Deborah Hall launched her broadcasting career with the BBC in November 1985.
…Wellings, Bob
Bob Wellings was born in Jerusalem.
…Twining, Sasha
Sasha was born in Yorkshire. She is a presenter, journalist, conference host and facilitator. She began her career in radio and worked as a DJ for several years at various local and regional radio stations, including BBC Radio Solent.
…Walker, Peter
Peter worked as a meteorological observer in charge at Whitworth Observatory, Manchester. He was a research assistant at Keele University and a Royal Navy met officer before joining the Met Office in 1963. He was a forecaster based at Uxbridge.
…Bance, Greg
By passing the 11-Plus, Greg gained entry to his local grammar school in north London, but education seemed to gain little purchase on his mind, which was focussed on tuning around the short wave, discovering the existence of offshore radio and determination to escape as soon as possible.
…Edwards, Tom
Tom was born in Norwich. He began his career as a newspaper journalist on the Eastern Evening News and when Anglia TV opened, he worked on in-house commercials and even had a small role in one of their dramas. He compered a weekly live pop show, Beat on the Border, from Border TV in Carlisle and returned years later to the ITV regional company as an announcer/newsreader.
…Shaw, Clem
Born Clement Murphy-Shaw, he sold antiques and cars before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
…Carlton, Amanda
Amanda has voiced English language audio courses (e.g. Linguaphone, Pearsons, Hugo, Longmans, de Agostini) since 1986. From 1988, she voiced trails for Anglia TV, Living, Granada Plus, Disney and TVS. Amanda got an attachment as a BBC TV network announcer (1988 – 1990) and was one of the voices on BBC TV’s Points of View (1987 – 1990). She also voiced BBC TV programme trails (1991).
…Bacon, Jim
Jim was born in Suffolk. He was employed by the Met Office from 1968 until 1986. His career started in East Anglia at RAF stations in 1968. He later moved to Bracknell for a few years as a programmer on the Met Office supercomputer.
…Speake, Michael
Michael was born in Shrewsbury. His first broadcasting experience was with pirate radio and later, BBC Radio including being the Midland link for Family Favourites.
…Pitts, Valerie
Valerie was an actress. She was RADA-trained (1955 – 1957) and worked in the theatre initially.
…Finighan, Adrian
Adrian is a Welsh journalist. He joined the BBC in 1988, working in local radio as a reporter and producer.
…Hammal, Bruce
Bruce was born in 1951. He’s a former studio manager and BBC TV announcer (1975 – 1984). He also appeared in-vision on BBC TV’s Breakfast Time‘ in 1983, in the TV Choice slot and as the out-of-vision commentator on Come Dancing (1980 – 1984).
…Martin, Keith
Keith was born in Sandwich and was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. He trained in catering, then joined the Merchant Navy but illness brought him home and he started work in the advertising department of Granada Television in London.
…Yates, Alastair
Alastair was a broadcaster whose career spanned four decades. He was born and brought up in Burton-upon-Trent.
…McDermott, Helen
Helen graced Westward TV screens in the 1970s, jumping ship in 1979 to the safer haven of Anglia Television, which she joined as a continuity announcer and newsreader. Helen was an anchor of the East edition of the company’s main evening topicality programme, Anglia News until 2001. Beyond that, she presented various other programmes for Anglia.
She was a presenter on Radio Norwich until 2010. In January 2011, she joined BBC Radio Norfolk in Norwich as presenter of the 11am to 1pm slot (Monday – Thursday). The programme was dropped in January 2012. In 2014, she took up a presenting role with Mustard TV.
Didsbury, Neil
Neil’s broadcasting experience dates back to 1995 when he joined the team at a hospital radio station in Norwich. In 1996, he moved to 103.4 The Beach in Lowestoft; he remained there for a year.
Neil’s voice has also been heard on Pirate FM in Cornwall and on Topshop TV at the clothes store’s main Oxford Street branch. As well as being head of music and producer at his university radio station during his three years study, Neil also has experience of working with the teams at Blue Peter and BBC Radio 1.
Having graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in broadcasting studies, Neil joined Granada TV’s northern transmission centre in March 2001, as a continuity announcer; his voice was heard on Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees and Border Television between March 2001 and October 2002. He also voiced programme promotions across the Granada Media Group, including LWT, Anglia and Meridian.
Neil stayed in Yorkshire for a year after being made redundant in October 2002, presenting radio shows for the Teamtalk group and Magic 828AM.
In 2003 he was approached by Vibe 105-8FM, a regional dance radio station in the east of England, to front their breakfast news. Twelve months after arriving, Neil also became the voice on all of the station’s imaging.
After a company takeover, Vibe 105-8FM was rebranded in September 2006 as Kiss 105-8FM.
Neil also regularly voices commercials on both television and radio across the UK and Europe.
Donat, Chris
Chris was an Anglia TV announcer (1989 – 1991).
