How to use the online alarm clock
While you wait for the scheduled cue, keep an eye on 12:52 am as you prepare the studio for the BBC morning broadcast. The remaining eight minutes can cover a final check of microphones, headphones and the running sheet before 1:00 am, without letting the appointed moment slip past unnoticed.
For a studio handover, the useful test is whether the signal works before anyone depends on it. Set the alarm for 12:52 am, leave the sound audible, and use an earlier test alert if you need to confirm that it can be heard above the control-room equipment. A browser alarm cannot safeguard the studio cue after it stops running, so use a separate alarm as backup if the computer may sleep or the browser session may end.
During this late-night broadcast preparation, choose food and drink that will not occupy your hands or risk the desk near the controls. Water in a closed bottle and a small, tidy snack are easier to manage while watching the clock; leave a full meal, hot drink or anything crumbly until the 1:00 am checks are complete and the studio is settled.
Common questions
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
What happens if my laptop goes to sleep before 12:52 am?
The tab sleeps along with it and the alarm will not sound on time, if at all. If you are relying on it, change the power settings so the machine stays awake, or keep a phone alarm running as well.
Do I need an account or an app?
Neither. Choose a time and a sound, press Start, and it runs in this browser tab. Nothing is downloaded, nothing is registered, and closing the page leaves nothing behind on the device.
Cookie policy