The Shipping Forecast is a four-times-daily BBC radio broadcast of weather reports and forecasts for the seas around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... For the geological process, see Weathering or Erosion. ...

It is produced by the UK Meteorological Office (part of MOD) and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (part of Department for Transport). The new building on the edge of Exeter The Met Office (originally an abbreviation for Meteorological Office, but now the official name in itself), which has its headquarters at Exeter in Devon, is the United Kingdoms national weather service. ... The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ... old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... The Maritime and Coastguard Agencys Logo The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is a UK government agency working to prevent the loss of lives at searesponsible for implimenting maritime safety policy. ... In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network. ...

The forecasts sent over the Navtex system use a similar format, and the same sea areas. A NAVTEX receiver prints an incoming message. ...

Because of its unique and distinctive sound, the broadcasts have an appeal beyond those solely interested in nautical weather. The waters around the British Isles are divided into sea areas, also known as weather areas (see map below) and many listeners find the well-known repetition of the names of the sea areas almost hypnotic, particularly during the bedtime (for Britain) broadcast at 0048 GMT. It is regarded with iconic affection by many listeners, and in Britain is the butt of many affectionate jokes. This article describes the archipelago in north-Western Europe. ...

There are four broadcasts per day:

• 0048 - transmitted on FM and LW. Includes weather reports from extended list of coastal stations at 0052 and an inshore waters forecast at 0055 and concludes with a brief UK weather outlook for the coming day. The broadcast finishes at approximately 0058, and is followed by a short goodnight message and the closedown of the station for the night.
• 0520 - transmitted on FM and LW. Includes weather reports from coastal stations at 0525, and an inshore waters forecast at 0527.
• 1201 - normally transmitted on longwave only.
• 1754 - transmitted on longwave only on weekdays, as an opt-out from the PM programme, but on weekends transmitted on both FM and Longwave.

See also List of coastal weather stations of the United Kingdom. The abbreviations FM, Fm, and fm may refer to: Electrical engineering Frequency modulation (FM) and its most common applications: FM broadcasting, used primarily to broadcast music and speech at VHF frequencies FM synthesis, a sound-generation technique popularized by early digital synthesizers Science Femtometre (fm), an SI measure of length... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Reports from these additional coastal stations and automatic weather logging stations are included in the extended Shipping Forecasts on BBC Radio 4, roughly 0051 and 0539 local time each day. ... The abbreviations FM, Fm, and fm may refer to: Electrical engineering Frequency modulation (FM) and its most common applications: FM broadcasting, used primarily to broadcast music and speech at VHF frequencies FM synthesis, a sound-generation technique popularized by early digital synthesizers Science Femtometre (fm), an SI measure of length... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Reports from these additional coastal stations and automatic weather logging stations are included in the extended Shipping Forecasts on BBC Radio 4, roughly 0051 and 0539 local time each day. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... PM is an early evening (PM at five PM) news magazine programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. ... Reports from these additional coastal stations and automatic weather logging stations are included in the extended Shipping Forecasts on BBC Radio 4, roughly 0051 and 0539 local time each day. ...

Region names

Map of Sea Areas and Coastal Weather Stations referred to in the Shipping Forecast.

Here are the sea areas covering the waters around the British Isles: Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (960 × 1280 pixel, file size: 115 KB, MIME type: image/png) Coastal Weather Stations; Tiree Stornoway Lerwick Fife Ness Bridlington Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic Greenwich Light Vessel Automatic Jersey Channel Light Vessel Automatic Scilly Automatic Valentia Ronaldsway... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (960 × 1280 pixel, file size: 115 KB, MIME type: image/png) Coastal Weather Stations; Tiree Stornoway Lerwick Fife Ness Bridlington Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic Greenwich Light Vessel Automatic Jersey Channel Light Vessel Automatic Scilly Automatic Valentia Ronaldsway... This article describes the archipelago in north-Western Europe. ...

