Harry was a BBC Radio Scotland announcer who did an occasional stint as a TV announcer in the 1970s.
He has since passed away (date unknown).
Canham, David
David was a continuity director/announcer with BBC Wales TV (summer 2000 – autumn 2002). He performed the final link with the BBC One balloon symbol in March 2002, before the channel was rebranded; during the junction, he also treated viewers to a final glimpse of the balloon-themed channel clock.
He later moved to London to take up a continuity announcer/transmission controller role with BFBS Television, where he remained for three years. He has extensive experience in transmission control, having worked at BSkyB, Molinare and Viasat. During his time at Viasat, he played a role in introducing a tapeless server-based playout infrastructure.
David also provided voiceovers for Teachers TV.
Jones, Robin
Robin’s broadcasting career began as an announcer with Teledu Cymru/WWN (1962). He then moved to BBC Wales as a radio and television announcer (1964 – 1982). When S4C began, Robin was appointed chief announcer (1982 – TBC). Post-retirement, he still occasionally freelanced as an S4C announcer.
Parker, Mary
Mary was a relief BBC TV in-vision network announcer, 1955.
Stuart, Vivien
Vivien was born in 1957. Following university, she accepted a place on the Broadcast Journalist Training Scheme in 1975, which led to several years working as a studio manager.
…Copland, Jane
Jane was a continuity announcer with BBC Scotland TV (1986) and could also be seen reading the news in-vision at lunchtime. She then moved to Channel 4, where she worked on the announcing rota in the late-1980s and during the 1990s. In more recent times, as well as being the voice of Orange, Jane also provides continuity announcements for UKTV History.
Flynn, David
In 2005, David began announcing duties for the UKTV network (on UKTV Food, UKTV Gold and UKTV People), whilst training to be an actor at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.
…Hookey, Russell
Russell moved to Channel TV from the Chrysalis Group in London where he had been newsreading on London radio stations Heart 106.2 and LBC 97.3 (often heard as a regular member of Sandi Toksvig’s team) and also presenting on LBC News 1152. Prior to that he worked in commercial and BBC radio in the regions for more than twelve years as a newsreader, producer and reporter and occasionally popped up covering stories for television with BBC South Today.
At Channel TV, Russell was initially a stand-in presenter on Channel Report; he later became one of the programme’s regular presenters. He also provided continuity announcements at Channel TV.
Russell later moved to ITV Border, where he presented bulletins and filled in on the main Lookaround programme.
Armah, Claudia-Liza
Claudia-Liza is a TV news presenter. She has worked for Sky News and the BBC (60 Seconds, BBC Three). Since 2014, she has worked for the London Live television channel, where she hosts Headline London.
…Austin, Mark
Mark was a BBC TV sports reporter (1985 – 1986) before joining ITN in October 1986 as a sports correspondent. His first assignments for ITN were to cover England’s successful Ashes tour of Australia, as well as the America’s Cup.
He stayed for four months in Australia and unexpectedly found himself reporting on the extraordinary Spycatcher trial.
He has covered all the major sporting events for ITN, including the Olympics, Wimbledon, the British Open and Rugby internationals.
In 1995 he was seconded to ITV to report from South Africa on the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Since joining ITN he has specialised in covering foreign events, travelling all around the globe. Based in Hong Kong in 1993 as Asia correspondent, he returned in 1996 (until 1998), reporting on major events in the region, including the handover of the island to the Chinese in July 1997.
From 1994 until 1996 he was based in Johannesburg as Africa correspondent. He returned to London in mid-1998 and from 1999 he was a special/senior correspondent. He was an occasional newscaster of weekend news bulletins on ITV and the ITN News Channel in August 1998 and again from October 1999.
In May 2001 he presented ITV’s reality game show Survivor.
In 2004, Mark became a regular face in the newscaster’s chair. He took over from Sir Trevor McDonald as the main anchor of the late-night weekday news programme on ITV in December 2005.
Gray, Donald
Donald was an accomplished actor. He was a relief BBC TV in-vision network announcer (1952 – 1953, 1955). He later announced at ATV in London at the weekends. Gray also provided the voice of Colonel White in the cult 1960s children’s television classic, Captain Scarlet.
…Lyne, Francis
Francis was a BBC Radio External Services announcer (1986 – 1987, 1988 – TBC) and served an attachment as a BBC TV network announcer (1987 – 1988).
O’Hara, James
James was a graduate of Manchester and Aberdeen universities. He joined BBC Scotland as a radio/TV announcer in 1977, having spent a number of years at Grampian TV as a presenter/announcer.
