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Sailing the Shipping Forecast (2025) Season 1 Episode 2
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FunTranscript
00:00Now it's time for the Shipping Forecast.
00:05Shannon, West Veering, North West, 3 to 5.
00:09For over a hundred years, sailors and fishermen have received daily life-saving warnings from the Shipping Forecast.
00:16Occasional rain, good, occasionally poor.
00:19It's now a national institution and its soothing tones have become a recognisable comfort to all.
00:26Good, occasionally moderate.
00:29Dividing UK and surrounding waters into 31 areas,
00:33it predicts wind, weather and visibility for those venturing out to sea.
00:43With modern technology now providing 24-hour forecasting,
00:47the twice-daily Shipping Forecast is no longer the only safety guide for those at sea.
00:54Hello. I wish I was on yours.
00:58But for me, the Shipping Forecast is timeless.
01:02It's like almost a prayer.
01:04Yeah, it's comforting.
01:06I'm going to make those poetic words,
01:08Faroes, White, Thames, Lundy.
01:12A blueprint for an epic journey around some of our beautiful coasts.
01:16We're sort of on a collision course.
01:20Meeting the people on and offshore.
01:22This is amazing.
01:23This is beautiful, huh?
01:24Whose lives depend on the weather and the sea.
01:27Oh my goodness, look at that.
01:29I'll do one of my famous engine prayers if you like.
01:33Roar!
01:35Cut some fish, yeah.
01:37With the most amazing views!
01:39May the force be with you!
01:41The general synopsis of one H O O.
01:51Atlantic low, moving rapidly north-east, expected 200 miles west of North...
01:56Welcome to the Faroe Islands.
01:58Winswept and rugged, they're situated in the wild North Atlantic, halfway between Scotland and Iceland.
02:08The 18 islands are a self-governing part of Denmark and are home to 54,000 people,
02:1440% of whom live in the capital, Torshaven.
02:23The islands were added to the shipping forecast in 1932
02:27to aid the increasing number of British fishermen venturing into Faroese waters.
02:34Because, with over 271,000 square kilometres of clean and abundant seas,
02:40these waters are ripe for fishing.
02:44In the Faroese, you're never more than a few kilometres from the sea,
02:47and so naturally, fishing is a way of life.
02:50But it's a way of life that comes with the most amazing views!
02:57With 200 times more sea than land,
02:59it's not surprising that the Faroese have come to rely upon the sea to survive.
03:05From his home base in the port of Klaxveig,
03:0735-year-old Andrew has been fishing these waters since childhood.
03:12Are you ready?
03:13I'm ready!
03:14And rightly or wrongly, he's agreed to bring me along.
03:18We'll put the long line out.
03:19Yeah.
03:20I will sail a little bit farther north.
03:21Yeah.
03:22Then we'll put the boys and long line out, and we will try to bait it.
03:26From his 42-foot motorboat, Andrew uses the traditional Faroese method of line fishing.
03:33First, a marker buoy and anchor are thrown in, as demonstrated expertly by me.
03:39Let's go!
03:46And Richard?
03:47Yeah.
03:48When you see the line, it's like finished.
03:50Yeah.
03:51All this?
03:52Yeah.
03:53Like that?
03:54Yeah.
03:55Then you will throw that one also out, okay?
03:56Okay.
03:57Yeah.
03:58When I say, you throw.
03:59Okay.
04:01Throw it long.
04:03Yeah.
04:04Really good.
04:05They are attached to a long line with hundreds of baited hooks.
04:08It's a method of fishing that goes back generations.
04:13That's a really good machine.
04:14Good machine.
04:15Do you like that?
04:16Very good.
04:17Yeah.
04:18How many hooks, Stan?
04:20On this one?
04:21Yeah.
04:22Uh, 370, 80.
04:26So you did get 380 fish.
04:28Yeah, exactly.
04:30Very good, though.
04:32Until the mid-1800s, the fairies relied mainly on sheep farming and small-scale rowboat fishing.
04:39But a change in the law and a shift to decked sailboats meant fishermen could sail further and carry larger catches.
04:46Suddenly, fishing was a viable commercial opportunity.
04:50Baiting the lines used to be done by hand, but today, thankfully, the only handiwork involves a bit of stirring.
04:58It's really quite chef-y.
05:00I actually quite like the look of these shellfish.
05:05Quite a bit.
05:06I'm a celebrity.
05:07Get me out of here.
05:08I spend a lot of time with fish guts on that programme.
05:10So this is much nicer.
05:12I think we will get some fish today.
05:14I think so.
05:15He's doing it proper.
05:16It's really good.
05:18Do you need some more bait?
05:20We need some more bait, he said.
05:22We have to do like the captain's there, you know.
05:27Sorry, Chad.
05:28Yeah.
05:29This was good, right?
05:30I loved it.
05:31Yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:32And you were really good to it.
05:33I think so.
05:34So I think we will get some fish today.
05:35Excellent.
05:36I hope so.
05:37If you don't get fish, it's not your fault.
05:38It has to be mine.
05:39It's your fault.
05:41And now, we play the waiting game.
