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).
Brown, Scott
Scott was a Grampian TV in-vision announcer (late-1980s – early 1990s). He also presented a Grampian-produced antiques show with Fiona Armstrong.
Ashford, Kevin
Presenter with Central News (East).
Banks, Philip
Philip was a voice-only continuity announcer for HTV West (1994 – 2000), after which continuity was moved to Southampton. Beyond that, Philip freelanced for HTV Wales and continued with other voiceover work. He also landed a job with the global news network, CNN.
Philip has written for television. He has also worked on the Meridian production of Under Offer, a panel game show shown on the national ITV 1 network throughout summer 2002.
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.
(Lucas) Maskell, Trevor
Trevor Maskell worked as a freelance BBC TV voice-only announcer from 1962 to 1963.
…Beechley, Jill
Jill is a former ABC TV and LWT announcer.
Crawford, Tracey
In 1989, Tracey began her career voicing and creating commercials/promotions and producing shows for Northsound Radio in Aberdeen.
…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.
Dodd, Pamela
Later Pamela Thomson. Pamela joined Granada as an on-screen announcer and newsreader in 1989. She went freelance in 1992 and worked in local TV and radio news (including back at Granada) as Pam Thomson, fitting her career around her family. Pam has a BA from Durham University (German) and a post-grad diploma in Journalism from the University of Central Lancashire.
…Monteath, Alec
Alec was born in Doune, Perthshire. He was an actor, who later worked as an announcer for Scottish TV (1964 – 1969) and also for BBC Scotland TV.
…Kanarek, Maurice
Maurice is a former ATV (London) announcer.
Harkins, John
John is a former CFM Radio newsreader. He was also a Border TV continuity announcer. He went on to become a producer/presenter for Border and fronted weekday local news bulletins.
Stuart, Jane
Jane was an In-vision continuity announcer for Channel Television (dates TBC). She was also a regular in the newsreader’s chair (1980s – TBC).
Speed, Diana
Diana is a former Grampian Television in-vision continuity announcer. She went on to become an announcer at BBC Radio 4.
Youens, Bernard
Bernard (Bunny) Youens, was a continuity announcer at Granada for four years in the early 1960s before joining Coronation Street in 1964 as the loveable layabout, Stan Ogden – one half of the famous double act with wife Hilda. Bernard stayed with his Coronation Street role in spite of serious health problems. Sadly, he died in August 1984.
Ward, Sarah
Born Sarah Corbett Ward around 1941 in Kenya, Ward attended boarding school in the UK while her stepfather, a major in the army, was stationed abroad.
…Parker, Antony
Antony is a former ATV (London) announcer.
Charlton, John
John is a former Associated Rediffusion announcer.
Holness, Bob
Bob was born in Vryheid, Natal in South Africa. The family moved to Kent when he was seven.
…Staffer, Maureen
Maureen was one of TWW’s most popular in-vision continuity announcers. She was also a newsreader at the station.
Rooper, Alison
Alison is perhaps best known as an announcer for BBC Radio 4. She also announced for TVS, and for Channel 4 for six months. The BBC World Service was next, and after that came BBC Radio 4, where she has been since 1989.
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.
…Worral, Nick
Nick is a former Associated Rediffusion announcer.
Mash, Maggie
Maggie started her broadcasting career on Forces Radio in Cyprus and then worked for BBC and Independent radio stations throughout the country.
…Kay, Chris
Chris is a former Granada announcer. He joined BBC North West and BBC North (Leeds) for a short time when they had in-vision announcers.
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.
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).
Farish, Jenny
Jenny was heard on radio stations throughout Scotland during the 1980s as part of the AA Roadwatch team, which supplied travel news to Scottish radio stations. Jenny did some in-vision continuity for Border Television for a few years from 1989 before leaving to join West Sound Radio in Ayr. She was also a presenter for Real Radio in Scotland.
Tompkins, Peter
Also known as Peter James for a brief spell. Peter was one of the main announcers for ITV’s Nighttime service from 1997. He was also a Carlton Television (London) announcer (January 2000 – October 2002). Peter left Carlton in 2002.
Cunningham, Lynn
Lynn was a Grampian Television in-vision continuity announcer (1971 – 1979). Her son, Paul, recalls that she first applied for the job after she was dared to by her husband. Sadly, she died in 1982 at the age of 44.
