When do the clocks go back in the UK? Here’s when the change is and why we change them

With autumn in full swing, nights are arriving earlier, and mornings take longer to brighten. Temperatures have also dropped significantly. As we settle into the season, many begin to wonder: do the clocks go back or forward? In autumn, clocks go back, and they won't change again until just before Easter next year.

The purpose of changing the clocks has often been questioned. According to Shell, ‘we change the clocks to make better use of natural daylight in the morning. During the summertime, we borrow an hour of daylight from the morning and shift it to the evening to reduce our energy consumption’.

This idea was first proposed by William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin, to allow people more daylight hours for outdoor activities and to save energy.

While some U.S. states and European countries have debated ending daylight saving time, the UK seems likely to continue with the twice-yearly clock change for now.

We will gain that hour at 2am on Sunday, October 27. Your smartphone and laptop will automatically adjust for the change however, analogue and digital clocks, as well as other clocks such as ovens and cars will need to be changed manually.