05:46You are a Faroese fisherman.
05:48Yeah, I'm a Faroese, that's true.
05:49That's a very traditional thing for a Faroese person to do, right?
05:52It is, but it used to be better.
05:55Now, it's like a...
05:57It's like a culture is more down now.
06:01Not fewer people are fishing.
06:03It's really few people now, right.
06:04But how did you become a fisherman?
06:06Everyone in my family were.
06:08My dad was a fisherman and my granddad was also a fisherman.
06:12And, I don't know, I think it's like in our nature.
06:17It's in the blood.
06:18Yeah, you can say.
06:19And do you think there will be generation after you
06:22that will also be a fisherman?
06:23I wish so, but I'm afraid that there will be no generation after us.
06:29Why?
06:30Because this is a really tough job.
06:32It's really hard.
06:33And today, it's like everyone wants to go with the bigger boats,
06:37with the trail lines.
06:38They make more money there.
06:39Yeah.
06:40Definitely.
06:41But it's like...
06:42It's like better work there.
06:44Why?
06:45We work, like, maximum, like, for eight or twelve hours in a day.
06:48OK.
06:49Here, when you are here, you work, like, fifteen hours.
06:51And how's the weather here?
06:53The weather is really good today, but when you fish in the winter,
06:57January and February, it can be really rough sea.
07:01You get sick?
07:02Sometimes I do, yeah.
07:03Really?
07:04Yeah.
07:05If it's going to be rough sea, I will get seasick.
07:07Really?
07:08So this is a good start for me.
07:09Let's keep it that way.
07:10Yeah, let's keep it that way.
07:11Well, let's catch some fish.
07:13In 1964, the Faroes widened their fishing grounds, meaning large trawlers became more common
07:20than the family operations, like Andrew's.
07:27It's the moment of truth.
07:28It's time to start hauling in the lines to see what we've caught.
07:32Come on, fish.
07:33It will be so fun to get some fish.
07:35It would be great to get some fish.
07:36Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:37Oh, it's going to be seaweed.
07:39Not a lot of fish so far.
07:43No fish.
07:44No fish.
07:45No fish.
07:46No fish yet.
07:47I don't think we're going to make a lot of money on this trip.
07:51No.
07:52This trip will not fit so well.
07:54No.
07:55Does it make you philosophical?
07:57It's a hard job, right?
07:58Yeah, yeah.
07:59You work really hard.
08:00Yes.
08:01You never know what you're going to get.
08:02Well, you never know.
08:03Does it make you sort of...
08:04You have to just not let that do your head, yes?
08:06Yes, yes.
08:07And what makes this job...
08:10What makes this job also...
08:14That's also that you never know what you get.
08:19Yeah.
08:20What about...
08:21Look now.
08:22Yeah?
08:23It's like a big one.
08:24Ooh, a big cut fish.
08:25What have we got?
08:26Do you want to take him?
08:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:28How come?
08:29Oh, look at that.
08:31Ooh, a big cut fish.
08:33Big cod.
08:34Another one coming.
08:36Another cut fish.
08:37Ooh.
08:38Here we go.
08:39Now we're fishing.
08:43I told you I'd bring you good luck.
08:45So, Richard.
08:46Yeah.
08:47Just put it in your hands.
08:48Yes.
08:49Yes.
08:50You hold it like this.
08:51Like that.
08:52And then I cut here.
08:53Yes, you cut there.
08:54Yeah.
08:55It's perfect.
08:56And then...
08:57And then you just cut it on the stump.
08:58Yes.
08:59Exactly.
09:00Like that.
09:01It's perfect.
09:02And just like buses, you wait all morning for one, and then two come at once.
09:13How come?
09:14Oh, look at that.
09:15Or three.
09:16Or four.
09:17Really good.
09:18It's a big one.
09:19Beautiful.
09:20Oh, there's another one.
09:21Oh, yes.
09:22How was that?
09:23It was fine.
09:24Yeah.
09:25I mean, it's very hands-on.
09:26But I like fish and chips, and that's what you do to get fish and chips, right?
09:31It's only sensible if you're going to eat this stuff, to be prepared to catch it, kill it,
09:32and clean it, yeah?
09:33I've never done anything like this ever.
09:34I've only ever caught one fish before.
09:35Yeah?
09:36Five-inch gudgeon.
09:37I think that's a haddock.
09:38That's a haddock?
09:39It's actually a haddock, yeah.
09:40Fish and chips for you, my friend.
09:41Caught some fish?
09:42Caught some fish, yeah.
09:43Caught some fish, yeah.
09:44Capped it.
09:45Really good.
09:46Oh, yeah.
09:47I will not go hungry in bed tonight.
09:48That's good.
09:49Neither will I.
09:50It's not just locals that benefit from the bounty found here.
09:53In March 2025, Britain and the Faroes struck a deal that gave UK fishermen 2,000 tons of
10:10fishing opportunities in these waters.
10:13So, it's very possible that one way or another, your dinner tonight might have been plucked
10:18from shipping area Faroes.
10:20Well, that was a great morning out fishing from the Faroes, catching cod and haddock.