Symon, Jim
Jim is a well-known Scottish radio and television broadcaster. He was an in-vision announcer for Scottish Television (1983 – TBC). He later freelanced as an out-of-vision announcer for both Scottish TV and Grampian TV (dates TBC). He combined this work with the position of transmission controller for SMG’s (Scottish Media Group) television division – a post which he left in 2000.
Jim’s voice is well known to viewers across the UK as he’s voiced several television advertisements. He was also chosen to be the voice of a new, talking version of the ever-popular Action Man toy.
Since leaving the core staff at SMG, Jim has returned to radio. He has presented the late-night music programme on Westsound Radio based in Ayr; he later presented on radio station Clyde 2.
He still occasionally presented for Scottish and Grampian TV.
Ashley, Philip
Former Southern Television announcer.
Bacon, John
Probably Anglia Television’s best-known newscaster, Bacon began his stint at the About Anglia newsdesk – and as a continuity announcer – in 1964. He stayed with the company until the mid to late-1980s. He often shared this duty with colleague Caroline Raison. After retiring, Bacon moved to sunnier climes – Greece.
Gay, Jennifer
Jennifer is the daughter of Molly Gay (actress) and Hugo Rignold (composer).
…De Stains, Ian
Ian was born in Yorkshire. He was a student of RADA in 1968, alongside Leigh Lawson, David Bradley, Timothy Dalton and Jonathan Meades.
…Benson, John
John was born in 1928 (date unknown). He was one of ITV’s legendary, long-serving announcers.
…Lines, Verity
Verity was a continuity announcer and newsreader with Anglia TV (1980s – early 1990s). She left to get married and is now known as Verity Spencer.
…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.
Bannerman, Graham
Graham has a wealth of live broadcast experience.
…Nesbitt, Mike
Mike’s journalistic career began within the BBC’s sports department in the mid-1980s. In 1986, he became one of the regular presenters on BBC Radio Ulster’s breakfast news and current affairs offering, Good Morning Ulster.
In 1990, he moved to PR company Anderson Kenny. By 1992 he had shifted back into regular TV presenting, becoming one of the main anchors on UTV’s regional news programme, Six Tonight. He quickly established himself as one of the key figures within the station’s news department.
However, in February 2006 came the shock announcement that Mike was not renewing his contract with UTV. Speaking at the time, he said: “I have decided to leave because I just feel very strongly that the time has come to move on.
“I believe it is time for a new challenge and I have several projects in the pipeline.
“I will be sorry to leave behind a very fine bunch of journalists, and above all, will miss working with my wife Lynda, who is a key factor in UTV’s success story.”
Other TV credits: Sunday Morning (ITV, 1999 2001), a religious affairs programme, co-presented with his wife Lynda Bryans; Counterpoint, and its successor Insight (UTV, 1992 – early 2000s), a current affairs programme; Home Sweet Home (UTV, 2004 – 2006), a home and garden series, co-presented with wife Lynda.
When he stepped away from on-screen roles, Nesbitt and his wife set up their own independent media services company.
In January 2008, Mike was confirmed as the Victims Commissioners for Northern Ireland – a role established by the Northern Ireland Assembly to highlight the interests of victims of The Troubles. He left that post in February 2010 to stand as a candidate for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists in the Strangford constituency in the 2010 General Election. He lost out to the Democratic Unionist Party’s Jim Shannon. A year later, Nesbitt stood in the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, again in Strangford. He was elected, along with 5 other MLAs in that constituency. On 31st March 2012, he was elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. He remained in that role until 2017.
Smith, Derek
Derek’s broadcasting career began in 1999 at The Travel Channel where he was a continuity announcer. He was a member of the original team of announcers (and ‘the Scottish voice’) at the Biography Channel when it launched in the UK in 2000. Also in 2000, Derek took on a newsreading role at Radio Forth in Edinburgh; he remained there until joining Living TV as a continuity announcer in 2003.
Derek headed back north and joined the SMG continuity team in 2005, providing announcements on Scottish and Grampian TV (later rebranded as STV). He performed the first live announcement from STV’s new studios at Pacific Quay on Saturday 22nd July 2006.
