Good Morning Britain weather presenter Laura Tobin has defended the programme's extensive coverage of the UK heatwave after viewers complained about the focus on weather warnings.
Viewers Criticise Coverage as 'Panic'
During Wednesday's (June 24) edition, hosted by Ranvir Singh and Ed Balls, Tobin delivered updates on the forecast, which includes unprecedented high temperatures and nationwide weather warnings. The Met Office has issued a rare red extreme heat warning, only the second time such a warning has been given.
The Met Office cautioned that "population-wide adverse health effects are likely to be experienced, not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to potential serious illness or danger to life" and that "substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required."
However, some viewers were unhappy with the focus on the weather. One viewer said: "It's the summer, get on with it." Another wrote: "I bet other countries are laughing at this - those where this heat is quite normal." Others accused the show of causing panic, with one tweeting: "#gmb love to cause panic." Another added: "#GMB getting themselves into a right state over the weather. Utterly pathetic. It's gonna be back down to 20° next week."
Laura Tobin Hits Back
During the broadcast, Tobin addressed the criticism directly, saying: "I understand that a lot of people say, 'you're just being a party pooper, this is just hot weather,' but we are talking about records that we have never reached. Temperatures that we've never, ever experienced before. So it's hard to imagine what the impact of the day is going to be because we've never experienced what we're going to see over the next three days."
Ranvir Singh had earlier asked Tobin: "In a way you were hoping this would never come and now it's here. Am I catastrophising, am I being dramatic? Am I being Hollywood about it?"
Tobin replied: "I think the thing is, first off, we have our Met Office rare red extreme heat warning. This is only the second time this has been issued. They're so rare because we know when we issue them, we mean people will lose their lives, it will cause fatalities and the Met Office issue it with a heavy heart knowing that will be the case, and we say it with a heavy heart."
She added: "Only half the world has early warnings, half the world can't get warm when extreme weather happens, the fact that we have warnings to tell people to change their travel plans and schools, it means we are already saving lives by doing this."
Tobin also noted: "I was taught as a junior forecaster to never forecast a record because they've stood for so long for a reason. We are breaking and smashing records."
Mixed Reactions from Viewers
Despite the backlash, some viewers defended Tobin, with one writing: "Laura is saving lives." Others remained critical, with one saying: "This programme is a f**king joke, it's SUMMER it's lasts for 2 weeks then it's gone." Another viewer commented: "It'll all be over by next week, and then we'll be straight back to complaining that it's too cold."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
