The Timeless Magic of the Shipping Forecast By Charlie Connelly
There is something very special about the shipping forecast.
Granted, I probably would say that having travelled through all 31 of its sea areas and put together the stage show ‘Attention All Shipping: A Celebration of the Shipping Forecast’ in tribute to it, which is coming to the Rosehill Theatre in Whitehaven on 6 October.
Biased I may be, but it is impossible to deny that what began as a niche weather forecast written in obscure terminology has become something much more, embedding itself in our national consciousness to inspire poets, artists, musicians and writers – as well as becoming a nightly haven for insomniacs.
The forecast is easing into a second century following the 100th anniversary two years ago of its first broadcast, which took place on New Year’s Day in 1924.
Not many radio programmes can claim a centenary, so what is it about the shipping forecast that has produced such extraordinary longevity and popularity?
For one thing, I am convinced the shipping forecast is one of our finest national achievements, perhaps even the finest – a conclusion I’ve reached for a number of reasons.
Most importantly, for all the romance that has become attached to it over the years it is vital to remember that the forecast is there to save lives.
By warning mariners of impending storms and high seas, the shipping forecast has prevented countless tragedies over the last 100 years; the number of lives saved and disasters prevented cannot even be guessed at.
A crucial warning system for generations of sailors, the forecast remains effectively a broadcasting lighthouse, sweeping its beam around our waters, reliable and regular, keeping people safe.
It doesn’t matter who you are, either. You can be a crusty old seadog chugging out of the harbour in your salty old tub or a billionaire on your superyacht, your life is worth the same as anyone else’s when it comes to the shipping forecast. There are not many examples of selfless, unimpeachable goodness in the world today; the shipping forecast is definitely one of them.
The litany of the 31 sea areas begins with Viking, close to the coast of Norway, passes down the North Sea, heads west along the English Channel, sweeps down to Portugal, turns north to zigzag around Ireland before taking in our northern isles and finishing way out in the Atlantic at South-East Iceland.
The map surrounds us because the sea surrounds us, the forecast becoming a watery beating of the national bounds, a reminder that we are an island nation forged by the sea.
The shipping forecast requires the very best of the English language, bound by strict rules of composition, composed with such concision there is not a spare word yet stillmanaging to be lyrical, rhythmic and poetic.
Like the clues in a cryptic crossword, once you know how it works the shipping forecast is much easier to understand than you might expect.
Each area forecast is divided into three parts. First there is the wind; its direction and predicted strength using the Beaufort Scale: “north-westerly gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later”, for example.
Then we hear the expected precipitation followed by thepredicted level of visibility, which is why you sometimes hearthe curious claim “rain, good”.
Despite its brevity and the limited range of its terminology,the innate lilt and rhythm of the forecast has inspired poems by the likes of Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy, not to mention songs by musicians like Blur and Radiohead,cementing the forecast’s place as a beloved cultural phenomenon.
Happily, the shipping forecast means just as much to the BBC announcers who read it as it does to those of us who listen.
“When I’m ancient and boring people to death about my younger days, I’ll still be talking about the shipping forecast,” Radio 4’s Corrie Corfield told me one day in the windowless depths of a BBC studio.
“It’s so beautifully written and such a joy to read,” she said. “Every single word is important because every single word has been pored over to ensure there is nothing superfluous.”
Charlotte Green, another legendary voice of the shipping forecast, attracted rare levels of devotion from listeners.
“I used to get Valentine cards from sailors,” she told me. “They would write me poems. I still have them all.”
On my travels with ‘Attention All Shipping’ I’ve met an extraordinary range of people for whom the shipping forecast means something very special, from pop stars to rear admirals, mariners to confirmed landlubbers.
All of them agree that the shipping forecast represents the very best of us. That’s why I am delighted to help celebrate this remarkable institution with a one-man stage show as it embarks on a second century.
Charlie Connelly’s ‘Attention All Shipping: A Celebration of the Shipping Forecast’ is at The Rosehill Theatre in Whitehaven on 6 October. Tickets from www.rosehilltheatre.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01946 692422.
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