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.
…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.
…Webber, Christine
Born in Redhill, Christine Webber was a musical child and learned the piano from the age of seven.
…Norris, Tracy
Tracy was an Anglia Television Through the Night in-vision continuity announcer who popped up whenever Phil Fothergill or Paul Lavers were not around. Tracy graced the announcers’ desk in the late-1980s and early 1990s.
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.
…Oldfield, Valerie
Valerie was an Anglia Television and Tyne Tees Television in-vision continuity announcer in the 1960s. She also presented the Anglia children’s programme Afternoon Club (1960 – 1963).
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.
…Bennett, Dave
David was a continuity announcer with Grampian Television. He stayed in Aberdeen after retiring from the company and he was a frequent correspondent to local newspaper letters pages. David also announced on other ITV stations, including Anglia, HTV and ATV (Midlands).
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.
Shoesmith, Peter
Peter Shoesmith was born in 1936 and raised in the south coast town of Bexhill-on-Sea.
…Oldrey, Caroline
Caroline was briefly a TSW announcer before moving to Anglia as an announcer. She progressed to front the main evening Anglia News in the west of the region.
Other TV credits: About Anglia (ITV Anglia); Take It On (ITV Anglia).
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.
…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.
Bailey, Earle
Earle was an in-vision Anglia Television continuity announcer in 1968. Before that, he announced for TWW in Wales and the West of England.
Prebble, Simon
In 1960, Simon attended Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and began his acting career in one of Britain’s first television soap operas, Home Tonight with David Hemmings. For the next eleven years he worked extensively on radio and television and in provincial repertory theatre, including a year with Ian McKellen’s Hamlet.
After working as a continuity announcer and newsreader at Southern TV (1970), Prebble joined the newsroom at Capital Radio, the second commercial radio station in Britain, where he hosted London’s Day. He then embarked on a career as a presenter and voiceover, including thirteen years as the promo voice of Thames Television, as well as regular promo work for HTV and Anglia TV. He was also an announcer for Anglia TV. From 1984 he was the announcer for the British version of the phenomenally successful game show The Price Is Right with Leslie Crowther.
In 1990, Prebble moved to New York where he continued doing voiceover work. As well as recording numerous radio and television commercials, he also character-voiced cartoon series, such as Courage the Cowardly Dog; he hosted and presented several television documentary series, notably Target Mafia; and narrated the IMAX film Endurance about the Shackleton expedition. In 1996, he was a lead actor for a year (as villain Martin Chedwyn) on the American daily soap opera As the World Turns.
In the US, he also began narrating audio books. His work has gained him more than eighteen Earphone awards, nine nominations for the Audies (the audiobook Oscars), and in 2005, he was named Narrator of the Year by Publishers Weekly.
Apart from his acting career, in 1967 Prebble designed and produced the ‘executive toy’ called Newton’s Cradle.
In 2003, at Chiswick House London, he married Swedish graphic artist, Marie-Janine Hellstrom. In 2007, along with his wife, he became a US citizen.
Barnes, Richard
Richard Barnes was born in 1943. He is a former continuity announcer at Anglia Television (1971 – 1975 and c. 1983), Westward TV, ATV, TSW, Central TV (c. 1985) and BFBS.
…Haslam, Pete
Pete joined the Yorkshire Television announcing team in November 1999; he went part-time in late-2000. Based at the northern transmission centre in Leeds, his voice was also heard in the Tyne Tees, Border and Granada regions. Pete also became the voice of all Granada Media Group trailers for Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, Border, Anglia, Meridian and LWT. Pete’s voice was also heard on the ITV Night Network; he would pre-record the announcements on tape in Leeds; the tape was then despatched to LWT in the overnight van for transmission that particular weekend.
By January 2006, Pete was the last professional announcer in Leeds and he was still voicing regional trailers on a freelance basis.
Pete spoke to Showreel in January 2006 about other projects: “Since leaving YTV full-time, I’ve appeared in several radio plays, alongside Maggie and, in one, with Redvers. I’m currently working on a pilot radio thriller series Into the Shadows as writer, producer and actor, and I’m still around, doing the occasional bit of presenting for music-based radio stations.
“I’ve been in radio since the mid-1970s, starting at Radio City (Nottingham Hospital Radio). After much hard work, I managed to get the green light to form Millside Hospital Radio at the King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield, in October 1989. Joined Viking FM shortly after that, as commercial producer/writer/voiceover. Also worked on air on YRN’s (Yorkshire Radio Network) Classic Gold AM service.
“I can still be heard throughout the country and abroad, on various commercial radio stations, as voiceover. I also write and voice radio commercials for the Lincs FM Group (in fact I was the first voiceover on air at Lincs FM, on their first ad break on day one, in 1992). Well known for versatility when it comes to commercials, all sorts of voices, from old men (and old women!!!) through to wacky, character sound-a-likes and singers, which keeps me active!!! (It’s also very useful when it comes to radio plays!!!)”
