It is that time of year again, the ritual of trying to work out which of your electronic gadgets automatically adjusts for clock changes, and which do not. British summer time (BST) officially starts at 1am on Sunday 29 March, when the clocks go forward an hour to 2am.

With the country in lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, it will be one of the strangest clock changes in living memory. With time spent outside being limited, very few people will be able to take advantage of the extended sunlight hours, and any plans for long summer evenings lounging around outside socialising look like they will have to be postponed to next year.

Those living with small children and animals will know that time for them is somewhat of an arbitrary construct, and with kids out of school and out of their usual routine, who knows what time they will wake you up on Sunday morning.

Although the number of hours of daylight vary around the globe depedning on how far you are away from the equator – there is no real scientific basis for changing the clocks.

One of the foremost campaigners in the UK for the change was keen golfer William Willett in the early 20th century. He wanted the clocks changed so he could play longer into the evenings. He also turned out to be the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay’s Chris Martin (whose hits include Clocks). The change was first established in the UK more than 100 years ago under the Summer Time Act 1916, a year after Willett died. It was not motivated so much by golf, as by the idea that it might save energy costs during the first world war.

Many countries have been re-evaluating the practice. The European parliament recently voted to scrap it at an EU level, leaving it up to national governments to decide. It could potentially lead to a timezone split on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at some points of the year.

EU member states will be able to choose whether to remain on “permanent summer” or “permanent winter” time. Countries that want to be permanently on summer time will adjust their clocks for the final time on the last Sunday in March 2021. Those that opt for permanent winter time will change their clocks for the final time on the last Sunday of October 2021.

Despite recent surveys suggesting more than 80% of Britons would quite like to abolish daylight saving time, there does not seem to be any great political will to do so, and it is unlikely to be high on anybody’s agenda during the coronavirus crisis.

We can look forward to regaining an hour’s sleep when the clocks go back again as BST ends on Sunday 25 October. And by then, hopefully we’ll be able to go outside to appreciate the difference it makes.