Calum MacDonald and William Tinning
What a shower. The BBC came in for a cyclone of criticism yesterday after a weatherman described the Western Isles as "nowheresville".
Viewers complained after Tomasz Schafernaker used the description during two weather bulletins at the weekend.
During the forecasts on BBC1 and BBC News 24 the meteorologist said there would be rain in the the north-west of Scotland. He then added that it would be "mainly in the Western Isles, mainly in nowheresville".
Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil said he had been contacted by some angry constituents who were offended at how their part of Britain had been portrayed.
He said one complainer described Mr Schafernaker's comment as "insulting, ignorant and self-satisfied".
Mr MacNeil said: "I think this is symptomatic of the wider attitude the BBC have of the hiding of Scotland - they seem to have stopped reporting on the geographical entirety of the UK."
Archie Campbell, Labour councillor for North Uist, said he was "staggered" that anyone in such a position would talk about any part of the UK in those terms.
He said: "The BBC weather forecasters should be reminded that the piece of land we live on is the equivalent length in distance from the centre of Glasgow to the centre of Newcastle."
A BBC spokeswoman said they had received 11 complaints about the comment.
Last night, Mr Schafernaker said: "On the spur of the moment, I pointed to a mountainous area and referred to it as nowheresville'.
"My intention was only to convey that very few people were likely to catch a shower on that day. It was in no way a comment or opinion on the area or the people that live there. I deeply regret my choice of words and fully understand why it offended viewers."
In 2005 the BBC had to change its new 3D weather map after viewers and politicians complained that it made Scotland appear small and distant.
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