Climate change or natural phenomena? The Big Freeze of 1963 - TX 22Apr2023

Snow began falling on Boxing Day 1962 and barely stopped for the next 10 weeks.

Bone-chilling. Temperatures dipped to such extremes that rivers and even stretches of the sea froze. In Braemar, the temperature fell to -22.2C on January 18, 1963.

The Big Freeze: Winter ’63 revisited in new Channel 5 documentary

Why are we reminiscing?

A new Channel 5 documentary will re-examine what is described as "arguably the most devastating weather event to hit modern Britain".

It began on December 24, 1962, when a belt of rain over northern Scotland turned to snow as it moved south, giving Glasgow its first white Christmas since 1938. The snow-belt reached southern England on Boxing Day, settling up to 30cm (12in) deep in places.

Blizzard conditions in the days that followed saw roads and railways blocked, telephone lines brought down, and some villages cut off. Snow cover remained in many places well into March 1963.

The 90-minute film will feature vivid testimony from those who lived through it, including actor Dame Joanna Lumley, Countryfile presenter John Craven and record producer Pete Waterman.