Verity was an LWT in-vision continuity announcer (late-1970s – early 1980s). She was also a regular continuity face on several other ITV stations, including Southern Television, Central and TVS.
Beaven, Steven
Steve was a regular voice on BBC One Wales, BBC Two Wales and BBC Choice Wales (2000 – 2002). Shortly after leaving BBC Wales, he moved to TV Centre as a network director on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four.
Steve later returned to his roots and worked at ITV News in the Central South region. On any given day he might be production assisting, reporting, and/or producing.
Lipscomb, Mark
Mark started his television career as a cameraman and moved into continuity with TVS before joining Thames Television as a continuity announcer in the 1980s. He stayed until Carlton took over and was the only member of the Thames continuity team to move to the new station at its launch on 1st January 1993. Mark was Carlton’s senior announcer until October 2002 when the Carlton identity was dropped. However, Mark continued to present weekend bulletins for Central News (South) – a role he had been performing since 1991. He has also presented the main early evening news programme during the week.
Mark spoke to Showreel in January 2006: “Over the past three-and-a half-years I have had the opportunity of working on a number of projects at Central News. I was assistant producer on a few outside broadcasts including Central’s pan-regional Britain on the Move campaign and the Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo. More recently while our studio was being redesigned for the ITV rebranding, we took Central News outside and presented the programme from five of the region’s hospitals. I helped produce this and was also the roving reporter each night taking on a variety of tasks, from sampling the hospital Christmas dinners to being a cleaner for the day and hospital porter. My skills were also put to the test one night when due to sickness with one of our directors, I ended up directing the outside broadcast. It was a great week and well-received by the viewers. That together with some radio presenting and voiceover work, I have been a busy man since leaving Carlton.”
Youngs, Amanda
Amanda was a regular announcer on Carlton Television in the Midlands (formerly Central TV) until October 2002. She has also served with several other ITV regional stations (details TBC).
Cooper, Mike
Mike spent the first four years of his career at BBC Radios WM and Shropshire. He was also a freelance continuity announcer for Central (1993 – 1996). In January 1994, he moved south to work for SSVC (now BFBS) as a self-op announcer and transmission controller.
Mike says: “Having moved south I contacted Carlton and freelanced as an announcer for them from March 1994 until March 1997, then jumped across to the other side of the glass to become a transmission controller for ITV 1 working for LNN. I’d actually started as a transmission controller on a freelance basis in December 1996, then became a staff member in May 1997. To round things up, I stayed with LNN until October 2002. In that time I tried unsuccessfully to move into the newsroom as a director, and my frustration eventually led to finding an opening as a freelance director at ITN alongside my full-time job! I eventually left LNN a week before the rebrand to ITV 1 took place and Carlton/LWT disappeared forever.”
Later, Mike worked at the BBC as a news director. He then went on to spend almost three years doing the same at Sky News. In 2008, he moved back behind the microphone to work full-time as a voiceover artist. In addition to voicing TV programmes, he has returned to continuity: for a time at Film24, and on an ongoing basis for History.
Ashford, Kevin
Presenter with Central News (East).
Bailey, Llewela
Llewela is perhaps best known for her role as a news presenter with ITV Central – she presented both the West and East Midlands editions of Central News between 1988 and December 2008. Her broadcasting career began in radio, as a researcher for BBC Radio 1. She later joined BBC Radio Nottingham.
Although she retired from television in 2008, she has since used her broadcasting experience to train others. She is a part-time lecturer in Journalism Law and Ethics at Staffordshire University. And since February 2016, Llewela has been presenting the Sunday morning breakfast show on BBC WM.
Evans, Su
Su was a long-serving ATV (Midlands) and Central TV in-vision continuity announcer. She went on to become a regular regional weather presenter on ITV Central and ITV Wales. She also freelanced as an out-of-vision announcer for Central after it became part of the Carlton group (late-1990s – 2001. Su also did relief announcing on Southern Television in the 1970s.
Brighting, Kevan
Kevan was a Central TV continuity announcer (mid-1980s – late-1980s). He went freelance as a voiceover artist and was regularly heard on ITV Central.
Adams, Kaye
Kaye was a Central News reporter in the mid-1980s. She joined STV in the late-1980s as a reporter for Scotland Today. She was one of the first reporters on the scene at Lockerbie.
Kaye could also be seen presenting Scotland Today and also presented Scottish Women from the early to mid-1990s for STV.
Kaye was one of the regular faces of ITV daytime in the early 2000s – presenting Loose Women and Live Talk. She also stood in for Fern Britton on This Morning c. 2001.
Other TV/radio credits: The Home Show (STV); Choice Cuts (BBC Radio Scotland).
Alexander, Cathy
Former Central News (South) reporter and presenter. Cathy also presented the news on the now defunct satellite broadcaster BSB in 1990. She currently presents and reports for Meridian Tonight.