…Gamble, David
David was a BBC Northern Ireland TV continuity announcer in the 1970s and 1980s. Easily one of the standout voices in local broadcasting during that time.
…Braban, John
John was an announcer with ABC Television and ATV London. He also worked as a network announcer with BBC TV (1969 – 1974) and voiced BBC TV presentation trails (1972 – 1990).
Guha, Isa
Isa is a cricket commentator/presenter for the BBC and Sky Sports.
…Baker, Peter
During the 1980s, Peter worked at BBC West in Bristol, presenting news bulletins and filling in as co-host on the main Points West programme alongside Viv Creegor and Graham Purches.
In 1988 he moved to Granada TV In Manchester where he hosted the nightly Granada Action social information programme. He also presented the breakfast show on Key 103 radio.
…Chapman, Mark
Mark was born in Rochdale and grew up in Altrincham.
…Phillips, Ian
Ian served an attachment as a BBC TV network announcer (1987). He returned to BBC Radio Devon as a general producer.
Wheal, David
David was born in December 1955. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
…Jamieson, Paul
Paul worked as a continuity announcer/director for BBC Scotland (2000 – December 2002) before moving to London to become a member of the ITV 1 network announcing team. His voice was also heard occasionally on ITV 2. Paul has also worked for several radio stations, including The Eagle, Star and BBC Radio Scotland.
Maclean, Carole
Carole was a Border TV announcer and newsreader (mid-1990s). She then moved to BBC Scotland TV, taking on a continuity director/announcer role there. She also lectures in media at Ayr.
Roddick, Gordon
Gordon was an announcer on Scottish Television (1961 – 1973). He then became a transmission controller. He left STV in 1992 to join BBC Scotland, where he was a radio announcer and newsreader. Gordon also sat in the television announcer’s chair at BBC Scotland on a few occasions. He left BBC Scotland in 2000.
Christopher, Alan
Alan is a former BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer. He is now retired.
Marshall, Peter
Peter was a continuity announcer in various ITV regions: Ulster TV (1967 – 1969); Anglia TV (1970 – 1973); Southern (dates TBC); Thames Television (dates TBC); ATV (Midlands) (dates TBC); HTV West (dates TBC). He was also the national host of the TV Times Awards and Miss United Kingdom on the ITV network (1970s and 1980s). He also presented the BBC’s Come Dancing (1980 – 1983), and regularly reported for ITV’s Wish You Were Here? Marshall originally trained as a teacher, and then an actor with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before joining a Bournemouth rep company.
Armstrong, Jack
Jack was a BBC TV national weather forecaster (1956 – 1965). He worked at the Met Office for 36 years (1947 – 1983). He died in 1984.
Brand, John
John was a BBC TV network announcer in the early 1970s.
Escolme, John
John obtained a BA (Hons) in communication, cultural studies and public media from the University of Leeds.
…Nichols, Tim
Tim was a BBC TV network announcer for 24 years (1965 – 1970 and 1972 – 1990). He was a relief newsreader on News Review for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Weekend News (April 1971 – October 1971).
…Shoesmith, Peter
Peter Shoesmith was born in 1936 and raised in the south coast town of Bexhill-on-Sea.
…James, Mark
Mark joined BBC Wales TV Presentation from Swansea Sound radio (1989). He left the continuity director/announcer role in the mid-1990s to direct news, and would later concentrate on motorsports and front world rallying programmes for BBC network.
Lincoln, Frank
Frank was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1970s – 1990s). He then switched to freelance voiceover work, for TV documentaries and educational programmes.
Blackmore, Guy
Australian-born former pirate radio disc jockey (known as Jim Gordon, or Jumbo Jimmy Gordon during his time on Radio Caroline North), who went on to become an in-vision continuity announcer for Thames Television, a relief announcer at Southern TV and also a voice-only announcer on the BBC.
Sadly, Guy died of lung cancer in 2000.
Gregg, Anne
Anne was born in Belfast. In October 1959, aged 19, she joined Ulster TV at its launch, as an announcer. She later presented the local news magazine programme Roundabout.
…Currie, Tony
Mr STV for a generation of ‘pres’ enthusiasts. His distinctive, well modulated voice now graces BBC Scotland, on television and radio. Tony was one of STV’s in-vision announcers (April 1976 – 1987). He left shortly before the company dropped regular in-vision continuity. He started with BBC Scotland in 1997.
…Mangold, Tom
Tom worked in BBC TV News and Current Affairs since 1964, working initially as a war reporter and later as an investigative journalist, on programmes such as Panorama. He is an international best-selling author and an award-winning travel writer.
…Lynn, Heather
Heather was a freelance BBC TV network announcer (1983 – 1989). She was also a TVS announcer (late-1980s) and a BBC World Service TV announcer (1992).
