Dizzying NZ graphics stir up storm on BBC television

TVNZ’s Karen Olsen with the contentious graphics. Picture / One News

New Zealand-produced graphics for the BBC television's weather service have created a storm of controversy in Britain.

Viewers bombarded a BBC internet site yesterday complaining about the graphics - used every night by TVNZ on One News - which replace the BBC's old stationary "cloud" and "rain" symbols with shadow sweeping across the country and a bird's eye camera that zooms in on different regions.

Many said the new format was confusing and some complained that by trying to show the curve of the Earth's surface, the BBC had made it difficult to see what was going on in Scotland and northern England.

Others complained that the BBC had turned England's green and pleasant land a muddy shade of brown.

Last March, New Zealand's MetService sold the homegrown TV weather graphics package to the BBC in a multimillion-dollar deal.

The package - Weatherscape XT - is the latest version of software developed by the MetService using 3D animation and graphics.

New Zealand beat off competition from Europe and North America to close the deal.

The BBC is using the software for all its national and regional channels, as well as BBC World and its internet site.

Network Nine in Australia and stations in Europe, Dubai, Turkey, Beirut, Saudi Arabia and Asia already use the software.

However, Britons appear to be unimpressed.

"Appalling. What an absolute mess," wrote Jim from Glasgow. "Even my 11-year-old daughter thought it was awful and she loves weather programmes."

Ann Walker, from Stratford-on-Avon, said: "My husband, who suffers from vertigo, found the constant movement made him feel quite dizzy."

Danny Vallance, from Ayr, was also offended.

"Coming from Scotland, I am obviously very disappointed in the slanting map which gives England and Wales precedence," he wrote.

Some viewers, however, welcomed the change. "Brilliant! I love them. Well done the BBC," wrote Mark Riley from London.

"Who cares about Scotland?" he added. "It is always raining there anyway."

At the time of the sale, State Owned Enterprises Minister Mark Burton hailed the deal as a "huge" achievement and further proof of New Zealand's innovation, creativity and technical prowess in the wake of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

MetService chief executive John Lumsden earlier said the launch was the culmination of the company's biggest television project ever, and one of the biggest of its kind in the world.

- NZPA