Derek still finds time to fit in his other gig – travelling the world as a BA cabin crew member – which he has been doing since 1985.
Every, Anne
Anne is a former Associated Rediffusion announcer.
Cunningham, Fiona
Fiona is a former Border Television continuity announcer (1970s – early 1980s).
Goldman, Fiona
Fiona was a TVS announcer (early 1990s) and then a Carlton Television (London) announcer (1993 – 2002). She was also the voice of cable channel Carlton Cinema.
Williams, R.
A former Granada TV announcer.
Taylor, Alan
Eccentric, jovial, avuncular HTV West continuity announcer and programme presenter on both HTV West and HTV Wales who also found fame on the national ITV network, first as the presenter of one of the many incarnations of Mr and Mrs, and, secondly as Nancy Kominsky’s eager assistant in HTV West’s almost cult-status Paint Along with Nancy. Locally, he was well known for his Tinker and Taylor children’s slots. The Mr and Mrs programme went on to be produced by Tyne Tees Television, and, most famously, Border Television, when the host was Derek Batey.
Former colleague Guy Thomas told us: “Alan was the most popular and best-loved television personality in Wales and the west of England, establishing himself as a versatile, all round entertainer and he was admired as much by his colleagues as by the large audiences he won for the television programmes in which he appeared.
“After working in his family’s Cardiff electricity business and seeing active Navy service in the Mediterranean war zone he began entertaining in amateur variety bills, turning professional by appearing all over the country in pantomimes and music halls, including London’s West End. He joined TWW as an announcer in 1959. His popularity started to rise with an afternoon 10-minute slot for children which he shared with a glove puppet (a kind of not too distant relation of Sooty) for a birthday greetings show called Tinker and Taylor. TWW had a large audience for television quiz shows, most of them the idea of the Canadian TV personality Roy Ward Dickson. Alan became the ideal host for these shows, starting with Three Little Words, Try for Ten and the blockbuster of them all, Mr and Mrs, which ran year after year. It is probably true to say it was the most popular programme series TWW transmitted, rarely missing the number 1 spot in the ratings.
“For HTV, Alan began a series of programmes in which he learned to paint (his interest was already there) called ‘Painting With Nancy’ and the demand for the return of ‘Mr And Mrs’ was so great, the company, which had dismissed the idea of repeating their predecessor’s liking for the quiz show format, bowed to the inevitable. The success was repeated and HTV also brought back, again with Alan, ‘Try For Ten’. In 1982 Alan retired to open an antique shop in Bath and then went to live in Spain where he died in 1997.”
Scott, Anne
Anne was a Grampian TV reporter, newsreader and co-presenter of North Tonight in the 1990s. She then joined BBC Scotland as a TV continuity director/announcer. She also announced and read the news on BBC Radio Scotland (until c. 2006).
Stuart, Arlene
Arlene was a popular Grampian in-vision announcer (1980s and early 1990s). She moved to the BBC Scotland TV as a continuity director/announcer. She later presented the mid-morning show on Forth 2. Arlene continued with television work as presenter of The River – a Grampian programme which followed the River Dee from its source to the sea traversing Braemar, Lochnagar, Balmoral, Glen Tanar and Banchory. She has also guest-presented for Scottish Passport.
Crowest, Richard
Richard started his broadcasting career as a researcher and reporter with BBC Radio Humberside, after which he moved on to run the audio arm of a corporate communications company in his native Norwich. His voice skills were spotted by Anglia Television where he spent eight years as a continuity announcer (1990 – 1998). During these years he also wrote for BBC Radio 4, produced a pilot for a radio game show and edited guide books for Jarrold Publishing.
In 1998, he moved into the area of heritage interpretation, attending an MA course at St Mary’s College, Strawberry Hill, where he went on to graduate with distinction. Since then, he has worked for the likes of the National Trust and the British Library.
In 2003, Richard co-founded Corvidae – an internet venture focusing on the museum and heritage sector.
Stein, Gary
Gary combined in-vision continuity for Grampian with radio presenting for Northsound 1, having previously done in-vision work for the local cable distributor in Aberdeen. When Grampian was taken over by STV he was left with only the radio work and subsequently left Aberdeen to join Clyde 1. He later reportedly left Clyde to go into radio management.
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.