The areas were roughly in the shape described above by 1949. Modifications after that include the introduction of Fisher in 1955, when Dogger was split in two. Heligoland was renamed German Bight the year later. County Rogaland Landscape Municipality NO-1151 Administrative centre Utsira Mayor (2005) Geir Helge Rasmussen (Bygdalista for Utsira) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 433 6 km² 6 km² 0. ... County Rogaland Landscape Municipality NO-1151 Administrative centre Utsira Mayor (2005) Geir Helge Rasmussen (Bygdalista for Utsira) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 433 6 km² 6 km² 0. ... The Long Forties is an area of the northern North Sea that is fairly consistently forty fathoms (73 meters) deep (thus, on a nautical map showing depth, a long area with many 40 notations). ... Location within the British Isles The Royal Burgh of Cromarty (Cromba in Gaelic) is a burgh in Ross and Cromarty, Highland, Scotland. ... The River Forth meanders over fertile farmlands near Stirling The River Forth, 47 km (29 miles) long, is the major river draining the eastern part of the central belt of Scotland. ... The Tyne looking west and upstream from the Newcastle bank towards the Gateshead Millennium Bridge The Tyne Bridge across the River Tyne between Newcastle and Gateshead. ... Location of the Dogger Bank Dogger Bank (from dogge, an old Dutch word for fishing boat) is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about 100 km off the coast of the United Kingdom. ... The Fisher Bank is a sand bank in the North Sea, off the west coast of Denmark. ... Satellite view of the German Bight, Jutland to the right (east). ... River Hull tidal barrier. ... This article is about the River Thames in southern England. ... , Dover is a major channel port in the English county of Kent. ... For other uses, see Isle of Wight (disambiguation). ... The Isle of Portland is a long by wide limestone island in the English Channel. ... This article is about the city of Plymouth in England. ... Map of the Bay of Biscay. ... Cape Trafalgar (Spanish: Cabo Trafalgar) is a headland in Cadiz Province in the South-West of Spain. ... Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality, also proving an able surveyor and hydrographer as well as Governor-General of New Zealand. ... Finisterre is an album by the British pop band Saint Etienne. ... The Sole Bank is a sand bank in the Atlantic Ocean, south-west of Cornwall. ... This article is about the island of Lundy, which is part of England. ... Fastnet Rock (51° 23. ... Relief map of the Irish Sea. ... Carrick-on-Shannon-Bridge Leitrim Shannon-Bridge Offaly The River Shannon (Irish: altenatively Sionna), Irelands longest river, divides the West of Ireland (mostly the province of Connacht) from the east and south (Leinster and most of Munster). ... Rockall, a small, isolated rocky islet in the North Atlantic Ocean Rockall is a small uninhabited rocky islet in the North Atlantic and one of the sea areas named in the Shipping Forecast broadcast on BBC Radio 4. ... Malin Head (Irish: Cionn Mhálanna) Visitors should not miss Banbas Crown Malin Head. ... This article is about the Hebrides islands in Scotland. ... West cliffs, looking southwest towards Malcolms Head. ... Anthem Tú alfagra land mítt You, my most beauteous land Capital (and largest city) Tórshavn Official languages Faroese, Danish Government  -  Monarch Margrethe II  -  Prime Minister Jóannes Eidesgaard Autonomous province  -  Home rule 1948  Area  -  Total 1,399 km² (180th) 540 sq mi   -  Water (%) 0. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Fisher Bank is a sand bank in the North Sea, off the west coast of Denmark. ... Location of the Dogger Bank Dogger Bank (from dogge, an old Dutch word for fishing boat) is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about 100 km off the coast of the United Kingdom. ... For the landscape in Norway, see Helgeland. ... Satellite view of the German Bight, Jutland to the right (east). ...

In 1984, the areas in the North Sea were coordinated with those of other neighbouring countries, introducing North Utsire and South Utsire and reducing Viking in size. Finisterre was renamed FitzRoy (in honour of the founder of the Met Office) in 2002 to avoid confusion with the Spanish area of the same name.^[1] This article is about the year. ... For other uses, see Viking (disambiguation). ... Position of Cape Finisterre on the Iberian Peninsula Cape Finisterre, in Spanish Cabo Finisterre, literally Cape Lands End, is a rock-bound peninsula in the north-west of Spain. ... Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality, also proving an able surveyor and hydrographer as well as Governor-General of New Zealand. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

In the forecast, areas are named in a roughly clockwise direction, strictly following the order above. However, a forecast for Trafalgar is found only in the 0048 forecast - other forecasts do, however, report when there are warnings of gales in Trafalgar.

