It’s an unwritten rule of broadcasting that if you want people to take something seriously, make sure that it isn’t shaped like a penis. Unfortunately for some struggling British meteorologists, this rule was broken this week by an unfortunately shaped cloud languishing over southern England.
The heavy rainclouds, which were reported by BBC Essex, made their way into a now-viral tweet. Although the original photo was undoubtedly intended to make viewers sit up and take notice - warning viewers of “More heavy showers across Essex overnight” - it didn’t take long for the internet to spot an opportunity for mischief. In a matter of minutes, Twitter was awash with willy jokes. For shame.
Predictably, almost all of the 35,000 or so retweets and comments centered around the unfortunate appearance of the ominous clouds. As one traumatized Essex local put it, “As a resident of Southend on sea I think I’m somewhere between the shaft & the ballsack”. Many more simply shared shocked memes, or helpfully filled in the rest of the weather map with a few graphic illustrations.
Check out the Storm Dennis Weather Map on TV:Anyone who enjoys a local news gaffe will be well aware that this isn’t the first time that penises have got in the way of some serious weather reporting. Earlier this year, in fact, another BBC report on Storm Dennis was interrupted by what looked like a huge orange cock hovering over Wales, understandably driving viewers to distraction.
In fact, whatever field you’re working in, if you want to create something that’s going to simultaneously achieve viral fame whilst also being instantly forgettable apart from one key detail, making it look like a penis is definitely a good way to go. Obviously, the weather can’t help that we all have the mind of a 10-year-old. But it’s definitely a good way to slip under the radar if you want the main message to go undetected.
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