10:25Well, I didn't know we weren't going to get any cod and haddock.
10:27It looked like we were only going to get seaweed for a bit.
10:29But that's just everyday stuff for these people who battle against sea and elements
10:34and the elusive fish itself.
10:37We're going to have fish and chips for lunch.
10:39Fishing teaches patience and resilience and a faith that tomorrow will be a brighter day.
10:58For many in the Faroes, where over 80% are members of the National Church, Christianity has been a guiding light
11:05when the seas has turned stormy and the skies dark.
11:08There are 62 churches across the islands, most of them located right next to the sea, so that sailors could easily find them.
11:19A bit of a busman's holiday for me, I've come to the magnificent Christian Kierkegaard in the town of Klaxvik.
11:31Consecrated in 1963 and seating 1,000, it's the largest church in the Faroes.
11:39Inspired by ancient Viking halls, it features an enormous fresco of the great banquet.
11:47Marian is the minister here and she's given me the best seat in the house for her Sunday service.
11:57Enjoy the service. I hope you'll have a good time.
11:59It's so nice not to have to do anything.
12:01No, even if you might not understand everything in Faroes.
12:04And I will hear it and I love the Psalms.
12:06Yeah, and it will be a good experience.
12:08Sure.
12:09Yes.
12:10Thanks.
12:17Despite understanding absolutely nothing of the service, I was still able to take comfort in the cadence and rhythm of Marian's words.
12:25It is heartening to see such a good turnout on a sunny Sunday morning.
12:43Thank you, Marian, for your hospitality. Was this a typical Sunday service?
12:59Yes, you can say so. Yeah.
13:01In lots of communities all around the world where people go out to sea, often religion is important.
13:08Is it because it's a dangerous life to go to sea and people want something to speak to that sense of danger?
13:15Where you go on the Faroe Islands, you will always see the sea. You'll always be reminded of, you know, nature and the islands are very small compared to the huge ocean around us.
13:27When the weather is really bad, there's nothing we can do. We can only seek shelter.
13:33Yeah, a safe harbor. One thing I've noticed in Faroe's churches, well Scandinavian churches, Nordic churches, there's a boat hanging from the ceiling of the nave.
13:43Yeah. When the architect was throwing this church, he knew that the Faroe Islands was very close to the sea, of course.
13:54He wanted to have that expressed somehow in the church, as we can see in the window gables and with the organ.
14:02It's like drawn as the boathouses, as we can see down by the shore.
14:08But this one is very particular. It belonged to the rectory in Via Raya.
14:14And that rectory had two boats, one for people who didn't afford to have a boat so they could go out and fish.
14:21And then there was this boat that was for the priest to be transported in around the islands.
14:29But nowadays we drive around in our cars, much more convenient.
14:33But this was before the tunnels and all the cars.
14:36So that was really important. That was a sign not only so the priest could get around, but also poor people could come.
14:41Too.
14:42That's very practical. I love that, that it's for the spiritual needs, but also for the material needs as well.
14:47Exactly. It's also within the churches, you know, usually a metaphor about the church is the ship.
14:52Yeah.
14:53And the ship is like sailing across the sea and the great ocean in all kinds of weather.
15:00And sometimes we also use the metaphor for the humans that we are sailing over this great ocean of life in all kinds of weather.
15:09That's a very moving experience for me to be part of the service here in the Pharaohs and also as a parish priest myself, but of a landlocked little parish.
15:29It's so different here because of that interaction with water, with waves, with storms, with turbulence and the way that shapes life and indeed takes life.
15:38It's why I think the church plays such an important and continuing part in the lives of the people who live here.
15:44Faith is a spiritual armour here in the Pharaohs, protection against whatever the ocean may throw at you.
16:01But this is a practical nation too, and unsurprisingly for a land whose very name means sheep islands, wool has been vital in the battle against the elements.
16:14I've come to the capital Torshaven to discover how the woolen fisherman's jumper made the leap from survival gear to style statement.
16:22Oh, wow. Well, knitwear shop in the Pharaohs.
16:30Not surprised it's a great centre for knitwear, but this is just extraordinary.
16:35Look at that. Blimey.
16:37It could be Paris, it could be Milan, it could be New York, but it's Torshaven.
16:43Extraordinary to see this sort of thing in, well, you know, Ireland in the North Atlantic.
16:48It's not the kind of place you expect to see work of this originality.
16:57Oh, this is the stuff. Here we go.
16:59Traditional Faroese knits. You've seen it all.
17:01Sara Lunt in The Killings, do you remember?
17:03This is what I'm looking for, I think.
17:07When hit Danish crime show The Killing clothed their main character in a Faroese fishing jumper
17:12from designers Gurun and Gurun, it catapulted them onto the world stage.
17:19Gurun Roqva Dotir is one half of the company.
17:23Hello, Richard.
17:24Hi, Gurun. How are you? Nice to see you.
17:26Nice to see you.
17:27Amazing shop, amazing designs, amazing colours, amazing techniques.
17:32My eye was immediately drawn to these.
17:34And are these the more traditional kind of Faroese knitwear?
17:37It is.
17:38And made in 100% Faroese wool.
