There aren’t many sports in which the presence of a meteorologist on the panel of pundits would come in handy. Whilst some lower league football matches have ended up being cancelled because of snow and storms, they can have an impact on the likelihood of any sport playing, it is perhaps horse racing that is the most likely to benefit from the presence of someone who knows their weather in the studio. That might well help to explain why it is that Lucy Verasamy went from covering the weather to becoming part of the ITV Racing team when it returned to the screens.
Lucy Verasamy as a Media Personality
Lucy Verasamy has been part of the media landscape almost from the moment that she graduated from Brunel University in 2001. That is thanks to the fact that she trained and worked as a meteorologist at the weather centre of the Press Association, which later became Meteogroup. She would write both national and international weather forecasts for the likes of television and radio broadcasts, as well as for newspapers. Having enjoyed a work experience placement with the Sky Weather Centre, she later became the regular weather presenter for Sunrise on Sky News.
In 2007, Sky News decided to launch a new feature called Climate Clinic – Ask Lucy on the channel’s website, done as part of a Green Britain campaign. In it, Verasamy would answer questions sent in by members of the public around the subject of climate change. In addition to that, she would also write for the Sky News blog The Weather Girls. When ITV launched its new breakfast programme, Daybreak, Verasamy decided to leave Sky News in order to become the weather forecaster and environmental correspondent with Kirsty McCabe.
Two years after the pair started presenting the weather, McCabe left, meaning that Verasamy was the sole weather forecaster for Daybreak. Around six months after McCabe’s departure, Verasamy also left the programme. It didn’t take long before she was offered the national weather forecaster role with the broadcaster, which she has carried out ever since. It isn’t the only thing that she does for ITV, however. The national broadcaster has obviously worked out that she is a strong personality, getting her to appear in numerous different TV shows as a result.
In the March of 2020, for example, Verasamy was chosen as the co-presenter alongside Phillip Schofield for a travel show to be entitled How to Spend it Well on Holiday. When the health crisis of the time resulted in the country locking down, however, it was pulled. In the November, she started presenting a digital series for ITV alongside Laura Tobin and Alex Beresford called Climate Crisis: Our Changing World. She was also picked as the person to front the ‘Fresh Market Update’ advertising campaign for Marks & Spencer’s, showing the numerous producer locations used by the supermarket.
Verasamy & ITV Racing
In the October of 2016, ITV confirmed its full line-up of presenters for when the broadcaster would take over the terrestrial coverage of horse racing. Most of the names were far from a surprise to the majority of people, given the fact that they had long been working as presenters in the world of horse racing. Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani were confirmed as the main presenters, whilst Matt Chapman would chime in with segments about the betting that was taking place on each race. Richard Hoiles was announced as the main commentator, with Mark Johnson as his number two.
A number of former jockeys were to be employed as experts, such as Jason Weaver, Luke Harvey and Mick Fitzgerald. Reporters would also rove the courses, like Alice Plunkett, informing the watching public about the feeling on the racecourse. The most surprising name, however, was undoubtedly that of Lucy Verasamy, who was confirmed as a member of the team to offer her insights into what the weather would be doing. Anyone who has ever placed a bet on a horse race will know of the importance of the weather, which is one of the greatest influences on the Going.
There was also a hope from ITV that Verasamy would be able to bring a younger crowd with her. Given the fact that a forecast is a type of wager, ITV used her as a foil for Chapman as he discussed the various bets that people could place. Those watching from home and placing a bet on the outcome of a race will have listened carefully to what Verasamy had to say, given the manner in which the weather can impact a horse race in numerous different ways. She has used her training as a meteorologist to inform punters about the goings-on ever since.