Overview

• 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.