Lesley was a long-serving Grampian Television in-vision continuity announcer (dates TBC) and occasional programme presenter.
Ashby, Marie
Marie was born in Edinburgh and raised in Carlisle.
Having obtained a degree in French, she then went on to study a one-year post-graduate course in radio journalism. Her career began in radio, where she worked as a district reporter for BBC Radio Cumbria in Barrow, Furness, covering the South Lakes.
Six months later, she moved to BBC Radio Nottingham, taking up a reporting job. Then, in 1989, while on placement to Midlands Today, Marie moved to Central TV, where she spent sixteen years, as a reporter and presenter; she would soon became one of the main anchors on the main evening regional news programme there. During her time with ITV, Marie presented many programmes, covering political and social issues.
…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).
…Pamplin, Kevin
Kevin was a Channel TV announcer and presenter who is best known for his partnership with the station’s birthday greetings mascot, Oscar Puffin.
LeFevre, Steve
Steve was born in Larne, Northern Ireland. His broadcasting career began with BBC Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. He started off as a TV continuity announcer and also read the news on TV and on BBC Radio Ulster. He later fronted many sports programmes for BBC Northern Ireland, such as Grandstand and Sportsnight. He also produced and presented for BBC Radio Ulster.
In the late-1980s, Steve moved to Yorkshire to present a radio talk show on BBC Radio Leeds (for which he won a Sony Gold). Over the years, he has presented on various radio stations, including: BBC Radio Newcastle; BBC Radio Three Counties; BBC Radio WM. He also worked at BBC Radio 5 Live, where he wrote and hosted The Media Show and presented on Late Night Live, and Breakfast.
In the early 1990s, Steve started work with Yorkshire TV as a reporter and presenter. Among the programmes he presented: Calendar, Scoreline, Tonight and Live Lunch.
…White, Stewart
Stewart’s broadcasting career began with a very short pre-programme announcement on the BBC World Service. He went on to work at BBC Radio Brighton and later BBC Radio Derby, where he produced and presented various news and entertainment programmes.
…Brown, Malcolm
Malcolm trained as an announcer on HTV West in the late-1960s and early 1970s before moving to Granada in 1972. He stayed with the company until 1982 when he moved south to join franchise winners TVS. Malcolm made the very first announcement on TVS on 1st January 1982, and remained as a voice-only announcer after in-vision continuity was dispensed with in the mid-1980s. He also acted as MC for TVS’ final programme Goodbye to All That.
Malcolm was later heard reading letters out on BBC Radio 4’s Feedback. He also spent time as a disc jockey on London’s easy-listening radio station Magic FM.
Kennedy, Mary
Mary was born in 1956 in Clondalkin, Dublin. She was an announcer on RTÉ TV from 1978 until 1992, covering both channels. She moved to the news division, fronting news bulletins on TV and radio from 1992. In 1995 Mary presented the Eurovision Song Contest from Dublin. She went on to become involved in a number of TV productions, including her own Saturday night chat show, Kennedy in 1997. From the late-1990s until 2004, Mary co-hosted the daytime TV programme, Open House. She is now a presenter on the regional magazine programme, Nationwide.
Tracy, Sheila
Born as Sheila Lugg in Mullion, Cornwall. Sheila studied piano, violin and trombone at the Royal Academy of Music.
…Cartner, Allan
Allan was one of the Border TV veteran announcers, working at the station from 1961 to 1988. He is well-remembered for his authority and clarity when reading the news on Border; he was also the voice of the station’s start-up sequence. As well as being a main announcer on Border, Allan also did some work for Tyne Tees TV during the 1970s.
…Hockin, Bruce
Bruce Hockin retired from his job as HTV News anchorman in 1996, but still holds the record as ITV’s longest-serving newsreader, with more than thirty continuous years in the job.
He started his television career with HTV’s predecessor, TWW, and moved over to Harlech to front the west of England regional news magazine Report in 1968. HTV later changed the programme’s name to HTV News but Hockin remained in the main presenter’s chair, working with numerous co-presenters over the years, including Jan Leeming, Alison Holloway, Richard Wyatt, Sue King, and Patricia Yorston.
Hockin had a particular interest in crime busting, and for many years fronted the HTV West version of Police Five. After officially retiring from the company, he continued to write and present the weekly Crimestoppers slot. Although retired, Bruce is president of the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service. Bruce has been known to make occasional broadcasts on there himself! Bruce also serves as a director on Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Avon and Somerset Crimestoppers boards. He is also a patron of the Skin Cancer Research Fund.
Miles, David
David was born in 1954. He joined the BBC in 1975, working initially as a studio manager in Bush House.
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