The clocks change this weekend. Here’s what you need to know

Virgin Radio

29 Oct 2021, 10:16

Considering we all change our clocks twice a year, every year, working out which direction to change them, and at what time, always feels far more complicated than it should. So here’s the information you need this weekend to ensure that you don’t end up oversleeping or getting up too early.

The simple way to remember which way to change your clocks is with the phrase ‘Spring forward, Fall back’, meaning that we put the clocks forward in Spring (at the end of March) and back in the Fall (end of October). Yes, we know that we say ‘Autumn’, not ‘Fall’, here, but ‘Spring Forward, Autumn back’ doesn’t quite work as well, does it? 

With it being Autumn, we therefore know that the clocks are set to go back, officially ending British Summer Time (BST) and starting Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This means that we get an extra hour’s sleep at the weekend and that the mornings will be lighter. Hooray! The pay-off for this, of course, is that the evenings are about to get a whole lot darker. Boo! 

The clocks officially go back at 2am on Sunday morning, October 31, meaning that 2am magically becomes 1am. 

So, in order to stay in the same time zone as the rest of us, and to avoid being an hour late for work and wondering why the TV guide seems to be completely wrong, you’ll need to put your clocks back by an hour. If you’re still up at 2am, then, firstly, well done for making the most of your Saturday night, and secondly, remember to change your watch/clocks then. The rest of us will need to do it either when we go to bed on Saturday night, or as soon as we get up on Sunday. 

These days, the majority of modern smart devices will change their time automatically, so you can probably leave your phone to look after itself. But it’s worth double-checking on Sunday morning. 

If you’re wondering why the clocks change, the main reason is to get the most out of the daylight. The first clock change was introduced by the German government all the way back in 1916 during the first world war as a means of saving energy. 

Enjoy your extra hour of sleep!