Gavin & Stacey's very own Ruth Jones will use her iconic Welsh tones as Vanessa "Nessa" Jenkins to present a special reading of the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year’s Day. It's a centenary bash for the programme, which first aired back in October 1925, and they're pulling out all the stops with former Coronation Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh, Stephen Fry, Line Of Duty's Adrian Dunbar, and sailing legend Dame Ellen MacArthur also joining the line up.
Ruth joked: "Nessa has got quite a colourful history and one of her jobs was on the high seas. The Shipping Forecast was always very important and useful to her." On Christmas Day, Gavin & Stacey sailed to success, hooking in an average audience of 12.3 million in its final episode as loveable Smithy (James Corden) raced to Southampton Dock to stop Nessa from returning to sea.
Trevor Harrison, known for his role as Eddie Grundy in The Archers, is set to read the forecast from 21 November, 2021 – a significant date when his character and Clarrie Grundy (played by Heather Bell) reaffirmed their love with a vow renewal. Meanwhile, sailing legend Dame Ellen MacArthur will take listeners back to 1 June 1995, as she reads the forecast from the day she embarked on her maiden solo voyage around Britain, a prelude to her record-breaking global circumnavigation in 2005.
Annoucing the line up, Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya said: "The Shipping Forecast is one of our national treasures. So I’m delighted that we are cracking a bottle against the hull to launch 100 years of the Shipping Forecast on the BBC with a special schedule of programming on New Year’s Day."
He added, "As well as providing crucial information for seafarers over the years, the Shipping Forecast is also a cherished ritual that distils the essence of Radio 4 for so many of our listeners. It is also a moment for those great, unsung heroes and heroines of the Radio 4 schedule – the continuity announcers – to shine."
On 1 January 2025, the station will honour this 'national poem' with an array of engaging programmes, delighting listeners from Bailey to Viking, Biscay to South Utsire. Additionally, BBC presenter Paddy O’Connell will host a documentary titled A Beginner’s Guide, delving into the history of the forecast, while historian Jerry Brotton presents Archive On 4, exploring how Britain's maritime heritage has shaped the nation.
The Shipping Forecast, produced by the Met Office for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, celebrated its centenary this year. It was first broadcast on January 1, 1924 as a weather bulletin named Weather Shipping before moving to the BBC a year later.
