Don't forget to put your clocks back tonight as British Summer Time officially ends this evening.
It's that time of the year when people ask questions such as "When do the clocks go back?" and "Do the clocks go back tonight?"
Marking the end of British Summer Time (BST), the clocks go back on the last Sunday of October, giving us an extra hour in bed.
This year, BST ends tonight in the early hours of Sunday, October 27, 2024.
What time do the clocks change tonight?
Clocks go back 60 minutes tonight, from 2am to 1am.
The change means we gain an extra hour in bed — as the country switches from British Summer Time (BST) to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Most modern devices connected to the internet — such as smartphones, laptops and other digital devices — will change the time automatically. However, traditional watches and clocks will have to be changed manually and put back an hour.
An easy way to remember which way the clocks change is to think of the seasons — in spring clocks ‘spring forward', when we lose an hour in bed, and they 'fall back' in autumn, when we gain an extra hour in bed.
Currently in the UK, clocks go forward one hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, and go back one hour at 2am on the final Sunday of October.
What is British Summer Time?
British Summer Time (BST) is the period when clocks are one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
This is also called 'Daylight Saving Time'. Daylight saving, or summer time, is a mechanism to make the most of increased summer daylight hours in the northern hemisphere.
As a result, there’s more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings.
When the clocks go back an hour — as they do tonight when British Summer Times ends — the UK reverts to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
- BST is GMT +1 hour.
The decision to change the clocks on a Saturday night/Sunday morning was made because it would be the least disruptive option for schools and businesses.
An early advocate of British Summer Time was William Willett — the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay star Chris Martin. One of Coldplay's hit singles was even called 'Clocks'.
Willett died in 1915. A year later, Parliament passed the Summer Time Act in May 1916, which established the practice of putting the clocks forward an hour during the summer months.
Double Summer Time — GMT + 2 hours — was temporarily introduced in the UK during World War Two.
For more on the history of when the clocks go forward and back, visit the Royal Museums Greenwich website at www.rmg.co.uk/when-do-clocks-go-back
When do the clocks change in 2025?
According to www.gov.uk/when-do-the-clocks-change, clocks will go forward again in 2025 on Sunday, March 30.
Clocks will go back in the autumn of 2025 on Sunday, October 26 when we revert to Greenwich Mean Time.
In 2026, clocks go forward on March 29. Clocks go back again in 2026 on October 25.
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