Alastair was a broadcaster whose career spanned four decades. He was born and brought up in Burton-upon-Trent.
…Newmarch, Duncan
Duncan joined Grimsby Hospital Radio in 1990. He has a commercial radio background, having worked for Lincs FM (Lincolnshire), Invicta FM (Kent) and Trax FM (Yorkshire), where he presented the breakfast show.
…Coia, Paul
Born in Glasgow, Paul’s ambition was to become a dentist but as his exam results were, as he puts it “underwhelming”, he instead attended the University of Glasgow and Paisley College of Technology to do a BSc degree course.
…Brinton, Tim
Tim was educated at Summer Fields, Eton and went to the University of Geneva. After National Service, he trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama and in the early 1950s he joined the BBC as a radio announcer.
…Andrew, John
John’s broadcasting career began at ILR station Radio Tees. He then joined BBC Newcastle before moving to London as a reporter/presenter on BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat programme. He presented Thames News with Andrew Gardener during the 1980s.
John is currently a correspondent/presenter for BBC Network News. He occasionally presents on the BBC News Channel. During his career at the BBC, he initially specialised in local government, covering the rise and fall of the poll tax and the Westminster gerrymandering scandal. He has since covered general news too, including the Harold Shipman murders and the war in Kosovo.
Higgins, Michael
Michael worked in BBC Radio Ulster continuity before moving to the same role on BBC Northern Ireland television in 2000. After a short break, he returned to the TV continuity job in late-2001.
Willighan, Roy
Roy joined the BBC Northern Ireland TV announcing staff in August 2002, having worked previously with BBC Radio Ulster’s Traffic and Travel Unit. Before joining the BBC, Roy was a newsreader at Belfast Citybeat. In 1997, he spent three months working for Radio France Loire-Atlantic in Nantes.
Ap Brinley, Alun
Alun is an actor who has occasionally freelanced as an announcer. Announcing jobs include S4C and BBC Wales TV.
Hall, Terry
Terry appeared with the Lenny the Lion puppet in the 1950s and 1960s.
…Taylor, Andy
Andy was a BBC TV network announcer (1989 – November 1997). He also voiced BBC TV presentation trails (1990 – TBC). Andy’s last day with BBC network presentation was Saturday 8th November 1997. When closing down BBC Two just before 3am on 8th November 1997, his colleague Michaela Saunders gave Andy a mention: “That’s it from BBC Two tonight. Just time to remind you of BBC Radios 1 through to 5, where you can find music, news and chat right through the night. And as the witching hour of 3 o’clock approaches, all of us on the team thank you for being with us tonight and would like to say a fond farewell to one of our announcing colleagues – Andy Taylor left us this evening. And he’s off to find the sun – we wish him Bon Voyage and we wish you a good night.”
Smith, Alister
Alister was a continuity announcer in the presentation department at BBC Scotland (April 1981 – December 1989); starting in radio before moving to television, then back to radio again.
Speaking to us in February 2006, Alister recalled his radio days at BBC Scotland: “In radio, the pace was more relaxed and the work far more varied than the TV side. Apart from straight continuity announcing I often presented Leisure Trail, a programme for outdoor enthusiasts broadcast on Saturday mornings and produced by the late Murdoch McPherson. Then, for a good while, I had my own show called The Light Programme – easy-listening music and chat for Friday afternoons with many interesting guests from the world of music and entertainment. There was also Alister Smith’s Christmas Lights – broadcast early on Christmas morning and featuring young local musicians of all ages.
“At the same time I was also the person behind Leslie McQueen, Tom Ferrie’s charismatically camp visitor to the late chart show that went out Mondays to Thursdays on BBC Radio Scotland between 10pm and midnight. Much to my surprise, Tom’s teenage audience quickly embraced this gay little baker from Rutherglen until he soon became a regular guest: with his accordion, his trumpet and those awful renditions of country and western songs accompanied and sung excruciatingly. Furthermore, Lesley was a prominent feature of Tom Ferrie’s Christmas and New Year specials, as illustrated by Tom and Leslie’s New Year Party etc.
