Paddy was born in Portsmouth. He worked at BFBS radio (British Forces Broadcasting Service) in Cyprus (1966 – 1968). He performed various roles including tape editing, reporting, presenting and studio management (1966 – 1968).
…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.
…Hill, Alex
Alex joined the Met Office in 1974 as an observer at Glasgow Airport and after training as a forecaster, he worked as an operational aviation forecaster at various defence sites and airports.
…Colvile, Charles
Charles was born into a naval family, in Rochester, Kent. He was educated at Westminster School and joined the BBC as a finance clerk in January 1975. The following year came his ‘lucky break’ when he applied for a job as clerk to Radio 4’s The World at One and PM programmes and ended up presenting a sports round-up on the Saturday edition of PM. His first broadcast was 24th April 24 1976 and he was, in his own words “appalling”!
…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).
…Aspel, Michael
Michael was born in London. He was evacuated during World War II, for four-and-a-half years, to Chard in Somerset. He worked as a tea boy at William Collins publishers and completed his National Service in the ranks of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (1951 – 1953).
…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.
…Bertram, Trish
Born in Royston, Herts, Trish started out as a stage manager in the theatre and was the longest-serving female TV announcer in the UK. She announced live for LWT, ITV, Channel 5, BBC World, BSB Galaxy, Super Channel, TVS, Westcountry TV and The Family Channel.
…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.
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.
Harrison, Keith
Keith worked at BBC Radio Cleveland in the late-1970s, including presenting the early morning show On the Move (1978).
…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!!!)”
Royle, Pam
Pam’s broadcasting career began with Tyne Tees Television in 1983, as a weather presenter. She went on to work for Central TV, TV-am, ITN and LWT.
…Taylor, Shaw
Born Eric Stanley in Hackney, London, Taylor was known professionally by his stage name Shaw throughout his career.
…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.
Marriott, Andy
Andy was an LWT out-of-vision announcer (1990s). He also announced for Central Television. He’s also a radio presenter.
Martindill, Verity
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.
Thompsett, Glen
Glen was a TVS announcer who later joined LWT just as in-vision announcing was being phased out in the early 1980s. Glen remained with LWT until October 2002. From 2002 to 2004, he was a freelance announcer at ITV 1. He has also presented for Meridian News in the south east, Sky Television, and on several satellite travel and shopping channels.
Glen has worked at a number of radio stations: he was a member of the launch team at Severn Sound in Gloucester in 1980; GWR in Wiltshire; Mercia Sound in Coventry; host of the breakfast show on Kent’s Invicta FM during the late-1980s and early 1990s, gaining some of the highest audience figures in the station’s history.
Glen runs his own audio production studio in Kent and produces work for a variety of independent companies and corporate clients.
Beechley, Jill
Jill is a former ABC TV and LWT announcer.
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).
Benson, John
John was born in 1928 (date unknown). He was one of ITV’s legendary, long-serving announcers.
…Bannerman, Graham
Graham has a wealth of live broadcast experience.
…Graham, Dick
Dick was an ATV (London), Anglia Television and LWT announcer who went on to voice programme trailers for the BBC in the late-1960s.
Anders, Ruth
Ruth was an LWT announcer/newsreader (1982 – 1994).
…St John, Annie
Annie was a continuity announcer for Tyne Tees TV, HTV West and LWT (1984). She also presented several programmes for HTV, including co-anchoring the main nightly news programme with fellow presenters Bruce Hockin, Richard Wyatt and Alison Holloway.
…Kennedy, Sarah
Sarah was an LWT announcer in the 1970s. She also worked as a reporter and newsreader for Southern TV in the 1970s. Sarah went on to become one of the presenters of the BBC’s Sixty Minutes news magazine, and, famously, LWT’s Game for a Laugh. Since then she has presented many television and radio programmes.
Lewis, Peter
Osborn, Hilary
Born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Osborn graduated with a BA Honours degree in French from Queen Mary College, London University.
…Kerr, Sue
Previously known as Sue Peacock. Sue was born in Welling, Kent. She was a drama tutor for the Women’s Institute and an announcer at LWT (1981 – 1987).
…Simmons, Andrea
Andrew was a freelance announcer with LWT (dates unknown).
Taylor, Alec
Alec was born in Dublin. He went to university in Dublin and worked as a publicity assistant for Oxam, then as a market researcher and teacher.
…Tilling, Roger
Williams, Nigel
Nigel worked as a voiceover artist with LWT from 1990. Nigel tells us: “I was auditioned by producer Steve Allen in 1990 to provide the voice for a young and trendy overnight sequence that never saw the light of day. When the promotions department was looking for a ‘younger’ image to promote the Saturday night Baywatch, Blind Date, Gladiators sequence, I was recalled and became the guy who did the ‘big sell’. After presenting the head of promotions with a demo of more mature, subtle delivery, I was allowed greater freedom in my style and eventually became the lead brand image voice with Trish Bertram.”
Nigel continued to work for network ITV and was also the presenter of Late Night Love Songs on Heart 106.2 in London.
Carson, Mike
Mike was one of the best-known voices on LWT as the station’s key promotions voiceover man (1983 – 2001). He also had a stint in the continuity booth as a station announcer (2001 – 2002). Mike has also announced and voiced promos for TVS, Meridian and Sky to name but a few.
…Coleman, Gayle
Gayle is a former LWT announcer.
Haynes, Barri
Barri was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. After completing National Service with the Welsh Guards in London, he trained as a journalist with Kemsley newspapers and worked on The Western Mail in Cardiff.
…Houston, Robin
Well known Thames Television announcer and newsreader (late-1970s – 1992) and LWT continuity announcer. Robin was also a familiar voice to viewers across the ITV network, for his voiceovers at award ceremonies and the Royal Variety Show. Robin has also been heard as the voice of the questions on Channel 5’s 100%. He also presented the channel’s One to Win gameshow.