The BBC
Why We Love The Shipping Forecast
Project Scrapbook
About our partners
The BBC is an iconic British institution and the Shipping Forecast, which is broadcast on BBC Radio 4, is an essential guide to weather conditions and visibility for the seas around Great Britain. It’s also a British institution, enjoyed by mariners and land lubbers alike. Like the BBC it is a fundamental part of the cultural fabric of Britain.
The film
The Shipping Forecast is issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. When we were asked by the BBC to make this film it was celebrating it's 150 year old birthday.
To many it’s a reassuring, poetic reminder of our island nation. To those whose work depends on the high seas, it can be a lifeline. In the words of one yachtsman: "It's more than just a shipping forecast - It's iconic and beautiful".
Read by Radio 4 announcer Chris Aldridge, you will discover how its strict format, which gives clear instructions on general weather conditions, gale warnings and more detailed local conditions for marked areas of the sea, is like a siren song, reinforcing Britain’s island identity.
From those in peril on the sea, to those tucked up safely in their beds we see how the Shipping Forecast connects us at an instinctive level.
The context
Learn more about the shipping forecast on the BBC website
