CLOCKS change across the nation change twice a year and either give a nice surprise as we get an extra hour in bed or steal a precious hour of sleep from us, depending on the season.
The concept of changing the clocks isn't unique to the UK but it does have an intriguing history.
When do the clocks change?
Clocks change across the UK change twice a year – either going an hour forward or an hour back.
Clocks go forward an hour on the last Sunday of March, marking the start of British Summer Time (BST).
Though it means losing an hour of precious sleep on the night of the change, it also means we gain an extra hour of daylight in the evenings.
This is also referred to as Daylight Savings Time.
In autumn, usually around the end of October, the clocks then go back to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
This means we get an hour more daylight in the morning – and we get back that extra hour in bed.
To avoid any confusion over which way the clocks go in what season, the handy phrase "spring forward, fall back" is there to remind you.
Most smartphones update the time automatically but analogue clocks, and clocks on things like ovens and cars, will need to be changed manually.
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Why do the clocks change?
The clocks are changed to make better use of the daylight and is a concept that actually first suggested by the US Founding father Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century.
New Zealand entomologist George Hudson then picked up the idea in 1895 and used it to make sure he'd have more time to go bug hunting in summer.
William Willett (who happens to be the great-great grandfather of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin) introduced the idea of "saving" daylight in UK Parliament.
Winston Churchill and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were early supporters of the idea and it was officially adopted in 1916.
Sadly, Willett died the year before so never got to see it in action.
Approximately 70 countries around the world use Daylight Saving Time, though there has been as many as 140 in the past.
The European parliament voted to scrap the twice-yearly custom of changing the clocks in March 2019 meaning that, from 2021, most member states had to choose to stay on either permanent summer or winter time.
What would happen if the clocks didn't change?
Scrapping clock changes and adopting permanent time zones would have significant consequences for a number of industries, such as agriculture and aviation.
It would also mean that the British public would have to accustom to darker evenings in the summer and darker mornings in the (already tough) winter.
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The issue has been debated in parliament and the government concluded that there is no need to abolish the practice.
According to a YouGov poll from 2019 most Brits (59%), indicated they would prefer to stay on permanent summer time if we did stop changing the clocks.
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