Showreel

Continuity Announcer

Slevin, Patricia

by Leave a Comment

Patricia was an RTÉ 2 continuity announcer (1979 – 1987). She also worked as an announcer on RTÉ Radio 1 (1980 – 1984). During her time at RTÉ, she was also an account executive with Bell Advertising.

In 1986, Patricia took on an account director role at DMB&B Advertising & Marketing. She was appointed head of marketing at Bord Iascaigh Mhara in 1989 (head of strategic marketing in Ireland and international markets for Irish seafood). Later jobs include: principal consultant – client services at Penna O’Shea (2000 – March 2015); chair and interview board member, publicjobs.ie (March 2015 – present); lead coach and senior consultant (INTOO UK & Ireland) (November 2017 – present).

Wyn-Jones, Nia

by Leave a Comment

Nia was a radio and TV continuity director/announcer with BBC Wales TV (1980s – 2001). Latterly, she was in charge of the BBC Radio Cymru announcing team. Nia moved into educational programming. As of June 2005, she’s a freelance writer. Since January 2013, she’s been working for Boom Pictures as an assistant producer and producer.

Evans, Su

by Leave a Comment

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.

Farish, Jenny

by Leave a Comment

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.

Symon, Jim

by Leave a Comment

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.

Newman-Sanders, Sandy

by Leave a Comment

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.

Bacon, John

by Leave a Comment

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.

Gillies, James

by 2 Comments

In the 1970s, James trained at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire. He taught speech and drama at Bankhead Academy (July 1978 – June 1980) and was head of speech and drama at Mintlaw Academy (July 1980 – May 1986).

In May 1986, James moved into freelance voiceover work, with clients including radio stations in Scotland and the north of England and video production companies. In August 1991, he moved to the BBC as a continuity announcer/director, working on BBC One Scotland, BBC Two Scotland and BBC Alba. He became a familiar voice on TV and radio, where he also narrated programmes, read the news and even got to read the shipping forecast.

He left the BBC in 2013 to focus on the performance side of voice work – in particular, storytelling. He has since recorded many audio books, for clients on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rosser, Matthew

by Leave a Comment

Matthew was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1990 – TBC). Previously, he was an ILR presenter with Gwent Broadcasting and Red Dragon Radio. He became a senior channel director but was still occasionally heard on air. He oversaw the design and installation of digital transmission equipment into BBC Wales and was responsible for its subsequent development. He was both the first and last voice (the latter in-vision) on BBC Choice Wales.

Curran, Helen

by Leave a Comment

(Formerly Helen Leonard; married in July 2005). Helen has a BA in Irish and Information Technology from UCD. During her university studies she also worked behind-the-scenes on various RTÉ shows including Don’t Feed the Gondolas, The Den and Podge and Rodge.

In 1997, she moved into a continuity announcer role on RTÉ Network 2, presenting many of her links in-vision. Her continuity links are now largely confined to RTÉ One.

In June 2003, Helen joined the station’s team of weather presenters.


Rocca, Michelle

by Leave a Comment

Michelle was an RTÉ 2 announcer (1987 – 1988). She also co-presented the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest from Dublin, with Pat Kenny.

Before joining RTÉ in 1987, Michelle had a successful modelling career. She was named Miss Ireland in 1980 and was a finalist in the Miss International 1981 pageant.

Rocca attended University College Dublin, where she studied Greek and Roman Civilization and Italian and French Archaeology. She is fluent in several languages.

Michelle is now a psychology and motivational teacher.

Wray, Linda

by Leave a Comment

Linda was born in Bangor, Co Down, and attended the Bangor Central Primary School and Glenlola Collegiate School, Bangor. She started out as an actress, before taking up a news presenting role at BBC Northern Ireland in the 1970s. Although the majority of her time with the BBC was in radio, she did also present the news on screen in the 1970s and 1980s. She was also a TV continuity announcer in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Linda retired from broadcasting in 2010. She read her final news bulletin on BBC Radio Ulster on Saturday 13th March 2010.

At the time of her retirement, colleagues paid tribute. Kathleen Carragher, editor radio news, BBC Radio Ulster, said: “Linda has one of the best voices in broadcasting. She has been a wonderful person to work with over the years and has always been a valued member of the BBC Radio Ulster news team.

“She has worked on some of the busiest news days in Northern Ireland covering the Troubles, the peace process and the return of devolution.

“Throughout this she has delivered her bulletins with an unwavering warmth and clarity. She has become a very familiar voice to our listeners over the years and I’m sure they will miss Linda every bit as much as we will. We wish her every success and happiness in the future.”

Peter Johnston, controller BBC Northern Ireland, commented: “For many, Linda’s voice has been one of the most enduring and familiar on BBC Radio Ulster. She has been on air for many of the pivotal events in Northern Ireland and has always kept her calm and her professionalism. She has played a key role in BBC Radio Ulster’s history and I wish her all the best for the future.”

Bruce, Ken

by Leave a Comment

Yes, the BBC Radio 2 favourite was once a BBC Scotland announcer. Ken started off doing the Scottish opt outs on BBC Radio 4 in the mid-1970s and later became a staff announcer. He mostly worked on radio, but his warm, rich, friendly voice was heard from time-to-time behind the BBC One Scotland globe.

Smith, Derek

by Leave a Comment

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.

Austin, Dan

by Leave a Comment

Dan was an announcer on BBC One and BBC Two network from the mid-1990s. He also worked on BBC Prime and BBC Knowledge. He left BBC TV in early 2002, turning up soon afterwards on BBC Radio 2, announcing and reading the news.

He moved to BBC Wales TV in August 2002, taking up a continuity director/announcer position there.


Hearle, Duncan

by Leave a Comment

Duncan’s broadcasting career began in Singapore just before World War II. When the colony fell, he was imprisoned and made to work on the notorious Burma railway. In 1946 he applied to the BBC for an announcing job. He got it and was posted to Belfast in January, where he remained for the next thirty years.

Duncan worked mainly on radio during his time with BBC Northern Ireland, becoming known as the ‘Voice of Radio Ulster’. He presented over 20,000 local news bulletins. He read his last news script during the 8.55am bulletin on BBC Radio Ulster on 21st September 1976.

Duncan then retired from broadcasting and moved to Wales.

During his time with BBC Northern Ireland, Duncan also performed some television announcing duties.