Broadcast format

The forecast as a whole has a limit of 350 words, and has a very strict format:

• It begins with "And now the Shipping Forecast, issued by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency at xx:xx today.". This normally follows this strict format, although some continuity announcers may read out the actual date of issue as opposed to the word "today".
• Gale warnings (winds of force 8 or more, on the Beaufort scale), if any (e.g. There are warnings of gales in Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey, and Fair Isle). This sometimes follows the opposite format (e.g. There are warnings of gales in all areas except Biscay, Trafalgar and FitzRoy).
• The General Synopsis follows, giving the position, pressure (in millibars) and track of pressure areas (e.g. Low, Rockall, 987, deepening rapidly, expected Fair Isle 964 by 0700 tomorrow).
• Each area's forecast is then read out. Several areas may be combined into a single forecast where the conditions are expected to be similar. Wind direction is given first, then strength (on the Beaufort scale), followed by precipitation, if any, and (usually) lastly visibility.

• Change in wind direction is indicated by veering (clockwise change) or backing (anti-clockwise change). Winds of above force 8 are also described by name for emphasis, e.g. Gale 8, Severe Gale 9, Storm 10, Violent Storm 11 and Hurricane force 12. (See Beaufort scale). The word "force" is only officially used when announcing force 12 winds.
• Visibility is given in the format Good meaning that the visibility is greater than 5 nautical miles; Moderate where visibility is between 2 and 5 nautical miles; Poor where visibility is between 1000 metres and 2 nautical miles and Fog where visibility is less than 1000 metres.

• When severe winter cold combines with strong winds and a cold sea, icing can occur, normally only in sea area Southeast Iceland; if expected, icing warnings (light, moderate or severe) are given as the last item of each sea area forecast.

Examples of area forecasts: The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. ... A millibar (mbar, also mb) is 1/1000th of a bar, a unit for measurement of pressure. ... The Clockwise direction A clockwise motion is one that proceeds like the clocks hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. ... A nautical mile or sea mile is a unit of length. ... For other uses, see Fog (disambiguation). ... The crew of this ship was glad to make it to port Icing on ships is a serious hazard where cold temperatures (below about -10°C) combined with high wind speed (typically force 8 or above on the Beaufort scale) result in spray blown off the sea freezing immediately on...

• Humber, Thames. Southeast veering southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later. Thundery showers. Moderate or good, occasionally poor.
• Tyne, Dogger. Northeast 3 or 4. Occasional rain. Moderate or poor.
• Rockall, Malin, Hebrides. Southwest gale 8 to storm 10, veering west, severe gale 9 to violent storm 11. Rain, then squally showers. Poor, becoming moderate.
• Southeast Iceland. North 7 to severe gale 9. Heavy snow showers. Good, becoming poor in showers. Moderate icing.

And most spectacularly, on 10 January 1993, when a record North Atlantic low pressure of 913 mb was recorded: is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

• Rockall, Malin, Hebrides, Bailey. Southwest hurricane force 12 or more.

Icing can be a dangerous problem for ships; accurate forecasting can save lives by ensuring crews are prepared

With the information provided in the Shipping Forecast it is perfectly possible to compile (and then interpret) a pressure chart for the coasts of North Western Europe. Extended shipping forecasts (0520 and 0048) also include weather reports from a list of additional coastal stations and automatic weather logging stations, which are known by their names, such as "Channel Light Vessel Automatic". These are the Coastal Weather Stations. This additional information does not fall within the 350 word restriction. (RTÉ Radio 1 broadcasts similar coastal reports for Ireland). Other maritime countries also use sea area maps but with local variations. For instance, the area that the British forecasts call Dover is referred to by the French as Pas-de-Calais. Iced US Navy ship Source: [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Iced US Navy ship Source: [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Reports from these additional coastal stations and automatic weather logging stations are included in the extended Shipping Forecasts on BBC Radio 4, roughly 0051 and 0539 local time each day. ... RTÉ Radio 1 is the principal radio channel of Irish public-service broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926. ... Arms of Dover Borough Council This article is about the English port. ... Pas-de-Calais is a département in northern France named after the strait which it borders. ...

