Ruth Jones to Reprise Nessa Role for Shipping Forecast Centenary

The BBC marks 100 years of the Shipping Forecast with celebrity readings, including Ruth Jones, Stephen Fry, and Dame Ellen MacArthur.

Ruth Jones will perform as her iconic Gavin & Stacey character Nessa to read a historic Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4 on New Year’s Day.
The event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Shipping Forecast, first broadcast on January 1, 1924, as a vital weather report for seafarers.
Other notable participants include Blur’s Damon Albarn, Dame Ellen MacArthur, Stephen Fry, and Adrian Dunbar, who will read forecasts and share personal reflections.
The Shipping Forecast is widely regarded as a cultural touchstone, inspiring music, literature, and radio traditions over the past century.
Special programming for the centenary includes a documentary on the forecast’s history and an exploration of Britain’s maritime heritage.