How to use the online alarm clock
Waking at 10:09 pm, you can use the alarm as a cue to sit up, switch on BBC Radio 4 and listen to the Shipping Forecast. It gives you time to become properly alert and find the station before 11:00 pm, without turning the evening into a rushed search for the broadcast.
Because the radio may already be running elsewhere, keep this alarm page where you can see it instead of leaving it buried behind several background tabs. Browsers sometimes reduce activity on pages that remain out of view, while sound permissions or a muted browser can also prevent the alert being heard. Check the volume with the page still active. If you close the page or allow the phone to sleep, the alarm cannot sound, so the Shipping Forecast may begin while you are still asleep.
After waking for a late-evening broadcast, notice whether nearby conversation, television or traffic could cover a short alarm tone. By 10:09 pm, household noise may be settling, but a radio playing softly can still mask it. Put the phone within hearing distance, choose a clear volume, and keep other audio low until the alarm has sounded.
Common questions
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
What happens if my laptop goes to sleep before 10:09 pm?
The tab sleeps along with it and the alarm will not sound on time, if at all. If you are relying on it, change the power settings so the machine stays awake, or keep a phone alarm running as well.
Do I need an account or an app?
Neither. Choose a time and a sound, press Start, and it runs in this browser tab. Nothing is downloaded, nothing is registered, and closing the page leaves nothing behind on the device.
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