Gale warnings

In addition, gale warnings are broadcast at other times between programmes and after news; for example That was the news, and now 'attention all shipping', especially in sea areas German Bight and Humber: The Met Office issued the following gale warning to shipping at 2206 today. German Bight, west or northwest gale 8 to storm 10, expected imminent. Humber, west gale 8 or severe gale 9, expected soon. That completes the gale warning.

When giving a gale warning the Met Office will indicate a time interval for when they expect the gale to occur. Imminent means that a gale is expected within 6 hours, Expected soon that a gale is expected within 6 to 12 hours and Later in more than 12 hours time.

Frequencies

The reason for choosing BBC Radio 4 for the Shipping Forecast is not simply because it is a speech-based channel, but also because it broadcasts via longwave on 198 kHz as well as FM, and the longwave signal can be received clearly at sea all around the British Isles. For this reason, until 1978 the Shipping Forecast was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme and then BBC Radio 2, as they broadcast on longwave (200 kHz) and at those times the BBC Home Service and Radio 4 were on medium wave. The frequency changed to 198kHz in 1989 when frequencies were standardised across Europe. old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A kilohertz (kHz) is a unit of frequency equal to 1,000 hertz (1,000 cycles per second). ... In telecommunications, frequency modulation (FM) conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its frequency. ... This article describes the archipelago in north-Western Europe. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... The Light Programme was a BBC radio station broadcasting mainstream light entertainment and music. ... BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBCs national radio stations and is the most popular station in the UK. It broadcasts throughout the UK on FM radio between 88 and 91 MHz from its studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. ... The BBC Home Service was the original name for Radio 4 and was on the air from 1939 until 30 September 1967. ... Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

Before closedown

The last broadcast of the Shipping Forecast at 0048 each day is traditionally preceded by the playing of the musical piece Sailing By, a mellow string arrangement by Ronald Binge. This is only very rarely omitted, generally when the schedule is running late. Sailing By serves as a "buffer" to ensure mildly late running schedules do not impinge on the late forecast, as well as being a vital identification tool - it is distinctive and as such assists anyone attempting to tune in. The forecast is then followed by the National anthem and the closedown of the station for the day, with the BBC World Service taking over the frequencies after the BBC Pips at 0100. UK Shipping map Sailing By is a short piece of light music composed by Ronald Binge, which is famous amongst British radio listeners. ... Ronald Binge (1910 - 1979) was a British composer of light music. His best known compositions are probably Elizabethan Serenade and Sailing By - the latter notably from its use as the music which to this day is played at 0045 each morning, before the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio 4. ... Publication of an early version in The Gentlemans Magazine, 15 October 1745. ... The BBC World Service is one of the most widely recognised international broadcasters of radio programming, transmitting in 33 languages to many parts of the world. ... The Greenwich Time Signal or BBC pips is a time code heard on some BBC radio programs at the start of the hour, most notably on Radio 4 and the World Service. ...

"Mini" shipping forecast, maritime safety

The Shipping Forecast should not be confused with similar broadcasts given by HM Coastguard to vessels at sea tuned into Marine VHF Radio Frequencies.

HM Coastguard's Broadcasts can only be heard by vessels or persons using or tuned into marine VHF radio frequencies, whereas the Shipping Forecast can be heard by anyone tuned into BBC Radio 4. Her Majestys Coastguard is the agency of the government of the United Kingdom concerned with co-ordinating rescue at sea. ...

The Coastguard's broadcasts follow the same format as the shipping forecast using the same terminology and style, but the information only normally applies to the area sector or region covered by that particular Coastguard Co-ordination Centre (such as the Bristol Channel, for instance).

Announcements of pending broadcasts by HMCG is given on marine Channel 16 VHF and would normally be announced along the lines of "This is Portland Coastguard, Portland Coastguard.... Marine Shipping Safety Information will now be Broadcast on Channel 23.... Portland Coastguard". Channel 16 VHF on the marine radio frequency is the International Emergency Distress Frequency for shipping and maritime purposes. ...

As with the Shipping Forecast many people from a non-maritime background have been fascinated by this little known and very important service to the extent that they have bought handheld maritime radios purposely to listen to Coastguard Safety and Weather announcements. It is probably for the same reasons outlined later in this article about the main shipping forecast that it has such a committed fanbase.