“In a different domain, presenting orchestral concerts for BBC Radio 3 was another of my many privileges, taken along with all the additional things I was allowed to do at BBC Scotland, made my entire time there highly satisfying and eminently enjoyable. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
“After leaving the BBC, I went into commercial radio as head of production at CentreSound 96.7 in Stirling (now Central FM), where I was ever so fortunate to have as my boss Mr Colin Lamont – aka Scottie McClue – surely one of the most affable men you will ever meet. But commercial radio was not my bag. Thus I drifted into tertiary education and IT where I remained until retirement.”
Griffith, Mari
Mari was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1980s and 1990s). She then went freelance and was heard regularly on BBC Radio Wales.
Austin, Craig
Craig Austin combines roles as a broadcaster, writer and producer. He started his media career in radio and moved on to television, dipping his toes in ink along the way.
Craig is from Uddingston, on the outskirts of Glasgow, and is the youngest of four boys. He started a career in medical laboratory sciences but after three years he returned to student life to study media. He does miss the white coat though!
It was during his final year as a student that he got his first professional broadcasting gigs, writing and presenting travel and traffic reports on a number of Scotland’s radio stations, as well as doing commercial voiceovers. A short spell hosting his own shows on Radio Tay in Dundee followed, before Craig found himself in Carlisle, working as an announcer, presenter and producer for Border Television.
…Baines, Brian
Brian Baines was a regular presenter of Look North bulletins from Leeds during the late-1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In fact, Brian was the first voice to be heard on Look North. He was also one of the main continuity announcers for BBC North TV during the 1970s and early 1980s when BBC English regions had their own continuity. He still provided continuity into local programming on BBC North until the late-1980s.
He retired from BBC Leeds on 25th April 1988. Sadly, Brian passed away on 30th June 2006, aged 75.
Fleming, Arlene
Arlene Fleming was born around 1965 in Paisley, in the west of Scotland.
…Brooks, Rosemary
Rosemary was a BBC TV network announcer (1968 – 1969).
Webb, Gillian
Gillian was a BBC TV in-vision network announcer (1946 – 1947). Born in Leicester, in 1926, Gillian became a student at RADA soon after she left school in 1943. When she was called up for National Service she enlisted in ENSA and began touring England with Twelfth Night. She then toured the Middle East with the play Nine to Six, in which her part was of a mannequin with a few lines, but it took her to Cairo, Alexandra, Basra, Damascus, Aleppo, Beirut and Jerusalem.
It was at Habbaniya Airport in Iraq that she met her future husband, Lieutenant Wilson of the United States Army Air Force and, in the course of just seven days, got engaged to him. Upon returning to England in May 1946, Gillian began to see agents and film directors. It was after little success she was given an introduction to the BBC and she got the job of female television announcer. She began her new job on 17th July 1946.
Gillian never saw her announcing job as long term. In an interview published in December 1946 she stated that she was currently reading all she could about America and “has all the states off by heart and can point them out on the map.” In between reading about the US, Gillian also listed her interests as “reads thrillers, plays tennis, and waits for her visa to the United States which in any case won’t be of any use before January when she is twenty-one.” Gillian finally left Alexandra Palace and her announcing job on 20th March 1947 and never returned to television again. Her vacancy was filled by Sylvia Peters after an extensive search for a new female announcer. Sylvia was the youngest of the entrants at 21 years of age.
Gillian’s whereabouts at the current time are not known. Thanks to Simon Vaughan of the APTS for the background information above.
Hayden-Smith, Andrew
Andrew is a former CBBC presenter. He’s currently an announcer on ITV.
Vance, Simon
Simon served an attachment as a BBC TV network announcer (1984 – 1985). He worked as a freelance presenter for BBC Radio Brighton (1976 – TBC), joining the staff there in 1980, until he moved to BBC Radio 4 (1983). He was there until early 1992 when he emigrated to San Francisco.