Raison, Caroline
Caroline was an announcer with Anglia in the 1970s and 1980s and a newsreader on About Anglia (1977 – 1982), often alternating with veteran John Bacon.
James, Graham
Graham was a well-known Granada TV in-vision announcer (1970s/1980s). He later moved to Meridian in Southampton and was an announcer on that station, HTV West and Anglia TV until October 2002.
Russell, Drew
Drew was a lively Scotsman who was Anglia’s first chief announcer. Russell was the first announcer to be seen on Anglia and he also presented the company’s first programme, Introducing Anglia. He took his turn at reading the daily local news headlines, along with Colin Bower and Newman Sanders.
Drew, who also worked for Scottish Television during the 1960s, has now, sadly, passed away.
Thompson, Paul
Paul was a local radio presenter working for Radio Broadland and later Classic Gold Amber in Norwich. He joined Anglia as a freelance announcer in 1994, often covering holidays and sick leave whilst also continuing with his radio career. He had the sad task of stepping in to take the place of Graham Bell after his sudden death in 1997. In 1998, Paul left Anglia to work at The Beach, a radio station in Lowestoft, where he stayed until 2004. He still lives in Norwich.
Rhodes, Pam
Pam is perhaps best known as one of the presenters of the BBC’s Songs of Praise. She was a regular in-vision continuity announcer for London Weekend Television (1981 – TBC). Before that she was an announcer, reporter and presenter for Norwich-based Anglia Television; she co-presented on About Anglia (1976 – 1981).
Before embarking on a career as a presenter, Rhodes was a Black and White Minstrels Show girl, where, she says, she danced up to six miles a night! Fellow Anglia presenter Christine Webber was also a ‘minstrels’ show girl.
Radley, Gordon
Gordon was a continuity announcer for both TVS and Anglia Television. He later read the overnight news bulletins on Sky News. His career in broadcasting spans 30 years and has seen him present for ITN, Meridian, Grampian, HTV, LBC, BBC West and BBC South.
He also now adds investment banker to his repertoire.
Kelly, Chris
Chris was an Anglia Television continuity announcer (1963) and programme presenter who went on to front popular children’s shows such as Clapperboard (ITV), holiday must-see show Wish You Were Here? (ITV, 1976 – 1987) and gastronaut’s bible, Food and Drink (BBC).
…Fothergill, Phil
Phil was an Anglia Television announcer (1989). He moved from the announcer’s chair to a behind-the-scenes role, as a producer in the promotions department. He went on to work at The Family Channel and, in 1995, he became promotions manager at the popular QVC channel.
Kennedy, Linda
Linda was an Anglia TV announcer (1981).
Fox, Liz
Liz is a former actress and continuity announcer at Southern TV, Ulster TV, Tyne Tees TV and BBC Radio External Services. She was also an announcer at Anglia TV and compere for Yorkshire TV’s Stars on Sunday.
Rogers, Graham
Graham was a staff ITV network announcer (October 2002 – TBC). He is a former Radio 210 disc jockey who fronted TVS’ overnight service, Late Night Late. He joined Meridian from TVS to present the overnight service Nightime. He went on to become one of Meridian’s four duty announcers, also providing continuity for Anglia and HTV West. Graham has also announced for Channel 4.
Additionally, Graham continues to freelance as a presenter and voiceover on programmes for Sky, Channel 5 and ITV 2. He also produced and presented the Exercise Helping Hand documentaries in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Bell, Graham
Graham Bell was born in London. He was an actor who appeared in rep in Oxford, Old Vic, Newcastle and Stratford East.
…Lavers, Paul
Paul was born in Bristol. He is an actor and has appeared in many stage plays, including Les Blancs at London’s National Theatre (2016); he toured with Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce (2016).
…Glass, Katie
Katie was born in Lusaka, Zambia. Her father was in the army.
…Clayton, David
David was born in Marske, Yorkshire. He began his broadcasting career on hospital radio in Norwich, which he helped launch in November 1974.
…Gray, Sharon
Sharon was a freelance announcer for LWT (1970s). She was also an announcer for Southern TV (1980 – TBC) and then Anglia (1983 – TBC).
Newman-Sanders, Sandy
Sandy was one of the first announcers/newsreader/presenters on Anglia, from 1959. His full name was Cecil Walter Newman-Sanders but he was known as “Sandy” at Anglia. He joined Anglia from the London Planetarium. His previous employment included teaching, fishing and work as a cartoonist! He was Anglia’s first newscaster.
Famous people he interviewed included King Hussein of Jordan, Alf Ramsey, and Morcambe and Wise. He left the newsroom at Anglia in 1965 to become their education officer, and retired c. 1983, aged 74. His hobbies included golf and amateur radio.
Sandy died in 1993, leaving three children, 10 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.