Vocal characteristics

The Shipping Forecast is intended to be read at dictation speed to aid those who wish to write down the information, although recent changes to the schedule have resulted in generic weather presenters reading the forecast in the early morning, which can mean dictation speed is not always adhered to. Dictation is the transcription of spoken text: one person who is dictating speaks and another who is taking dictation writes down the words as they are spoken. ...

On Friday August 17 2007, the 0520 forecast and data, as read by BBC Weatherman Philip Avery, was in fact that for the previous day, and a special reading of the correct day's issue was given out at 0700 on 198kHz Longwave, before rejoining the normal FM programming.

Influences on popular culture

Due to its set rhythm, calm enunciation, and list of characteristic names from around Britain, the Shipping Forecast can sound quite poetic when broadcast. It is perhaps not surprising that it has featured in songs and poetry as a result.

"This Is a Low" on Blur's album Parklife includes the lyrics: Blur are an English rock band formed in Colchester in 1989. ... Parklife is a critically acclaimed Britpop album by the band Blur, released on April 25, 1994. ...

On the Tyne, Forth and Cromarty

There's a low in the high Forties

The song also contains references to Biscay, Dogger, Thames ("Hit traffic on the Dogger bank / Up the Thames to find a taxi rank") and Malin.

Radiohead uses lyrics relating to the Shipping Forecast in its song "In Limbo" to represent a theme of being lost: Radiohead are an English rock band. ... In Limbo is the seventh track on the 2000 album Kid A by the band Radiohead. ...

Lundy, Fastnet, Irish Sea

I've got a message I can't read

The Young Punx sampled the shipping forecast as read by BBC presenter Alan Smith for their track "Rockall". The shipping forecast forms the entire lyric for the track, both used in its original form (yet rhyming and scanning) e.g. "Tyne, Dogger, German Bight. Humber, Thames, Dover, Wight" and also with the words re-edited into new orders to form new meanings and puns such as "expected to, Rock All, by midnight tonight". The Young Punx are a UK based electronic dance music act whose eclectic and energetic style encompasses french house, nuskool breaks and drum and bass, mashed up with elements as diverse as 1980s pop music, hard rock, disco and glam rock. ... Alan Smith (born )is a continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4. ...

Frank Muir and Denis Norden parodied the Shipping Forecast in a song written for an episode of Take It From Here: Frank Muir (5 February 1920 - 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. ... Denis Mostyn Norden (born February 6, 1922 in Hackney, London) is an English comedy writer and television presenter. ... Take It From Here (often referred to as TIFH, pronounced tife) was a British radio comedy programme broadcast by the BBC between 1947 and 1958. ...

In Ross and Finistère

The outlook is sinisterre

Rockall and Lundy

Will clear up by Monday

Other popular artists who have used samples of the Shipping Forecast include Andy White who added the forecast to the track "The Whole Love Story" to create a very nostalgic, cosy and soporific sound, highly evocative of the British Isles; Tears for Fears, whose track "Pharaohs" (a play on the name of the sea area "Faeroes") is a setting of the forecast to a mixture of mellow music and sound effects; and Thomas Dolby, who included a shipping forecast read by BBC's John Marsh on the track "Windpower". "The Good Ship Lifestyle", a track on the album Tubthumper by Chumbawumba, starts out with a listing of the sea areas — in the wrong order, however. British DJ Rob Overseer's album Wreckage has a final track entitled "Heligoland," where the Shipping Forecast surrealistically alternates between reporting the weather and the emotional states of an individual. The band British Sea Power entitled a b-side of their Please Stand Up single "Gales Warnings in Viking North". Beck includes a 27-second sample five minutes into the track "The Horrible Fanfare, Landslide, Exoskeleton" on the album "The Information". Experimental electronic musician Robin Storey, recording under the name Rapoon, sampled the shipping forecast for the track "Falling More Slowly" on the album Easterly 6 or 7. The Prodigy sampled a short section of the shipping forecast in their song Weather Experience on their album Experience [1]. This article is about reusing existing sound recordings in creating new works. ... Andy White (b. ... Tears for Fears are a popular English pop band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, which emerged after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate. ... Thomas Dolby (born Thomas Morgan Robertson, on 14 October 1958) is an English musician, producer, and inventor. ... Chumbawamba are a band from the UK who use their music to promote anarchist ideas. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ... This article is about the English DJ. For a definition of the word overseer, see the Wiktionary entry overseer. ... For the landscape in Norway, see Helgeland. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Please Stand Up was the second single from British Sea Powers second album Open Season. ... This article is about the musician. ... The Information is the seventh album by Beck, released in October 2006. ... Rapoon is the musical vehicle of Robin Storey, a former member of Zoviet France. ... The Prodigy (or just Prodigy)[1] are an English band. ... Experience is an album by rave act The Prodigy. ...