…Gower, Mike
Mike started his broadcasting career as a radio presenter on Radio Forth in 1974. In 1979, he joined BBC Scotland as a continuity announcer. The following year, he moved over to STV where he was a continuity announcer, newsreader and sub-editor, until 1990. Mike then moved into production for STV, working as a producer/director until 1999, when he went freelance.
Mike also lectures at Napier University and Glasgow Metropolitan College.
Phillips, John
John was a Border TV continuity announcer and newsreader (1990 – 1995). He has also worked as a freelance continuity announcer for BBC Scotland TV in Glasgow (1997 – TBC). John has presented for Radio Borders and combines his broadcasting work with a full-time job as a mathematics lecturer.
Jones, Phillip
Phillip was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1995 – TBC).
Starling, Sara
Sara’s broadcasting career began at the BBC in London, where she was a radio studio manager (1989 – 1994), working on network radio output, live and pre-recorded – drama, sport and features.
…Bower, Colin
Colin Bower was born in Cheltenham Spa, and took his first steps in broadcasting as a disc jockey with radio stations in Africa before embarking on a television career that would span decades.
…Maguire, Maurice
Maurice was a TV and radio continuity announcer/director with BBC Northern Ireland in the late-1970s and early 1980s. He then moved into television news where he was a programme director. Later he was chief producer (entertainment) in Belfast and producer/director on Songs of Praise.
…Badawi, Zeinab
Zeinab’s broadcasting career began as an ITN newscaster, working on Channel 4 News (1989 – 1998). She also presented on the ITV Morning News in the 1990s and on the Channel 4 Daily in 1990.
In 1998, she joined the BBC and spent five years working on live political programmes based at Westminster. She then moved to radio, where she presented The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4 and Newshour on the BBC World Service.
In April 2005, Zeinab was announced as the new presenter of BBC Four’s news programme, The World. The programme – also broadcast on BBC World News – was rebranded as World News Today in May 2007. She continued to present the programme until 2013.
…Stirrup, Michael
Michael was a former actor and BBC TV network announcer/director.
…Brydon, Rob
Rob was a continuity director/announcer with BBC Wales TV (late-1980s). He also presented The Chart Show and Rave on BBC Radio Wales into the early 1990s. Rob also voiced network BBC TV programme trails (late-1980s/early 1990s). These days, Rob is better known for his stand-up, presenting and acting roles: Human Remains (BBC); Marion and Geoff (BBC); Gavin and Stacey (BBC); presenter, Would I Lie to You? (BBC); Live from the Apollo (BBC).
Lines, Judi
Judi was born in Lincoln. She is a former Anglia Television announcer (1973 – 1976). She moved to BBC TV in Norwich, where she worked as an announcer and newsreader/reporter on Look East.
…Evans, Russell
Russell is an announcer on network BBC One and BBC Two.
Bale, Jenni
Jenni worked as a continuity announcer for BBC TV Presentation (1978 – 1980).
…Martin, Edgar
Edgar had a brief stint as a continuity announcer with Ulster Television in the early 1970s before heading around the corner to the BBC and taking on a similar TV role there.
…Lydiate, Dean
Dean is a BBC TV network announcer (1999 – present). In addition to domestic presentation, he was also the voice of the BBC’s international channel, BBC Prime (dates TBC) broadcasting to Europe, Russia, Africa, Israel and the United Arab Emirates. He has also appeared on two other BBC Worldwide channels (2004 – TBC): BBC Prime (Asia) and BBC Japan.
Christie, Bob
Bob started off as an announcer with Scottish TV. He later joined the BBC Scotland announcing team in the mid-1970s and clocked up more than 25 years’ service before he retired in 2000. Like most of the other announcers of his generation, he regularly read the Scottish News summaries in-vision until 1988. In his last few years with the BBC, Bob tended to work on radio rather than TV.
Weston, Colin
Colin was born in London. He left school and joined the press and PR department of ABC Studios in Teddington and stayed for four years. After they lost their ITV franchise, he applied for various announcer jobs across the ITV network.
