Clocks go back an hour this Sunday as UK switches to winter time

Summarised from 4 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 24 Oct, 09:28 · Archive

The UK clocks will go back by one hour at 2am on Sunday, 25 October, marking the end of British Summer Time and the return to Greenwich Mean Time.

The clocks will go back one hour at 2am on Sunday, 25 October, switching the UK from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time. This means people will gain an extra hour in bed and may feel more refreshed on Sunday morning. The change marks the end of the lighter evenings of summer and the return of earlier darkness, with dusk arriving noticeably sooner during autumn and winter months.

The practice of changing the clocks twice yearly was introduced during World War One through the Summer Time Act of 1916, with the aim of maximising natural daylight hours and saving fuel for the war effort. The idea was first proposed in 1907 by William Willett, a British builder, who believed people were wasting valuable daylight by sleeping through morning hours. Germany actually implemented the change before the UK that same year.

Most electronic devices including smartphones will automatically adjust to the new time, though some older devices may require manual adjustment. The clocks will not go forward again for the return of British Summer Time until 28 March next year. This year the change occurs earlier than in 2025, when the clocks were moved back on 26 October.

While the extra hour in bed sounds appealing, the change can disrupt people's sleep patterns and mood. The British Sleep Society has previously called for an end to the seasonal changes, arguing that natural daylight in the morning plays an important role in sleep and health, and has backed keeping Greenwich Mean Time year-round. A survey of 2,000 adults found that nearly half of Gen Z and Millennials, 47 per cent, experience a noticeable dip in mood when the clocks change, more than twice the rate among Baby Boomers at 22 per cent.

There have been ongoing calls to abolish the tradition. If the UK were to stop changing the clocks, it would use Greenwich Mean Time for the whole year, completely ditching British Summer Time.

How it is being reported

• UK's controversial clock change - bizarre history and grave health warningAs Brits prepare for the clocks to go back this Sunday, we speak to experts on exactly why this accepted seasonal change came into being, and whether there's a better way of doing thingsThe Mirror · 24 Oct, 09:11
• Gen Z to struggle more than Boomers when the clocks go back as nearly half of younger Britons feel their mood plummetWith the clocks set to turn back tomorrow, a survey of 2,000 adults reveals a stark generational divide in how Britons cope with the shift to darker evenings. Nearly half of Gen Z and Millennials - 47 per cent - say they experience a noticeable dip in mood when the clocks change, making them more than twice as likely as Baby Boomers to struggle with the transition. By contrast, just 22 per cent of the older generation reported a similar slump. The findings, based on OnePoll.com data commissioned by Plants & Flowers Foundation Holland, suggest that younger adults are significantly more…GB News · 24 Oct, 08:07
• Households urged to follow ‘military method’ as clocks go backHouseholds will gain an extra hour in bed as the clocks go back for winter.Daily Express · 24 Oct, 07:48
• Clocks go back tonight – do we get an extra hour of sleep?We have all just lost an hour in bed.Metro · 24 Oct, 07:00
• Should the UK scrap Daylight Saving? Take our poll and have your sayThe UK have continued the twice-annual clock change ritual since 1916, it allows a cheeky extra hour in bed but over the decades there have been calls to abolish the traditionThe Mirror · 23 Oct, 08:11
• Clocks set to go back soon as Brits face darker evenings – exact time they changeNights are drawing in as we are now well into autumn and we will soon see the clocks turn back an hour which will give Brits an extra hour in bedThe Mirror · 22 Oct, 22:17
• Changing the clocks for British winter time disrupts our brains, warns expertWhen you turn the clocks back by an hour at 2am on Sunday, you may relish the extra hour in bed, but a neuroscientist warns that your biological clock will be in turmoilThe Mirror · 22 Oct, 17:33

In this story: United Kingdom · William Willett · British Summer Time · Greenwich Mean Time · British Sleep Society

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