Philip was born in Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire. He is a former actor, director and broadcaster.
…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.
…Myers, John
John was born in Carlisle. He was a familiar face on Border TV (1980s), as a continuity announcer and programme presenter. However, it was in that other broadcast medium – radio – where John truly shone. He was a leading figure in the radio industry, with an association with many stations. He also penned a number of reports on radio – for the government and the BBC.
…Shaw, Clem
Born Clement Murphy-Shaw, he sold antiques and cars before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
…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.
…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.
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.
…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.
…Doody, Pat
Pat announced for Border and Tyne Tees Television (1970s) and also voiced ads for Metro Radio (mid-1980s). He also announced for LWT (dates TBC). He was the voiceover for the Border TV version of Mr and Mrs – his inimitable introduction used for each show: “It’s Mr and Mrs – and here’s your host, Derek Batey”. Most of his time from the late-1970s up until his death in 1990 was spent at Border Television and indeed he was announcing on Border on 27th February 1990, the night before his death.
Steel, Bill
Bill Steel is mainly remembered as Tyne Tees Television’s chief announcer and one of the main presenters of the evening news magazine programme, Northern Life, when it started in 1976.
…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.
Gosney, Kerrie
Kerrie grew up in the Peak District. She graduated in cultural studies, media, film and communication from Sheffield Hallam University in 1998.
…