17:41You can call it dry.
17:44Some will call it itchy.
17:46But this is like the natural Faroese yarn.
17:48This is how it behaves.
17:49And we just love the quality and the colours.
17:53Some would say a white is a white and a brown is a brown.
17:56But for us, it's the white of the Faroese sheep.
17:59It's the dark brown of the Faroese sheep.
18:02It's very special with the colours.
18:05There are 70,000 sheep in the Faroes.
18:08That's 16,000 more than people.
18:10And they've been bred over centuries to make the wool warm and water-resistant.
18:16It truly is an iconic garment, isn't it?
18:18A Faroese jumper, sweater.
18:20Yeah.
18:21And were they originally knitted for people who were seafarers working at sea?
18:24The original seaman sweaters, they were made to survive on sea.
18:28Exactly.
18:29So they're really, really dense and really thick and actually water-repellent
18:34because there's a lot of lanolin, natural oil in it,
18:38so you can actually smell the lamp in it still.
18:42I love that smell so much.
18:43Yeah, yeah.
18:44So it's completely natural.
18:45No chemicals, it's not dyed or anything.
18:49And the patterns, do they tell you something?
18:52Would they tell you where in the Faroese ones?
18:54Eh, the patterns, there are a lot of different patterns
18:57and some from different villages and some kind of colours they use
19:01in different families and so on.
19:04Well, it would be rude not to at least try one on.
19:07That's beautiful.
19:08Yeah, this is beautiful as well.
19:09And those, I think this one is, this one's bigger.
19:12You should try this one.
19:13Yes, thank you.
19:14I smell the lanolin in it.
19:16Yeah, yeah.
19:17It does.
19:18And that's also why it's actually, it's self-cleaning
19:24because it's so much oil in it, so you just hang it outside.
19:27You don't have to, you don't have to wash it actually.
19:30Very seldom.
19:31Yeah.
19:32I think it fits right here.
19:33Yeah, that's, that fit is good.
19:36Yeah.
19:37I love it.
19:38Yeah, that would be the good, that's a good size for you.
19:39Yeah, you can see.
19:40That's really lovely.
19:41The fisherman's jumpers have a long history and they're closely sewn up in the tradition
19:58of the Faroese knitting circle.
20:01Gurun has invited me to join her group in her home on the outskirts of Torshaven.
20:06Hi.
20:07Hi.
20:08Hi.
20:09Hi.
20:10Hi.
20:11Hi.
20:12Hi.
20:13Hi.
20:14Hi.
20:15So this is a, a typical knitting circle?
20:18Yeah, it would be a typical knitting circle when you meet, it can also be people of, of
20:24different ages also, but very close friends often.
20:28Yeah.
20:29Yeah.
20:30It feels like you're kind of weaving friendships as well as weaving yarn.
20:32Yeah.
20:33Very often when you say, oh, they're from a knitting club, you know, those are your closest
20:38friends.
20:39Oh.
20:40Yeah.
20:41And very often you're in the same knitting club from your really young, on the end of
20:43your days.
20:44Yeah.
20:45Yeah.
20:46And is it an ancient tradition?
20:48It is an ancient tradition.
20:49Both my grandmother and my great-grandmother, they had knitting clubs, so it has gone back
20:53at least a hundred years.
20:55Was it also a chance for women whose husbands and sons would be seen away at sea to come
20:59together and spend time together?
21:01Yeah.
21:02Yeah.
21:03Yeah.
21:04I, I suppose that those knitting clubs started a lot when, when the men started going, going
21:08fishing for longer than just when the sloops came in the, in the late 1800.
21:14Oh.
21:15I guess at those, at that time there were more, there were like villages with almost just
21:19women and kids.
21:21There was no communication, of course, between, between home and the, and the, and the sloops
21:27when they were away.
21:28And the women could only look into the horizon and to see if the ship was approaching.
21:33And everybody was really fearful to see if their men or sons were, were, were there.
21:40And actually they could see the, the pattern of the sweaters before they can see their faces.
21:45Those patterns told a story of life or death.
21:50It's incredibly moving to imagine generations of Faroese women knitting jumpers for husbands
21:56and sons.
21:57And that these patterns were the first things they would see or not see when the boats returned.
22:03Today these clubs play just as important a role.
22:10They're an excuse to see friends, share stories and to simply just be together.
22:28Be together.
22:29This is high speed knitting you're doing.
22:31Yeah.
22:32When I was a little boy at school, I didn't want to play football.
22:37I wanted to knit with the girls and I was allowed to for a bit.
22:41So years ago I did do a little bit of knitting.
22:43Yeah.
22:44But I've completely forgotten it.
22:45Can I have a go?
22:46Yeah.
22:47I don't want to ruin this.
22:51Huh?
22:52What do I do?
22:53If you do like me, under, around, together, and pull off.
23:00Oh, you make it look easier.
23:02You're going to have to do this right.
23:04Yep.
23:05So under.
23:06Under, yeah.
23:07Around.
23:08Oh, stupid thing, get around.
23:09Sorry.
23:10Yeah.
23:11Yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:12Yeah.
