‘Nessa’ to read Shipping forecast on New Year’s Day

Starting 2025 with a splash, BBC Radio 4 will mark 100 years of the Shipping Forecast on the BBC with a full day of special programming on New Year’s Day which will see Ruth Jones, best known as Nessa from Gavin and Stacey, join the festivities in character.

“Nessa has quite a colorful history, including time spent on the high seas. The Shipping Forecast was always very important and useful to her,” said Ruth.

Trevor Harrison, the voice of The Archers’ Eddie Grundy, will read the forecast from 21 November 2021, a memorable date when Eddie and Clarrie renewed their wedding vows. Dame Ellen MacArthur, an icon of the sailing world, will read the forecast from 1 June 1995, the day she embarked on her Round Britain voyage and first solo adventure.

Other well-known figures lending their voices include actors Julie Hesmondhalgh, Stephen Fry, and Adrian Dunbar, as well as comedian Paul Sinha, poet Imtiaz Dharker, and writers Ian McMillan and Val McDermid. Damon Albarn, frontman of Blur, will also participate, drawing on his creative connection to the Shipping Forecast, which inspired Blur’s song This Is a Low.

In The Shipping Postcards, five Radio 4 continuity announcers—familiar voices of the forecast—will explore iconic locations like Lundy, Dogger, Forth, Irish Sea, and Wight, bringing these evocative names to life through audio postcards.

The day’s schedule includes A Beginner’s Guide, where Paddy O’Connell delves into the maritime history of the forecast. Jerry Brotton’s Archive on 4 will explore how Britain’s maritime heritage continues to shape the nation, even as the ships fade from view.

In A Haven, listeners will hear stories from around the globe about the late-night Shipping Forecast, a cherished ritual that closes Radio 4’s daily broadcast at 00:48. Meanwhile, Sea Like a Mirror will examine the Beaufort Scale’s fascinating history, capturing its poetic attempt to describe the power of the wind.

Regular programmes will join the celebrations, with Soul Music featuring stories behind Sailing By and Front Row hosting a live event beneath the historic Cutty Sark in Greenwich, celebrating the forecast through literature, music, and sound.

The schedule also includes Solomon Browne, a poetic drama-documentary commemorating the Penlee lifeboat disaster 40 years on, and Seaborne, a gripping portrayal by Irish author Nuala O’Connor of 18th-century pirate Anne Bonny.

Radio 4 Controller Mohit Bakaya shared his enthusiasm: “The Shipping Forecast is one of our national treasures. I’m thrilled we’re launching 100 years of this iconic broadcast with a special New Year’s Day schedule. It’s both a vital source of maritime information and a cherished ritual for many. On January 1st, we’ll honor this ‘national poem’ with a day of captivating programmes, celebrating everything from Bailey to Viking, Biscay to South Utsire, and all points in between.”