Prescott to read radio shipping forecast

The former Deputy Prime Minister is to present the “late ships” forecast later this month – the first time anyone other than a BBC announcer has done so.

His guest slot on the 00.48 broadcast on Saturday March 19 is in support of Red Nose Day, and sprang from a joke on Twitter.

The Labour stalwart will be given his chance after the Sailing By theme ends and he is expected to read out the weather and conditions of the waters around the British Isles.

It may not all be plain sailing. While serving in the Government, he often struggled with his pronunciation.

At one stage civil servants were advised to make sentences “punchy and easily spoken aloud” when drafting answers for him in the Commons.

He memorably stumbled over the name Milosevic and he once talked about “the sceptre of unemployment”.

Lord Prescott will read the main part of the bulletin for the 31 sea areas from “Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire” to “Fair Isle, Faeroes, South East Iceland”.

The inshore waters and coastal stations will then be tackled by a Radio 4 announcer.