The Jethro Tull album Stormwatch features the shipping forecast in between verses of "North Sea Oil". It is read by Francis Wilson, a TV weatherman who also reads the introduction to "Dun Ringill" on the same album. For the 18th-century agriculturist for whom the band was named, see Jethro Tull (agriculturist). ... Stormwatch is a rock album by Jethro Tull. ... // North Sea Oil Platforms North Sea oil refers to oil and natural gas (hydrocarbons) produced from oil reservoirs beneath the North Sea. ... Francis Wilson (1854- ? ) was an American actor, born in Philadelphia. ...

Seamus Heaney wrote a sonnet "The Shipping Forecast", which opens: Seamus Justin Heaney (IPA: ) (born 13 April 1939) is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. ... Francesco Petrarca, or Petrarch, one of the best-known early Italian sonnet writers. ...

Dogger, Rockall, Malin, Irish Sea:

Green, swift upsurges, North Atlantic flux

Conjured by that strong gale-warming voice,

Collapse into a sibilant penumbra.

The Carol Ann Duffy poem "Prayer" finishes with the lines: Carol Ann Duffy Carol Ann Duffy (born December 23, 1955) is a British poet, playwright and freelance writer born in Glasgow, Scotland. ...

Darkness outside. Inside, the radio's prayer —

Rockall. Malin. Dogger. Finistère.

A recitation of the Shipping Forecast by actor Peter Serafinowicz features prominently in the Black Books episode "The Big Lock-Out". Peter Serafinowicz (born 10 July 1972) is an English comic actor, voice artist and composer of Polish descent. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Shipping Forecast has also inspired writing, painting and photographic collections, notably Charlie Connelly's Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round The Shipping Forecast, Mark Power and David Chandler's The Shipping Forecast, and Peter Collyer's Rain Later, Good. Their critical and commercial success is a tribute both to the time and energy people are willing to invest in artistic projects inspired by the shipping forecast, and the warmth with which the public regard this regular radio announcement. Charlie Connelly (born London, August 22, 1970) is one of the a new breed of young travel writers to have emerged in the UK. In critical and commercial terms, he is one of the most successful. ...

In the BBC TV show As Time Goes By, the housekeeper of the house in Hampshire (Mrs Bale) occasionally mentions the Shipping Forecast. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... As Time Goes By was a British sitcom starring Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer which aired from 1992 to 2002, with a two-part reunion special broadcast in 2005. ...

Geoff Lloyd's show on Virgin Radio includes a feature called The Shitting Forecast, in which listeners are invited to call in and say what they have eaten during the day, and their bowel movements are predicted in the style of the Shipping Forecast. Geoff Lloyd (born 20 April 1973, Withington, Manchester) is a British radio presenter. ... Virgin Radio, originally known as Virgin 1215, is a British commercial music radio station based in London which plays popular music and rock. ...

Dead Ringers parodied the Shipping Forecast using Brian Perkins rapping the forecast. Many other versions have been used including a "Dale Warning" to warn where Dale Winton could be found over the coming period. A dead ringer is slang for a doppelgänger. ... Brian Perkins (born 1943 in Wanganui, New Zealand) is a senior newsreader on BBC Radio 4. ... Dale Winton (born 22 May 1955 in London) is an English radio DJ and television presenter. ...

Gavin Bryars's "A Man In A Room, Gambling" (1997), was written on a commission from BBC Radio 3. The ten shorts work was played on Radio 3 without any introductory announcements, and Bryars is quoted as saying that he hoped they would appear to the listener in a similar way to the shipping forecast, both mysterious and accepted without question. Bryars's music is heard beneath monologues in a the same format of the forecasts. Richard Gavin Bryars (born 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. ...

