Robert is a former Associated Rediffusion announcer.
O’Reilly, Brendan
Brendan joined RTÉ as a continuity announcer in 1961. Previously the Irish high jump and javelin champion, he went on to present Sports Stadium, RTÉ’s long-running Saturday afternoon sports magazine, from the 1970s to the 1990s.
…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.
Higgins, Michael
Michael worked in BBC Radio Ulster continuity before moving to the same role on BBC Northern Ireland television in 2000. After a short break, he returned to the TV continuity job in late-2001.
Smith, Alister
Alister was a continuity announcer in the presentation department at BBC Scotland (April 1981 – December 1989); starting in radio before moving to television, then back to radio again.
Speaking to us in February 2006, Alister recalled his radio days at BBC Scotland: “In radio, the pace was more relaxed and the work far more varied than the TV side. Apart from straight continuity announcing I often presented Leisure Trail, a programme for outdoor enthusiasts broadcast on Saturday mornings and produced by the late Murdoch McPherson. Then, for a good while, I had my own show called The Light Programme – easy-listening music and chat for Friday afternoons with many interesting guests from the world of music and entertainment. There was also Alister Smith’s Christmas Lights – broadcast early on Christmas morning and featuring young local musicians of all ages.
“At the same time I was also the person behind Leslie McQueen, Tom Ferrie’s charismatically camp visitor to the late chart show that went out Mondays to Thursdays on BBC Radio Scotland between 10pm and midnight. Much to my surprise, Tom’s teenage audience quickly embraced this gay little baker from Rutherglen until he soon became a regular guest: with his accordion, his trumpet and those awful renditions of country and western songs accompanied and sung excruciatingly. Furthermore, Lesley was a prominent feature of Tom Ferrie’s Christmas and New Year specials, as illustrated by Tom and Leslie’s New Year Party etc.
“In a different domain, presenting orchestral concerts for BBC Radio 3 was another of my many privileges, taken along with all the additional things I was allowed to do at BBC Scotland, made my entire time there highly satisfying and eminently enjoyable. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
“After leaving the BBC, I went into commercial radio as head of production at CentreSound 96.7 in Stirling (now Central FM), where I was ever so fortunate to have as my boss Mr Colin Lamont – aka Scottie McClue – surely one of the most affable men you will ever meet. But commercial radio was not my bag. Thus I drifted into tertiary education and IT where I remained until retirement.”
O’Shea, Neil
Neil is a former RTÉ Radio 1 presenter and announcer. He moved to TV presentation in the early 1990s, where he was an announcer on RTÉ Network 2. He also had occasional shifts on RTÉ One.
Griffith, Mari
Mari was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1980s and 1990s). She then went freelance and was heard regularly on BBC Radio Wales.
Donat, Chris
Chris was an Anglia TV announcer (1989 – 1991).
Taylor, Andy
Andy was a BBC TV network announcer (1989 – November 1997). He also voiced BBC TV presentation trails (1990 – TBC). Andy’s last day with BBC network presentation was Saturday 8th November 1997. When closing down BBC Two just before 3am on 8th November 1997, his colleague Michaela Saunders gave Andy a mention: “That’s it from BBC Two tonight. Just time to remind you of BBC Radios 1 through to 5, where you can find music, news and chat right through the night. And as the witching hour of 3 o’clock approaches, all of us on the team thank you for being with us tonight and would like to say a fond farewell to one of our announcing colleagues – Andy Taylor left us this evening. And he’s off to find the sun – we wish him Bon Voyage and we wish you a good night.”
Jamieson, David
David was an ATV daytime out-of-vision announcer (1970s) who also presented a show for BRMB Radio in Birmingham. David went on to become head of presentation at ATV’s successor, Central Television in 1986 and remained in that role until Carlton Television took over in the mid-1990s. He now lives in Andalucia.
David told Showreel: “The regular daytime announcer was Peter Davies, an old friend with whom I’d worked in BBC local radio in Leicester. When he was on leave, or there were other gaps in the roster, I would fill in from sign-on at 9.25am (no breakfast telly then) until 6pm, when the evening announcer (usually Kevin Morrison or Peter Tomlinson) came on duty. Daytime was out-of-vision, which suited me fine! 9.25am to 12 noon was schools programmes which ATV networked to the rest of ITV, so suddenly I was speaking to the nation! Frightening stuff! After the shift, I’d scoot off and do my radio programme. I have to say that working at ATV was wonderful, and a part of my career which I treasure.”
Fleming, Arlene
Arlene was a BBC TV network announcer from the mid-1990s until 1999 (TBC). She’s now an announcer and newsreader on BBC Radio 4.
Baines, Brian
Brian Baines was a regular presenter of Look North bulletins from Leeds during the late-1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In fact, Brian was the first voice to be heard on Look North. He was also one of the main continuity announcers for BBC North TV during the 1970s and early 1980s when BBC English regions had their own continuity. He still provided continuity into local programming on BBC North until the late-1980s.
He retired from BBC Leeds on 25th April 1988. Sadly, Brian passed away on 30th June 2006, aged 75.