Main content

World Ocean Day: Helen Czerski, Nadia Frontier and the Sounds Beneath the Sea

Cerys marks World Ocean Day with Helen Czerski and Nadia Frontier, exploring ocean currents, Antarctic wildlife sounds, and music inspired by the sea.

Cerys marks World Ocean Day with a journey through the waters that connect us all, from the Antarctic Ocean to the rivers, coastlines and currents that shape life on Earth.

She's joined by physicist and oceanographer Helen Czerski to explore the life and legacy of pioneering Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen, whose work helped transform our understanding of the oceans and the movement of water around the globe.

Plus, marine biologist Nadia Frontier takes us beneath the Antarctic Ocean to hear the extraordinary sounds of life below the surface, from whales and seals to the rich underwater soundscapes of one of the most remote places on Earth.

Along the way, Cerys pays tribute to Colombian folk icon Totó la Momposina and jazz giant Sonny Rollins, and brings together a playlist inspired by oceans, rivers, weather and the natural world, featuring James Brown, Cosmo Sheldrake, Kate Bush, The Carter Family, Queen, Sonny Rollins and more.

Produced by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.

27 days left to listen

3 hours

Last on

Sunday 10:00
BBC Radio 6 Music

More episodes

Previous

Case Oats in session and being on top of the world

Next

14/06/2026

See all episodes from Cerys Matthews

Music Played

  • Brian Jackson

    Moonshine (MAW live mix) (feat. Carl Cornwell)

    Remix Artist: Masters at Work.
    • EP Two.
    • BBE Music.
    • 3.

  • IKE

    SIDDA - Cairo version

    • On Other Dreams: Cairo.
    • Wah Wah 45s.
    • 1.

  • James Brown & The Famous Flames

    Baby Cries Over The Ocean

    • Please, Please, Please.
    • Polydor.
    • 6.

  • Nicholas Payton & Butcher Brown

    All Blues

    • Pursuance.
    • Concord Jazz.
    • 2.

  • Seu Jorge & Beck

    River Man

    • The Other Side.
    • Amor In Sound.

  • Sera Cahoone

    Say Something

    • Say Something.
    • Sub Pop Records.
    • 1.

  • Totó la Momposina

    El Pescador

    • Tambolero.

  • The Beatles

    I Am The Walrus

    • APPLE.

  • Father John Misty

    The Payoff

    • Sub Pop.

  • Kate Carr

    Flicker Mooring Chains

    • I Had Myself a Nuclear Spring.
    • Rivertones.
    • 5.

  • The Carter Family

    The Storms Are on the Ocean

    • The Very Best of the Carter Family.
    • H&H Music Ltd.
    • 19.

  • Paul Weller

    Broken Stones

    • Island.

  • Hollow Hand

    A World Outside

    • Talk Show.

  • Deepak Limbu

    Timro Aankha

    • Music Dot Com.

  • Oscar Peterson & Ben Webster

    How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky)

    • Best Jazz Standards.
    • UME - Global Clearing House.
    • 27.

  • Billie Eilish

    Ocean Eyes

    • Ocean Eyes.
    • Darkroom.
    • 1.

  • Cosmo Sheldrake

    Bathed In Sound

    • Wild Wet World.
    • Cosmo Sheldrake.
    • 1.

  • Fruit Bats

    That Goddamn Sun

    • That Goddamn Sun.
    • Merge Records.
    • 1.

  • Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci

    Patio Song

    • Polygram TV.

  • Olympia Vitalis

    Money Tree

    • Money Tree.
    • Platoon.
    • 1.

  • Nina Simone

    Mr. Bojangles

    • The Greatest Hits.
    • RCA Camden.
    • 5.

  • NRBQ

    I Got A Rocket In My Pocket

    • All Hopped Up (Deluxe).
    • Omnivore Recordings.
    • 4.

  • Jon Batiste

    Facile-Batiste

    • Facile-Batiste.
    • Jon Batiste - Black Mozart.
    • 1.

  • Charlie Franklin

    Take The Blame

  • Beth Carvalho

    Vou Festejar

    • Vou Festejar.
    • Sony Music Entertainment.
    • 1.

  • Queen

    Seven Seas Of Rhye

    • Queen - Greatest Hits.
    • Parlophone.
    • 11.

  • Dire Straits

    Sultans Of Swing

    • (Single).
    • Vertigo.
    • 5.

  • Shearwater

    More and More

    • Daydream Unbeliever / More and More.
    • Polyborus.
    • 2.

  • New Ballards Branch Bogtrotters

    Storms On The Ocean

    • bogtrotter blues.
    • self-released.

  • Galvezton

    Roll to G-TOWN

    • Roll to G-TOWN (Radio Edit).
    • La Izquierda.
    • 1.

  • Big Mama Thornton

    Sweet Little Angel

    • In Europe.
    • Arhoolie Records.
    • 1.

  • Sonny Rollins

    Blue Room

    • On Impulse!.
    • Verve Reissues.
    • 4.

  • Sonny Rollins

    You Do Something to Me

    • The Bridge.
    • RCA Bluebird.
    • 6.

  • Kate Bush

    Flower Of The Mountain

    • Noble & Brite Limited.

Broadcast

  • Sunday 10:00
    BBC Radio 6 Music