23:13And then this one goes.
23:15Yeah.
23:16And you will pick it up with this one.
23:18There.
23:19There.
23:20Yes.
23:21And you will show them.
23:22Just like that?
23:23Yep.
23:24Hey.
23:25And I just knit a stitch?
23:26Yeah.
23:27And more.
23:28Well now I'm motoring along.
23:29Yes.
23:30I think it'll be a while before my knitting is on the racks at Guren & Guren.
23:34But my younger self would be very happy at finally being allowed into the knitting circle.
23:45In shipping area of Faroes, you'd be forgiven for assuming that with 54,000 people across 18 islands, boats are the main means of travel.
23:56But not so.
23:58In the 1960s, the Faroes began an ambitious tunnel project.
24:03Today, 23 of them connect the islands together.
24:06The longest is the Eyosteroy tunnel.
24:09It's a hypnotic seven miles long and contains the world's only undersea roundabout.
24:15At its deepest point, it's 187 meters below the sea and connects the islands of Stremoy and Eyosteroy.
24:24Which is where I now emerge from the depths of the tunnels.
24:34The weather seeps into every facet of life here in shipping area Faroes.
24:39Every path unveiling a dramatic landscape, a crashing sea, a mask of fog and mist.
24:46It almost begs one to write a song.
24:48But don't worry, not me this time.
24:51I'm meeting Jon, the lead singer of doom metal band Hamford.
24:56Singing entirely in Faroes, their songs are inspired by the dramatic landscapes of their homeland.
25:02Hi, how are you?
25:05I'm good, I'm good.
25:07By day, Jon is a biologist for the Faroe Islands National Museum.
25:14Oh, the fairy bridge, I should make a wish.
25:17Yeah, well, there's not much to wish for on such a beautiful day.
25:21So lovely. And your hometown?
25:24Yes, this is my backyard.
25:26Yeah.
25:27Where I grew up, more or less.
25:30Well, no wonder you became a naturalist, Jon.
25:32Well, that's right to the right leg, as they say in the Faroes.
25:42And as a naturalist, which is of course your day job, birds your specialism, I know.
25:47Do you see a natural world that's thriving and bird species that are doing well?
25:52What we observe today, we're observing a loss of biodiversity and we're seeing populations dwindling here in the Faroes.
26:00We need to protect and be vigilant about our nature.
26:03You need to be tough, you need to be resilient to survive in the Faroes, whether that's nature or human culture, whatever it might be.
26:11It can sometimes be a harsh environment and you must adapt, yeah?
26:14Exactly. That's what people have done here.
26:17Of course, there's a certain amount of fighting the environment, fighting the climate.
26:22Well, I mean, you can see it's a landscape where Norse myths would fit very well.
26:26You have this dramatic scenery.
26:28You have that incredible force of dynamism and volatility of weather.
26:32It creates a certain kind of story, a certain kind of culture.
26:36Tell me about Doom Metal.
26:37I know about heavy metal.
26:38I know about thrash metal.
26:39I know about death metal.
26:40What is Doom Metal?
26:42Well, you know Black Sabbath, everybody knows Black Sabbath.
26:45I think we developed Doom Metal from Black Sabbath's early days.
26:49The really, really heavy, dark and mournful sounds.
26:54Slow rhythms, that's the key of Doom Metal.
26:58And why does that resonate in the pharaohs especially, do you think?
27:15When speaking of the elements here, we've had the winds and the rains and the storms.
27:22And people who have braved these elements have really had their struggles and there's been tremendous losses.
27:28Our last album was focused on a wailing tragedy back in 1915, in February, where 14 men lost their lives.
27:37And these were all young men below 30 years of age.
27:40And the whole village was practically lame for years.
27:47To truly get to grips with Hamford's music style, I feel I need some inspiration.
27:52So Jan's brought me to one of the cathedral-like fjords that dominate the landscape here in the pharaohs.
28:00I want to know about the band.
28:02You're the lead singer.
28:03Forgive me, my pharaoh is, but I want to say Hamfair.
28:06Well, that's pretty much perfect.
28:08And what would you say?
28:09Hamfair, yeah.
28:10So it wasn't perfect, Jan.
28:11I'd say Hamfair.
28:13If I were to come to the Faroe Islands and I would, like, bump into the prime minister and say,
28:17I'm really interested in Faroe's doom metal, they'd go, well, or she would go hamfair, of course.
28:23Yep, I think so.
28:24They would?
28:25If, yeah.
28:26Talk me through a beastly growl.
28:28Well, there's many ways to do it.
28:31But I focus a lot on the death metal growling, which is quite deep and roaring.
28:36Can we have a go?
28:37Yeah.
28:38Can you show me what you mean, first of all?
28:39I can definitely try.
28:40Should we do it out into the fjords?
28:43Well, yeah.
28:44And if you could make a whale come, that would be better.
28:46I think so.
28:47Okay.
28:48It has happened.
28:49All right.
28:54Do that again.
28:55Now you go.
28:58Oh, it's on my throat.
29:00Yeah, I can hear it.
29:01I'm going to get it up there.
29:03Yeah.