Terence Davies' film Distant Voices, Still Lives, a largely autobiographical account of growing up in Liverpool during the 1940's and '50's, opens with a shipping forecast from this period. Terence Davies (November 10, 1945 -) is a British screenwriter - film director, sometime novelist and actor. ... Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) is a British film directed and written by Terence Davies. ... For other uses, see Liverpool (disambiguation). ...

In the book A Kestrel for a Knave and its film Kes the shipping forecast is featured in the classroom register roll call when lead character Billy Casper calls out German Bight after the teacher reads out the name of a pupil called Fisher. (Author Barry Hines erroneously has Billy then say that Cromarty follows German Bight.) A Kestrel for a Knave is a book by Barry Hines, published in 1968. ... // Kes is a British film from 1969 by director Ken Loach and producer Tony Garnett. ... Satellite view of the German Bight, Jutland to the right (east). ... Barry Hines (born 1939 in Hoyland, near Barnsley, England) is a British author who has written several popular novels and television scripts. ...

All the characters in the cartoon The Adventures of Portland Bill were named after shipping areas or coastal weather stations, with two exceptions - Eddy Stone, named after a lighthouse, and Ross, presumably so called as he was the best friend of the character Cromarty (a former Scottish county was called Ross & Cromarty). The same device is used for a group of minor characters in The Eyre Affair. The Adventures of Portland Bill is a British stop motion animated childrens television series made in 1983. ... Eddystone is a group of rocks about 14 miles off the coast of England southwest of Plymouth, on which there is an important lighthouse (Eddystone Lighthouse) indicating the approaches to the English Channel. ... This article is about the country. ... The Eyre Affair, published in 2001, is the first novel published by Jasper Fforde. ...

There is three-bell change ringing method named "Shipping Forecast Singles". It was composed by Sam Austin and was rung to a peal in 2004 at St John the Baptist, Middleton, Warwickshire. Other three-bell methods by the same composer are named after various shipping areas. Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called changes, without attempting to ring a conventional tune. ... Middleton is a small village in Warwickshire, England. ...

Stephen Fry, in his 1988 radio programme Saturday Night Fry, issued the following "Shipping Forecast" in the first episode of the programme: Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English comedian, writer, actor, novelist, filmmaker, journalist and television personality. ... Saturday Night Fry was a six part comedy series on BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 1988. ...

"And now, before the news and weather, here is the Shipping Forecast issued by the Meteorological Office at 1400 hours Greenwich Mean Time.

Finistère, Dogger, Rockall, Bailey: no.

Wednesday, variable, imminent, super.

South Utsire, North Utsire, Sheer Ness, Foulness, Elliot Ness:

If you will, often, eminent, 447, 22 yards, touchdown, stupidly.

Malin, Hebrides, Shetland, Jersey, Fair Isle, Turtle-Neck, Tank Top, Courtelle:

Blowy, quite misty, sea sickness. Not many fish around, come home, veering suggestively.

That was the Shipping Forecast for 1700 hours, Wednesday the 18th of August."

Notes

See also

• Inshore coastal areas of the United Kingdom

The Inshore coastal areas of the United Kingdom are fifteen fixed stretches of coastline that are used in weather forecasting especially for windpowered or small coastal craft. ...

Further reading

• The Shipping Forecast by Mark Power and David Chandler (ISBN 1-899823-03-4)
• Rain Later, Good: Illustrating the Shipping Forecast by Peter Collyer (ISBN 0-901281-33-6).
• Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping Forecast by Charlie Connelly (ISBN 0-316-72474-2)
• Of Sea Graves & Sand Shrines by A C Bevan (ISBN 1-900072-46-7)

Charlie Connelly (born London, August 22, 1970) is one of the a new breed of young travel writers to have emerged in the UK. In critical and commercial terms, he is one of the most successful. ...

External links

• The BBC's Shipping Forecast page containing the latest forecast when it is released (i.e. 0015, 0505, 1130 and 1725).
• The Meteorological Office's Shipping Forecast page contains the same forecast as the BBC site.
• RealAudio stream of the latest Shipping Forecast from the BBC
• Rules on the format of the UK Shipping Forecast
• Weather forecast areas
• Precise latitude / longitude boundaries of the Weather areas
• Shipping Forecast's 'baffling' legacy