BBC Radio 4 - We British - The People's Shipping Forecast

From Seamus Heaney, to Carol Ann Duffy, Radio 4’s Shipping Forecast has always provided inspiration to poets. As part of We British: An Epic In Poetry, Radio 4 reclaimed this ode to the nation with help from our dedicated listeners.

Radio 4 listener Sally Castle sent us this beautiful linocut.

How The People's Shipping Forecast was created

At 12:03 on Thursday 8th October, the poet Murray Lachlan Young read out his own poetic reimagining of this iconic verse. Using the rhythms, key words and phrases associated with the ships.

Murray Lachlan Young’s Shipping Forecast

Murray Lachlan Young performs his own poetic take on the Shipping Forecast.

Following this performance, we handed the reigns over to our audience with the following message: "Here is a unique chance to put yourself inside one of Radio 4’s most loved daily poems. If you can sum up your mood, or activities in 10 words or less, using the style of the Shipping Forecast, then we want to hear it."

We received hundreds of lines of poetry and Murray did the rest, weaving his favourite words into The People's Shipping forecast. It was broadcast live across the nation at 18:29.