got away with it last time!”
