Set the alarm clock for 4:59 am

Leave this tab open — the alarm only rings while the tab stays open.

The alarm goes off in: ::

You can also try the other alarm clocks

Alarm clock for 4:57 am Alarm clock for 4:58 am

Going to bed for a 4:59 am alarm

Asleep by 7:44 pm — 6 full sleep cycles, about 9 hours
Asleep by 9:14 pm — 5 full sleep cycles, about 7 hours
Asleep by 10:44 pm — 4 full sleep cycles, about 6 hours

A sleep cycle runs about 90 minutes, and most people take around 15 minutes to drop off. Waking at the end of a cycle feels easier than waking in the middle of one.

4:59 am across the country

London	4:59 am
Birmingham	4:59 am
Manchester	4:59 am
Glasgow	4:59 am
Belfast	4:59 am

Times are worked out live in your browser, so daylight saving is already accounted for.

How to use the online alarm clock

Waking at 4:59 am gives you a quiet minute to gather yourself before preparing the studio for the BBC’s morning broadcast. At 5:00 am, you can move from the bedside into the practical routine: wash, dress, check your travel time and arrive ready for the first technical checks rather than trying to plan them while half-awake.

For this alarm, confirm that its sound is coming from the speaker you expect before going to sleep. Headphones can remain connected without you noticing, sending the alert somewhere too quiet to wake you. Set a short test alarm, remove or disconnect the headphones afterwards, and leave the volume at a level you have already heard clearly. Keep the alarm page active and the computer awake overnight; otherwise the studio preparation may begin late because a browser alarm cannot sound once its page has been closed or the computer has gone to sleep.

Before an early BBC shift, keep the room dim while you check the alarm, but make the time easy to read without holding a bright screen close to your eyes. Lower the display brightness, use the night setting, and place the phone where one glance is enough. That reduces fumbling in the darkness while still letting you confirm 4:59 am accurately.

Common questions

Will it still be right when the clocks change?

Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.

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 4:59 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.