Big shout to Gerry Hectic for letting us know about the Shipping Forecast all-day special on Radio 4 yesterday celebrating 100 years of said forecast. All the programmes are now up online on BBC Sounds and all very well worth a listen but here’s one we caught last night about the forecast’s theme tune “Sailing By” here.
A classic tune wrote by a man called Ronald Binge at a room at the end of his garage that was thick with cigarette/cigar/pipe smoke. More on Sailing By here.
And by the powers of the internet we learned there’s a reggae connection too. From Ronald Binge’s wikipedia page here: “Best known today is probably Elizabethan Serenade. A reggae version of the tune, Elizabethan Reggae, was performed by Boris Gardiner in 1970.” Look at his writing credit under the song title.
Weeds up to me knees 
A good few years ago, someone (possibly Phil Jupitus) set the shipping forecast to dub. Alas, haven’t (yet) been able to track it down.
Hi John, I didn’t know that. I will try and look for it. I am still reeling that the bloke who wrote the shipping forecast wrote Elizabethian Reggae of all things. Happy 2025! Pete
That’s great work Pete and it’s all worth a listen, even “Nessa”!
Cheers Gerry I will listen to everything in time I reckon. Ta for letting us know about the special broadcasts!
A 100 a day habit!
Crazy ain’t it Gerry? We couldn’t have Elizabethan Reggae if it weren’t for his room at the end of the garage! “smoking is a habit” as the great King Stitt said.
As you said, We won’t be watching Gavin and Stacey or Dirty Den today. Or will we? | Weeds up to me knees
Ha ha I certainly won’t!