BBC Shipping Forecast Marks 100 Years With Jarvis Cocker Tribute

The Shipping Forecast, a vital maritime weather report broadcast by the BBC since 1925, celebrated its 100th anniversary on July 4, 2025. To mark this milestone, Jarvis Cocker, frontman of Pulp, recorded a special version of the forecast for the Crossed Wires Podcast Festival in Sheffield, reflecting on its role as both a practical guide for sailors and a comforting ritual for many British listeners. Cocker described the forecast as a calming, almost meditative presence that helps insomniacs and others find peace, praising the traditional music 'Sailing By' that precedes it. The forecast, produced by the Met Office on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, remains an essential safety tool amid increasing extreme weather events and serves as a trusted, secure source of maritime information. Its unique rhythm and cadence have inspired a cult following beyond the maritime community, influencing music, poetry, and art, symbolizing stability in a turbulent world. Looking ahead, Cocker imagined the forecast might one day be read by robots but expressed hope that the human voice would endure as a source of comfort.