Brian was born in Manchester. In 1946, he made his acting debut in Plover Patrol for BBC Radio in Manchester.
…Tidmarsh, John
John was born in Camberwell, south London. He was an evacuee during the early years of World War II and went to three different grammar schools before joining his parents in Bristol for his final school years at Cotham Grammar School. John left school at 16, to become a junior reporter with the Western Daily Press. At 18, he left to do two years of National Service and spoke into a microphone for the first time when he became a radio operator in the RAF, serving one year at RAF Seletar in Singapore. In autumn 1948, he returned to Bristol and joined the Western Daily Press and began to specialise in sport, reporting each week on Bristol Rovers. After doing a live commentary one Saturday for the newly created Hospital Radio Service, the BBC controller in West Region, the former war correspondent Frank Gillard, offered him a job, initially as a resident freelance, reporting and presenting the regional magazine The Week in the West.
…Tooth, Pauline
Pauline was an actress and a BBC TV in-vision network announcer (1955 – 1961). She also appeared in a one-off show called Afternoon Hostesses Tea-Party (20th December 1955), hosted by McDonald Hobley, with Vera McKechnie and Nan Winton amongst the contributors.
…Lloyd, Helen
Helen was one of the original Central announcing crew. Helen still lives in the Midlands. She’s married to former Bill actor Ben Roberts. Helen moved behind the camera as a documentary producer for Carlton in Nottingham until 2002. She then went freelance as a narrator and producer.
Kelly, Chris
Chris was an Anglia Television continuity announcer (1963) and programme presenter who went on to front popular children’s shows such as Clapperboard (ITV), holiday must-see show Wish You Were Here? (ITV, 1976 – 1987) and gastronaut’s bible, Food and Drink (BBC).
…Mitchley, Richard
Richard is a narrator and actor, who has been freelancing as an announcer with S4C (early 1990s – TBC). Has also worked as an announcer at Channel 4 (dates TBC).
Miles, David
David was born in 1954. He joined the BBC in 1975, working initially as a studio manager in Bush House.
…Macann, Peter
Peter was born in Tehran, Iran. His father, as a Colonel in the Indian Army, was Consul in Ahwaz at the time. Peter spent the first four years of his life in India, before arriving in the UK in 1948.
…Carse, Duncan
Duncan was a BBC Radio Overseas/Home Service announcer in 1941 and a BBC TV in-vision announcer in the 1950s. He was the narrator on the BBC children’s programme I Want to Be (1969). His daughter, Liz, was an in-vision announcer for Harlech Television, and is married to former TV news presenter Martyn Lewis.