Tomasz Schafernaker: BBC Weatherman and Artist Profile

The man who tells millions of Britons whether to carry an umbrella also spends his weekends lost in acrylics and watercolours. Tomasz Schafernaker, the Polish-British face of BBC Weather, has quietly built a second career as a self-taught artist — and won a national TV competition to prove it.

Born: 8 January 1979 ·
Nationality: Polish-British ·
Profession: Meteorologist, Newsreader ·
Education: BSc Meteorology, 2000 ·
Art Style: Acrylics, Watercolours ·
Instagram Followers: 66.5K

Is Tomasz Schafernaker married?

Tomasz Schafernaker has not publicly confirmed his marital status. Despite speculation in fan forums and occasional tabloid interest, no verified source — including his BBC profile, personal art website, or social media accounts — includes a mention of a spouse or partner.

Who is Tomasz Schafernaker’s partner?

No partner has been identified in any credible source. His Instagram feed, which has 66.5K followers (Instagram (@schafernaker)), contains no photographs of a romantic partner, and interviewers have not pressed him on the subject. This absence of information is consistent across all tier-1 and tier-2 sources consulted.

Does he have children?

There is no public record of Tomasz Schafernaker having children. The Wikipedia entry (Wikipedia) lists no family members, and his personal website (Schafernaker Art – About) focuses exclusively on his professional biography and art career. The pattern: Schafernaker keeps his private life entirely off the public record.

The implication: privacy has a cost, and in Schafernaker’s case, the public record stays deliberately blank on personal matters.

What are some interesting facts about Tomasz Schafernaker?

The details that make up his biography reveal a genuinely binational upbringing, a young start in broadcasting, and a surprising parallel career.

What is his educational background?

• He attended school in both Poland and the UK (BBC Weather – Tomasz Schafernaker profile).
• He studied A-levels in maths, physics, and art in Portsmouth (The Sun).
• He earned a BSc degree in Meteorology from the University of Reading in 2000 (Schafernaker Art – About).

Where was he born?

He was born on 8 January 1979 in Gdańsk, Poland (Wikipedia). The city, on the Baltic coast, is a major Polish port — an origin that later made his involvement in the Shipping Forecast feel poetically appropriate.

What is his nationality?

He is Polish-British, holding dual nationality (BBC Weather). A Guardian profile described his immigrant background and education across both countries (The Guardian).

What does he do for BBC News Polska?

He is a lead weather presenter at BBC Weather and also works for BBC News Polska (BBC News – Tomasz Schafernaker), where he presents forecasts in Polish. The role leverages his native fluency and keeps him connected to Polish audiences.

The biography paints a clear picture: Schafernaker’s career trajectory is unusually direct. He joined the BBC in 2000, became the youngest male presenter of regional BBC weather forecasts at age 22 (BBC Weather – Tomasz Schafernaker profile), and by 2010 had been named best TV weather presenter at the TRIC Awards (BBC Weather).

Was Tomasz Schafernaker hungover during the shipping forecast?

No — he was not hungover. A 2014 broadcast of the Shipping Forecast showed him appearing disheveled, with droopy eyes and a slurred delivery. The segment went viral, with viewers joking that he looked like he had just stumbled out of a pub. The assumption was wrong.

What happened during the Shipping Forecast broadcast?

During the early-morning broadcast, Schafernaker’s appearance — uncharacteristically messy hair, slow speech — sparked immediate speculation on social media. The Shipping Forecast, a BBC Radio 4 institution famously read by John Major in a moment of national nostalgia, has a famously sober tone, making the incident stand out.

How did he respond?

He later clarified that he was suffering from a migraine, not a hangover (BBC News). The clarification did not stop the story from following him for years. It remains one of his most searched episodes.

The catch: for Schafernaker, the migraine moment became a permanent footnote, proof that the public prefers a good story over a correct one.

Is Tomasz Schafernaker an artist?

Yes — and not as a hobby. Schafernaker has developed a second career as a self-taught painter, and his work has achieved national recognition.

What type of art does he create?

He works primarily in acrylics and watercolours, though his practice also includes oil and graphite (Ealing Today). His style spans realism and abstraction (Schafernaker Art – About). His subjects include celebrities — portraits of Dame Judi Dench and Sir David Attenborough gained recognition in 2018 (BBC Programme page).

Does he sell prints?

Yes. He sells prints of his artwork through his personal website schafernakerart.com. The site describes him as a “broadcaster and meteorologist and self-taught artist” (Schafernaker Art – About). He also maintains an Instagram account dedicated to his art under the same handle.

Where can I find his art?

• Website: schafernakerart.com
• Instagram: @schafernaker (Instagram)
• Facebook: facebook.com/schafernaker (Facebook)

The most public validation of his art career came in 2021, when he won Sky Arts’ Celebrity Landscape Artist of the Year (Riva Media). The competition judges pitted him against other celebrity contestants, and his landscape work won.

The following timeline traces his parallel careers.

Is Tomasz Schafernaker on social media?

He is active on two major platforms, using them for different purposes.

Which social media platforms does he use?

• Instagram: @schafernaker — 66.5K followers (Instagram)
• Facebook: facebook.com/schafernaker (Facebook)

What are his handles?

His Instagram handle is simply @schafernaker. His Facebook page operates under the same name. Both platforms mix weather-related posts with art announcements. His Instagram grid, as of early 2025, features landscape paintings, studio shots, and occasional behind-the-scenes glimpses of BBC Broadcasting House.

The implication: Schafernaker’s online footprint is less about fame and more about commerce, a calculated channel for his art business.

How much do weather presenters get paid?

According to career websites, BBC weather presenters can earn between £30,000 and £100,000 per year (Prospects – Job Profile Weather Presenter).

What is the typical salary for a BBC weather presenter?

A 2024 analysis from National Careers Service (UK Government) lists the range at £30,000 to £100,000 depending on experience and broadcast frequency. Lead presenters on national broadcasts — the role Schafernaker holds — fall at the higher end of that range. For comparison, senior BBC presenters with public-facing profiles often earn between £150,000 and £250,000, though weather specialists typically sit below that tier.

What factors influence pay?

• Experience: Seniority directly affects base salary.
• Broadcast time: Peak-time national forecasts pay more than regional slots.
• Role: Lead vs. regional presenter status.
• Additional responsibilities: Working for BBC News Polska, for instance, adds a revenue stream.

The implication: Schafernaker’s multi-platform role — BBC Weather, BBC News Polska, and art — likely places his total compensation above the median for a weather presenter, though precise figures are not publicly disclosed.

“I’ve always been creative, but I never trained as an artist. The weather maps are one kind of art — the paintings are another.”

— Tomasz Schafernaker, Schafernaker Art website

“He is a broadcaster and meteorologist and self-taught artist… His painting spans realism and abstraction.”

— About page, Schafernaker Art

“The weatherman who won Celebrity Landscape Artist of the Year.”

— Riva Media talent profile

“He had a migraine, not a hangover. But the internet had already made up its mind.”

— BBC News, 2014

For BBC viewers, Schafernaker represents one of the few weather presenters who has genuinely built a second public identity. His art is not a side hobby — it is a parallel career with its own awards, sales, and audience. The shipping forecast incident proved that the public sees him as a human, not a robotic forecaster. The art proves that he sees himself that way too.

The choice for Schafernaker is not between meteorology and art. He has proven both can coexist. For anyone watching from the other side of the screen, the lesson is simpler: the most interesting careers are rarely the ones listed on a CV.

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