There is something very special about the Shipping Forecast.
Granted, I probably would say that having travelled through all 31 of its sea areas, written a book about it and put together the stage show Attention All Shipping: A Celebration of the Shipping Forecast in tribute to it, which is coming to the Theatre Royal in Winchester on Friday, June 7.
I may be biased, but it is impossible to deny that what began as a niche weather forecast written in niche language has become something much, much more, embedding itself in our wider culture to inspire poets, artists, musicians and writers as well as becoming a nightly haven for insomniacs.
This is a big year for the shipping forecast. Broadcast for the first time on January 1, 1924, the iron horse of the radio schedule is currently enjoying its 100th birthday.
Not many radio programmes can boast a centenary, so what is it about the shipping forecast that has produced such extraordinary longevity?
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.
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Most importantly, for all the romance that has become attached to it is vital to remember that the forecast is there to save lives.
By warning mariners of impending storms, gales and high seas the shipping forecast has prevented countless tragedies over the last 100 years. The number of lives saved as a result can only be guessed at.
A vital warning system for generations of sailors, the forecast remains effectively a broadcasting lighthouse, sweeping its beam around our waters, reliable and regular, trying to keep people safe.
It doesn’t matter who you are, either. Whether you’re a crusty old seadog chugging out of the harbour in your salty tub or a stockbroker on your sleek and fancy new yacht your life is just as precious as anyone else’s. All lives are equal in the eyes of the shipping forecast.
As well as this vital primary function, the shipping forecast reminds us we are a maritime nation surrounded by water.
The litany of the 31 sea areas begins with Viking, close to the coast of Norway, passes down through 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 to finish way out in the north Atlantic at South-East Iceland.
The map surrounds us because the sea surrounds us, the forecast becoming a watery beating of the national bounds.
The shipping forecast also requires the very best of the English language, written in a form so concise there is not a spare word yet also managing to be lyrical, rhythmic and poetic despite strict rules of composition and vocabulary.
Like the clues in a cryptic crossword, once you know how it works the shipping forecast is much easier to understand than you might think.
Each area forecast is divided into three parts. First there is the wind; the direction it’s coming from and the predicted strength using the Beaufort Scale: “north-westerly gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 later”, for example.
Then come the expected weather conditions followed by the predicted level of visibility, which is why you sometimes hear the curious claim “rain later, good”.
Precision is vital: the forecast cannot be longer than 350 words.
Despite these constraints, 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 helping to expand the forecast into a much wider cultural phenomenon.
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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 in the BBC Radio 4 studio one day.
“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.”
Another legendary voice of the shipping forecast, Charlotte Green, 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 living miles from the coast.
All of them agree that the shipping forecast represents the very best of us. That’s why, in its centenary year, I am delighted to help celebrate a unique, remarkable institution.
This piece was written by Charlie Connelly, who is bringing his show Attention All Shipping: A Celebration of the Shipping Forecast to the Theatre Royal Winchester on June 7 at 7.30pm. Tickets are currently available from the Theatre Royal website or by calling 01962 840 440.
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