Stubbing, Juliet
Juliet served an attachment as a BBC TV network announcer (1989).
Jensen, Rebecca
Rebecca is a former BBC America announcer. She has also voiced trails for BBC One, BBC Radio and ITV 2.
Leeson, John
He was born John Ducker in Leicester. He is an actor who is best known as the much-loved voice of computer dog K9, trusty sidekick to Doctor Who (1977 – 1981, 1983, 2006 and 2008).
…Labey, Russell
Russell was a Channel Television continuity announcer (1980s). He moved to Plymouth to front BBC South West’s Spotlight. After a long career as a presenter, Russell returned to the theatre and worked as a director and writer. He worked as resident director on the 2001/2002 UK Tour of Sunset Boulevard and he directed Hardcore at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A production of Russell’s play, New Boy, opened in Broadway in October 2002. Russell was also commissioned to write a new play by the Theatre Royal, Plymouth.
Avery, Philip
Philip – born in 1959 – served with the Royal Navy as a forecaster (1984 – 1994). His broadcasting career began in 1996 with The Weather Network, based in Birmingham. Within months he moved to London to appear on The Weather Channel. He joined the BBC Weather Centre in April 1998 and became a BBC TV national weather forecaster in March 1999. He appeared on BBC TV’s Breakfast News and international TV channels, BBC Prime and BBC World.
Nunan, Michael
Michael was a BBC Northern Ireland TV continuity announcer in the 1970s and 1980s. He also announced and read the news on BBC Radio 4 Northern Ireland and BBC Radio Ulster. He retired from broadcasting c. 1988.
McLean, Kerry
Formerly Kerry Turner. Kerry joined the BBC in 1993, and during her first six years there, she worked on some of the corporation’s flagship news and current affairs radio programmes: Good Morning Ulster on BBC Radio Ulster; Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland; and the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. That was followed by stints in various sections of the BBC World Service, before returning home to Northern Ireland and to BBC Radio Ulster, where she worked on the John Bennett programme.
She had a brief foray into television – six months as a BBC Northern Ireland TV continuity announcer/director, starting in late-September 2003. Beyond that, she occasionally provided voiceovers for local programme trails. Back on BBC Radio Ulster, she presented Weekend Extra. In 2014, she was given her own afternoon slot (Monday to Thursday), 3pm – 5pm.
Kerry is married to BBC Northern Ireland presenter Ralph McLean. They have three children.
Birley, Michael
BBC TV continuity announcer (1968 – 1969).
Elwes, Polly
Born Mary Freya Elwes and known as Polly. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, now part of the University of London.
…Whitting, Robin
After starting at the BBC in the Gramophone Library in 1966, Robin trained as a BBC studio manager working in network radio, local radio and the World Service.
…Robbie, Christopher
Christopher was an announcer for Associated Rediffusion, Southern, Anglia and Thames TV. He had a friendly air and a great screen presence. He presented Southern’s final programme, It’s Goodbye from Us with great panache, and was one of only two continuity announcers featured, the other one being veteran colleague Brian Nissen. After Southern lost its contract, Christopher popped up from time-to-time as an announcer on TVS, before going into theatre.
He later went on tour with a one-man play about Charles Darwin. He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. In the theatre he has achieved notable success in the plays of Shakespeare, Ibsen, Lope de Vega, Calderon, Euripedes and Miller. For four years he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, during which time he played the title role in King Lear. On television his portrayal of the Cyberleader in the Doctor Who adventure The Revenge of the Cyberman won him a cult following. Christopher has also worked as a director and designer and his play The Sirens of Eroc, was written under the nom-de-plume of James Alan. As an artist he has held successful exhibitions of his photographs.
Rebbeck, Judith
Judith was a newsreader on BBC Northern Ireland TV and radio in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, she joined the TV continuity team. She remained in that role until 1995, when she retired from broadcasting.
Bolger, Lucy
BBC TV network announcer in 1995.
Burn, Christine
Christine was born in Birmingham. She attended the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (1961 – 1963) and the Lucie Clayton Modelling School (spring 1964).
…Matheson, Rob
Rob was a continuity director/announcer with BBC Scotland (1995 – July 2008), covering TV and radio. He was also involved in managing the transition from analogue to digital transmission systems. Currently, Rob is a news presenter and reporter for BBC Scotland TV and radio.
He has also worked as a freelance reporter at Westsound FM and presented for QFM. Other posts include: reporter for Stirling Sports Agency, Glasgow; reporter for Slough, Windsor and Eton Observer; reporter/financial editor for Drapers Record business-to-business magazine.