29:04I can't do it.
29:07But you're using your throat too much.
29:09I don't know how not to.
29:10No, exactly.
29:11You have to think of it not as a tonal thing, but as more like a visceral thing.
29:18From here?
29:19Yeah, it comes from here.
29:20So you're pushing just enough air up, but you're not using your throat.
29:24You're thinking of, like, you're tearing a little bit up the roof of your mouth.
29:28Like...
29:29You sound very Viking-y, that's for sure.
29:39That is a little bit of Viking.
29:40Well, actually, all my heritage is from Kettering, which is not very Viking at all.
29:43I'm really fascinated listening to the way you sing on recordings.
29:47You go from a quite high lyrical voice to that.
29:49Roy said, how do you do that?
29:51Well, I think there's nothing really obstructing.
29:55They're not obstructing each other.
29:57Okay.
29:58So they can actually switch between quite quickly.
30:01Like that.
30:04I mean, I can hear I'm pitching.
30:09Yeah.
30:10And it's all here.
30:11That second part was perfect.
30:12That was quite head voice, wasn't it?
30:14Yes.
30:15That's amazing.
30:18I'm enjoying that.
30:19Yeah.
30:20Yeah.
30:21Whilst it's a million miles, and indeed years, away from my days on Top of the Pops,
30:27it's impossible not to see how this landscape inspires such dramatic music.
30:33The area forecasts for the next 24 hours.
30:41Viking, North Utsia.
30:43South Utsia.
30:44Forties.
30:45Good.
30:46Occasionally poor at first.
30:49Here in shipping area pharaohs, they might be small,
30:52but when it comes to fishing, they are mighty.
30:57The pharaohs are now a major international player in seafood
31:01and one of the largest fisheries nations in the world.
31:05And in the UK, we import around 164 million pounds worth of fish and seafood from the pharaohs.
31:12To cope with the global demand, the pharaohs are now leading suppliers of farmed fish.
31:18I've come to a hatchery on Bordoi Island, about 29 miles north of Torshaven.
31:24Hi, Runa. Nice to see you.
31:26Shall we look at our facility?
31:27I'd love to see it.
31:29Salmon is key to the pharaoh's success.
31:34It's almost half the country's total exports.
31:37Runa is the freshwater director at Bakkerfrost, one of the big producers here.
31:42And it's his job to look after the salmon from egg to 18 months old.
31:46Oh, wow. Dimey.
31:48Like the name suggests, the salmon are incubated and hatched on site.
31:53Once they reach around 0.2 grams in weight, they're moved here to what is called the first feeding room.
31:59They are really tiny and then they grow to around 5 grams, which will take around 12 weeks.
32:06And then we put them into the next stage.
32:08So they're here for 12 weeks to grow?
32:10To grow and get fat and that's it. Just being happy, hopefully.
32:16They look lively.
32:17They are quite lively and they are, especially in the morning when they're really hungry, they really jump for the food.
32:23So we go up the stairs here just so we can see down on the fish.
32:26Right.
32:27Oh, blimey.
32:28Correct.
32:29How many in this tank?
32:30In this tank there would be around 200,000 fishes.
32:33And I noticed that the water's circulating and that's kind of mimicking the kind of current the salmon would be.
32:40That's correct.
32:41So they're as close to their natural life as you can get.
32:43Absolutely.
32:44With the deposit, I noticed there's food being deposited here as well.
32:47This is where the deposit food.
32:48Food will come from a bite picker silo into these smaller ones.
32:51Are there 12 big tanks?
32:53There are 12 big tanks in this whole area.
32:55So how many fish?
32:56There will be around 3.2 to 3.3 million in this unit here altogether.
33:03So you need to be this big for 3 million fish of this size.
33:07When they get bigger, you need more room.
33:11We continue to the final stage in the hatchery process, not forgetting to don yet another fleece.
33:17I think I preferred the blue one.
33:19These are the biggest tanks.
33:21They are 1,200 cubic each.
33:23And we would have in each tank around 100,000, 120,000 fishes that will grow to around 500 grams before they lose sea.
33:32So this is where we put the fish to sea from.
33:34They're so lively.
33:36They are lively.
33:37They're energetic.
33:38Yeah.
33:39So these tanks are much, much bigger.
33:42So this is the last stage.
33:44This is the last stage.
33:46They swim here for the last, say, around 12 weeks before we smaltify them.
33:51And then they will be around 500 grams and we put them to sea.
33:54Smaltifying is a process that occurs naturally in a salmon's body, preparing them to migrate from fresh water to salt water.
34:02So your job is to manage as much of every step of the way as you can.
34:07It seems to me what you're doing is very Faroese.
34:10You are adapting to environments and doing what you can to make the best living you can.
34:15Yeah.
34:16From sea, from fish, from markets.
34:19It's what Faroese people have always done.
34:21We're really, yeah, really flexible and adjusting to whatever environment we might come.
34:30At 18 months old, their time at the Hatchery will be complete and they'll be ready to begin the next stage of life out at sea.
34:46Inspired by the youthful energy of the smalt I saw back at the Hatchery, I too have made the epic journey.