…Woods, Peter
Peter was born in Romford, Essex. He began in print journalism writing for the Yorkshire Post, Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, with only a break for military service as a commissioned officer in the Royal Horse Guards.
…Glover, John
John was a BBC TV network announcer for 21 years (1964 – 1985), including a period as a senior network announcer (February 1982 to 1985).
…Hall, James
James as a BBC Wales TV continuity director/ announcer (mid-1990s – TBC).
Lithgoe, Lynette
Lynette started her television career as an in-vision announcer at Granada Television. She then moved to the BBC in the East Midlands as a presenter (1989) and later became a national BBC TV newsreader (February 1990 – October 1991), mostly on weekend bulletins and for BBC Two’s News View. She also presented the charity appeal programme Lifeline in the late-1980s. She left to join BBC World as a newsreader in 1991.
…Westrop, Jane
Jane was a BBC TV announcer (1991 – c. 1996) and a BBC World Service TV announcer (1992).
Bates, Simon
Simon was born in Birmingham and raised in Suffolk and Shropshire. He is perhaps best known for his long stint as a BBC Radio 1 DJ (1976 – 1993).
…Armour, Downie
Downie was a BBC TV national weather forecaster (1956 – 1958). He died in 1979.
Austin, Wendy
Wendy joined BBC Northern Ireland in November 1976, fresh from her presenting duties on Downtown Radio. She joined the commercial radio station earlier in 1976, following four years as a newspaper journalist: initially with the East Antrim Times (1972 – 1974) and then the Belfast Telegraph (1974 – 1976). Wendy’s BBC career began as a TV reporter but by the 1980s, she was also presenting on Scene Around Six and later, Inside Ulster. She co-presented the BBC NI opt-outs during Children in Need and was also the face of a local supermarket chain’s advertising campaign in the 1980s.
As well as appearing on screen, Wendy was also involved with BBC Radio Ulster’s breakfast programme Good Morning Ulster, from the early 1980s. Since the late-1980s, Wendy has mostly stayed with radio. She has been one of the main presenters on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster and between 1988 and 1998, she presented nationally on BBC Radio 4, on programmes such as PM, Pick of the Week and Woman’s Hour. However, she did pop up on TV screens occasionally – she took over from former colleague Sean Rafferty as presenter of The DIY Show.
…Ford, Anna
Born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, into a household steeped in the performing arts – both her parents were West End actors – Anna Ford forged an intellectual identity far removed from the stage.
…Edwards, Ben
Ben was a BBC TV network announcer (1994 – 1996). He then moved to an announcing role at Channel 4 (1996 – c. 1998).
O’Grady, Yvonne
Yvonne was a BBC TV network announcer (1990).
Sharpe, Brian
Brian was a BBC TV in-vision network announcer (1956) and BBC Midlands announcer (late-1950s).
Robertson, Morag
Formerly Morag Irvine. Morag currently works as a continuity announcer/director on BBC One Scotland. The role previously also covered BBC Two Scotland but that channel was replaced by the network version of BBC Two, just prior to the launch of the BBC Scotland channel. Although the dedicated Scottish content channel has its own team of announcers, some BBC One Scotland voices can also be heard on the BBC Scotland channel.
Ayre, Elaine
Elaine’s broadcasting career began with BBC Northern Ireland in the early 1990s, as a continuity announcer on BBC Radio Ulster. In 1994, she moved to television, as a continuity announcer/director. She moved to BBC Radio Ulster briefly c. 1996 before returning to her television continuity role.
Montgomery, Stephen
Stephen began his announcing career in the 1970s. He became the senior BBC Northern Ireland announcer in the late-1980s and was heard less and less during peak time, having moved to cover early morning and lunchtime regional news opts, which weren’t part of the rota for his staff until the late-1990s.
…Robinson, Liz
Liz was a network BBC announcer (late-1990s – c. 2000).
Buckley, Lola
One of the pre-recorded voices of BBC Three from its launch in 2003 until its disappearance from linear television in February 2016. Lola was also a regular voice on BBC Choice continuity from early 2000.