The BBC has confirmed there are no plans for new episodes of Derek Brockway's Weatherman Walking amid massive funding cuts facing the corporation. The series, which ran for 19 years on the channel, saw the popular weatherman from Barry showcase some of Wales' most beautiful and spectacular sights. The series first aired on our screens in 2007, with Derek highlighting some of the best seasonal walks across the country.
Final Series and Spin-off
The fourteenth and latest series of Weatherman Walking aired in 2024, and although the channel has no plans to revisit the series yet, they have re-commissioned the archival spin-off. The Best of Weatherman Walking, which compiles a collection of Derek's favourite walks from the original series, debuted in 2025 and will be back for a second series for 2026/27. The first series of the archival programme comprises 10 episodes which highlight Welsh Islands, Northern Nostalgia, Surprises of the South and Coastal Delights among others.
BBC Savings Plan
The news comes as the BBC is currently working through its savings plan, which means in the coming months they will be making changes to their content and commissioning process. Last month, the channel announced the first phase of their proposals to make £500m of savings over the next three years. This included the decision to reduce "100-150 hours of originated programmes across all commissioning genres by the end of 2027/28."
Although, the biggest shock that came from the statement published on June 17 was that staff were informed that 550 roles would be closed across the News, Nations and Content divisions by the start of 2027/28. Additionally, they are looking to save in their corporate divisions, where a further 700 roles are expected to close. They plan to make £33m of savings by the end of 27/28, with cuts to their national branches including BBC Wales. They expect the closure of around 250 posts in this first phase across the Nations, with 50 individuals at BBC Wales facing redundancy.
Impact on BBC Wales
In Wales, the BBC is aiming to save £9m, with around 50 roles set to be removed during the initial phase of the restructuring. BBC management said programme and staffing decisions would be guided by three key principles: maintaining content with the greatest audience impact, investing in services where audiences are increasingly consuming content, and simplifying the organisation to reduce duplication and speed up decision-making. At the time, staff were told that voluntary redundancy would be available, however compulsory redundancies may also be possible. They added that further announcements would follow in due time.
You can watch The Best of Weatherman Walking on BBC iPlayer or on BBC Two Wales at 1.30pm every Tuesday.