34:51From fresh water out to sea.
34:56I'm on board the Hansa Baca, one of Bacafrost's well boats.
34:59At 76 metres long, it can carry 450 tonnes of live salmon.
35:07We've just arrived at one of the company's farms, two hours sail from harbour.
35:11There are farms like this in 20 fjords through the Faroese, and the salmon arrive here at around 18 months old.
35:21It's the next stage in the process, where the salmon mature for market in pens suspended in the sea.
35:28So I'm looking down into one of those giant pens, which contains the fish that are ready to be transported back for processing.
35:36And what the guys on the platform have done is they've put a net in there, and they're kind of corralling the fish towards the boat.
35:42The net helps to nudge the salmon towards three huge pipes attached to the ship.
35:48Kind of like a hoover, a giant hoover, but a gentle hoover that makes sure the fish aren't harmed in any way,
35:54because you need the fish to be perfect, obviously, for market.
35:57And so as those nets close in, the fish are coming, they're leaping, you can see them,
36:03are coming closer and closer to the nozzles.
36:06Salmon like to swim against current, they're athletes among fish.
36:10And so they kind of use the salmon's own natural ability to get them into the tanks and then back to the shore for processing.
36:18I really want to get down there and have a closer look at how this works.
36:21The pens are 64 metres in diameter and hold around 80,000 salmon.
36:29So I'm right down by the pen now and it's absolutely writhing with fish,
36:33and I'm going to see if I can get one for you to see.
36:44Oh, it's heavy!
36:47The seas around the Faroes are some of the cleanest in the world,
36:50and they maintain a steady temperature all year round.
36:54Perfect conditions for salmon.
36:57Oh, Jesus Christ!
37:00It's really heavy.
37:02There we go.
37:03Thank you very much, John.
37:07Wow, what an amazing animal.
37:09What you can see about it is that these are healthy fish.
37:12And he looks in great shape.
37:15I don't want to get him out there, John.
37:16We can put him back in a thing.
37:17Yeah, let's put him back in, can we?
37:20Yeah.
37:22Oh, my God, it's so heavy!
37:26Thank you, Alan, thank you.
37:29I mean, they're amazing animals, aren't they?
37:31Yeah.
37:32I think they're so strong, yeah.
37:34And these are healthy fish.
37:35And that's the important thing, is that they're healthy.
37:41Once on board, the fish will go to Backer Frost's processing facility,
37:45where they'll be gutted, filleted and packaged.
37:51Ready for the world.
37:52We've got support vessels, we've got a huge ship here, we've got amazing tech, amazing skill, amazing investment, and it's very far, I think, from what Andrew and Jan were doing in their little boat the other day, where we were catching cod and haddock on a hook and line.
38:08What they were doing seems, well, not that different from what their forefathers were doing going back for generations, and maybe that's kind of at the heart of what Fishing in the Faroes is about.
38:18But I'd argue that this is really an extension of that.
38:22It's people using their ingenuity, their know-how, their skill and their sheer persistence, in the face of all kinds of challenges, to do what they have to do, to bring fish to market, to put food on tables and money in pockets, and to keep life in these islands viable.
38:39It's become clear to me that living in shipping area Faroes is about much more than merely surviving.
38:54This is a place where traditions adapt to become skills, which then transform into something fresh and new.
39:01I've come to a floating bridge just outside Torshaven to find out how the Faroe Islands have managed to become a Michelin-starred foodie hotspot.
39:11Sebastian.
39:12Hello. How are you?
39:13Oh, I'm really well.
39:14Welcome.
39:15This is amazing.
39:16This is beautiful, huh?
39:17This is like Lord of the Rings. It's Wagner in Game of Thrones. It's like a mythical landscape.
39:23This is something unique. This is something beautiful.
39:26Sebastian is the head chef at Rest, a Michelin Guide restaurant specialising in Faroes-inspired food.
39:33A diver delivers his catch here three to four times a week, meaning this is probably the most picturesque larder I've ever seen.
39:42The sea quality is so beautiful.
39:45Are you ready to jump in?
39:46I'm not going to jump in, but I want to see what you're going to pull out of that sea, Sebastian.
39:50Just be careful, please.
39:51OK, I'll go first.
39:52So, what happens here, our diver takes all the seafood and shellfish from around the islands and he puts them in here.
40:01This is basically our walking cooler.
40:02He just leaves it for you?
40:03Literally.
40:04So, he drops in different baskets or nets with a lot of different products.
40:10Yeah.
40:11This might be...
40:12OK, I think I might need some help with this one.
40:15Sure.
40:16No.
40:17Oh, my God.
40:18This is fine.
40:19They're huge.
40:20This is the horse mussel.
40:22That's the biggest mussel I've ever seen.
40:24Such a specific environment, isn't it?
40:26So, you get very food-specific to this.
40:29Look at the size of these things and they weigh a ton.
40:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
40:33Yeah.
40:34It's incredible, huh?
40:35What would you do with this?
40:36For this season, with this ingredient, we are doing a tartelette.
40:40But then we add some preserves from the last year's season.
40:44Yeah.
