Michael is a former Granada Television continuity announcer. He continued with his acting career after leaving the announcer’s chair.
Blair, Lesley
Lesley was one of the early Grampian TV announcers (1960s/1970s). She also worked with ATV (Midlands).
…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.
Armstrong, Fiona
Fiona began her career as a reporter/presenter for Border Television in the early 1980s before becoming one of ITN’s main newscasters (March 1987 – 1992). She was the first co-anchor on GMTV in 1993, and later returned to Border TV as one of the anchors of the relaunched Lookaround news programme.
She also fronted a cookery series called Easy as Pie for Carlton Food Network where she demonstrated her skills in the kitchen. Fiona has also featured in a series of programmes for Granada TV on Health and Slimming. She also regularly chairs major conferences and award ceremonies.
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.
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).
…Willis, Simon
Simon was a Central TV continuity announcer (dates TBC). He moved to BBC Newcastle’s Look North (1983). By the early 2000s, Simon was a correspondent for BBC Scotland’s Newsnight Scotland.
Palmer, Maggie
Maggie is a former Grampian and Scottish TV announcer.
Boccaccio, Susanna
Susanna is a former Wave FM (Blackpool) journalist who moved to Border Television as an in-vision continuity announcer. She later became a producer/presenter at Border Television. In the mid-1990s, Susanna was also an in-vision announcer at UK Gold.
Duncan, Kay
Kay was a Grampian Television in-vision continuity announcer (1980). She was later an Aberdeen-based drama teacher.
Aziz, Lisa
Lisa is probably best known in her role as anchor on Sky News, where she worked from 1993 until autumn 2005. She began her television career at BBC West television in 1984, working on their regional news programme. In 1985, she switched sides, moving to HTV West as a reporter and presenter, where she remained until c. 1988. She then moved to TV-am, initially in a reporting role, but later becoming a news presenter, taking over from Gordon Honeycombe. Following the demise of TV-am, Lisa worked briefly for BBC World Service Television and the NBC Superchannel before moving to Sky News.
In September 2005, Lisa returned to Bristol, becoming one of the regular co-anchors on ITV West’s The West Tonight. From 16th February 2009, she became co-presenter of the pan-regional news programme The West Country Tonight, which replaced The West Tonight (ITV West) and Westcountry Live (ITV West Country).
…Wilson, Peter
Peter is a former ATV (Midlands) announcer.