Royal Daffodil launched as first new Mersey ferry in 60 years
The £26m Royal Daffodil has been launched as the first new Mersey ferry in more than 60 years and will begin operating in the coming weeks.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A new £26 million Mersey ferry, the Royal Daffodil, has been launched, becoming the first new vessel on the crossing in more than 60 years.
The ferry was built at Cammell Laird by a Liverpool City Region workforce. It is the sixth to carry the Royal Daffodil name. The launch took place at a christening event, with Liverpool actor and singer Claire Sweeney acting as master of ceremonies. She said it was one of the greatest honours of her career. After the ceremony, the first passengers were due to be competition winners at the weekend. The vessel will enter public service in the coming weeks, with some reports saying autumn.
The crossing between Liverpool and Birkenhead has a long history. Accounts of its age vary: one puts it at more than 850 years, while another says Benedictine monks established a crossing about 900 years ago. The service has been immortalised in Gerry and the Pacemakers' 1964 song and film Ferry Cross the Mersey. The Beatles performed on board, and Paul McCartney's younger brother was behind the camera at that event and at the new launch. Other cultural links include the Royal Iris, which the Queen visited, the Brookside opening titles, The Mersey Pirate children's show and Peaky Blinders. The ferries gained their royal prefixes for their role in the First World War.
The Mersey Ferries now carry around 400,000 passengers a year. Most are leisure passengers taking a 50-minute sightseeing cruise with commentary and the famous song, but about 60,000 commuters use the 10-minute journey between Liverpool and Birkenhead. The new vessel is intended to meet continued demand, with ferry journeys across the UK recovering to near pre-pandemic levels. Bosses hope the Royal Daffodil will create as many memories as the ferries that sailed before it.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | ITV |
|---|---|---|---|
| A new ferry was launched across the Mersey, the first in 60 years. | · | ||
| The ferry cost £26 million to build. | · | ||
| The new ferry is named Royal Daffodil. | · | ||
| The new ferry was built by Cammell Laird. | · | ||
| The ferry carries about 400,000 passengers each year. | · | · | |
| The Royal Daffodil is due to enter public service this autumn. | · | · | |
| The Royal Iris was retired to make way for the new ferry. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
It gave the story only a brief final mention, framing it around the famous Gerry and the Pacemakers song. The bulletin reported the launch, the name and the £26m cost, but offered no interviews, history or service details.
- “Finally, it was made famous by Gerry and the Pacemakers and today a new ferry has been launched across the Mersey, the first one for 60 years.”
- “It's been named the Royal Daffodil and it cost £26 million to build.”
The BBC gave the story a full package, with a reporter on board and a strong focus on local identity, culture and passenger numbers. It set out the scale of the investment, the Cammell Laird build, the ferry's history in pop culture and its role for commuters and tourists. It also named Claire Sweeney as master of ceremonies and said competition winners would be first passengers at the weekend.
- “So this is the Royal Daffodil, the sixth in the line of Royal Daffodils and this one has been built at Cammell Laird, which is just to my right at the back of me, by a Liverpool City Region workforce.”
- “They've survived competition with road and rail and now carry 400,000 passengers a year.”
- “Before the Royal Daffodil enters public service this autumn, with bosses hoping it will create as many memories as the ferries that sailed before her.”
ITV covered the launch across lunchtime, evening and late bulletins, with the later reports built around a reporter's ride and the crossing's musical history. Its lunchtime coverage was led by an onboard interview with Claire Sweeney, stressing local pride and family memories. The evening and Ten bulletins added more historical detail, including the Beatles, Paul McCartney's brother and the Benedictine origins of the crossing.
- “It is as I say the first new ferry in more than 60 years but hopefully it will be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people to come.”
- “Behind the camera lens that night, and once again today, was Paul McCartney's younger brother.”
- “Benedictine monks first established a crossing between here in Liverpool and Birkenhead over the water 900 years ago.”
Broadcast Timeline
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