40:45We try to pickle, preserve, ferment a lot of stuff, especially from the island that grows in the island.
40:52And then we serve it with a guajillo tartelette, which is a type of Mexican chili.
40:56That's when we put both cultures together.
41:00Well, that's very interesting because you're not from Faro.
41:03Yeah, exactly.
41:04You're from Mexico.
41:05I'm coming all the way from Mexico.
41:07I've been living already five years in the Faroes.
41:09How did you get from Mexico to the Faroes?
41:11Because not many people make that journey.
41:13Back in 2019, I moved here the first time.
41:16There was a two Michelin star restaurant back then here in the Faroes.
41:20And this is what attracted me.
41:22The restaurant, the food, what they were doing.
41:26And then I ended up in this beautiful place.
41:29So, I never grew up having shrimps, having fish on a daily basis.
41:34So, it definitely, it's something different here for my cooking style, I would say.
41:40Like I said, there are different stuff here.
41:43It's a little bit a surprise always.
41:46He likes to change from place to place.
41:49Let's see what we have here.
41:50Ooh.
41:51What are you hoping for?
41:52Oof.
41:53Yes.
41:54Oh my goodness, look.
41:55This is, this is something.
41:57Oh my gosh.
41:58Just out of this world.
41:59That is just a harvest.
42:02We have a sea urchin right here.
42:05These are the, yeah, one of the most beautiful things I ever tasted.
42:11So sweet, so soft.
42:14I don't know.
42:15You need to, you need to really, really just taste like that.
42:18A little bit of, not even salt.
42:20You don't need anything.
42:21I've eaten them in France as a great delicacy.
42:24Yeah, exactly.
42:25But I can't imagine what else you would do with them.
42:28They might be probably coming from the Faroe Island.
42:30Like, a lot of top restaurants really, really are craving for these ones.
42:34We are actually using them for dessert.
42:37Dessert?
42:38It's our first, uh, uh, sweet dish on the menu.
42:43You're ready to eat, shall we?
42:44I've been ready to eat for about four hours now.
42:48What's fascinating is that Sebastian's restaurant is not an outlier.
42:54In 2017, the Faroe Islands won its first ever Michelin star.
42:58In 2025, the same chef was awarded two stars for his new restaurant.
43:03And there's another place nearby that, like rest, is mentioned in the guide.
43:07CHOIR SINGS
43:10If you want top-class food, and I really do, the Faroe's is your spot.
43:16Called off on important restaurant business,
43:18Sebastian has left me in the very capable hands of his team,
43:21who have been cooking up a storm.
43:24Oh, it's my friend the sea urchin.
43:27Oh, yeah.
43:28We use sea urchin as, uh, dessert here.
43:30So, in this shell, what we have is a foam.
43:34We make this by a sweetened buckthorn reduction.
43:38On top, we add a little bit of vanilla sugar.
43:41And then lastly, we hit it with a torch
43:43to give it almost a creme boule-style texture.
43:47In this shell, we have our beautiful, fresh sea urchin.
43:51Right from the Faroe's delivered this morning.
43:53You a fan of the sea urchin?
43:58I love sea urchin.
44:00Here you are.
44:04Please enjoy.
44:05I'm going to.
44:06I'm sure you will.
44:07Thanks, Chris.
44:08You're welcome.
44:09Right.
44:10That is sensational.
44:24That is...
44:26It's like continents crowding into a tiny, tiny spoonful of deliciousness.
44:32The sea urchin has this kind of umami creaminess and that long sweetness.
44:42There's that slight crunch from the boule sugary thing.
44:46And there's something tart, sour in it as well.
44:49It's so good.
44:51It's an extraordinary achievement to do this in this lump of rock in the North Atlantic,
44:56somewhere between Scotland and Iceland.
44:59And yet it does it not by kind of bringing stuff together in a surprising and imaginative way.
45:04It's already here, right?
45:06The sea urchin we pulled out of the sea this morning.
45:09There's flavours.
45:11They're all done with the local ingredients, imaginatively treated in traditional ways.
45:16Pickling, fermentation.
45:18And yet it has a sort of sophistication about it,
45:22as well as the utter simplicity of coming from not further than, I should think,
45:26a mile away from where we're sitting now.
45:28But I'm going to eat this now and stop talking because it's just so good.
45:37I've been blown away by my jaunt up to this very northerly section of the shipping forecast.
45:43It's sort of everything you expect and a complete surprise.
45:48Far from being an insular collection of islands sheltering the North Atlantic,
45:52they stand tall and reach outward.
45:56Impossible not to have romantic notions about a landscape like this,
45:59and the pharaoh certainly delivers on that.
46:01But more than that, what I come away with is a sense not of the romantic,
46:05but of the pragmatic, and of a very tough, hardy, resilient people
46:09adapting to these really, really tough circumstances
46:12and coming up with a life that is quite extraordinary and quite unique.
46:17I'll see you next time.
46:19Bye.
46:20Bye.
46:21Bye.
46:22Bye.
46:23Bye.
46:24Bye.
46:25Bye.
46:26Bye.
46:47Bye.
46:48Bye.
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