Showreel

Presenter

Thompsett, Glen

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Glen was a TVS announcer who later joined LWT just as in-vision announcing was being phased out in the early 1980s. Glen remained with LWT until October 2002. From 2002 to 2004, he was a freelance announcer at ITV 1. He has also presented for Meridian News in the south east, Sky Television, and on several satellite travel and shopping channels.

Glen has worked at a number of radio stations: he was a member of the launch team at Severn Sound in Gloucester in 1980; GWR in Wiltshire; Mercia Sound in Coventry; host of the breakfast show on Kent’s Invicta FM during the late-1980s and early 1990s, gaining some of the highest audience figures in the station’s history.

Glen runs his own audio production studio in Kent and produces work for a variety of independent companies and corporate clients.


Owen, Jamie

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Jamie was an announcer with BBC Wales TV (early 1990s – 1994), having arrived from BBC Radio 4, where he was a newsreader and announcer. He left BBC Wales continuity to front Wales Today (1994 – January 2018). He also presented a daily morning phone-in programme on BBC Radio Wales. He left BBC Wales in January 2018 to take up a new role with international broadcaster TRT World.

On the announcement of his departure from BBC Wales, Rhodri Talfan Davies, director of BBC Wales, said: “Jamie has helped chronicle every twist and turn in our nation’s story over more than two decades.

“A natural and instinctive broadcaster, he’s made an immense contribution on both radio and television. We all wish him well on his latest international assignment.”

Garmon Rhys, BBC Wales’ head of news, added: “I want to thank Jamie for his huge contribution to BBC Wales over many years.

“A unique broadcaster, he’s been an integral part of BBC Wales Today for over two decades.”

Lipscomb, Mark

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Mark started his television career as a cameraman and moved into continuity with TVS before joining Thames Television as a continuity announcer in the 1980s. He stayed until Carlton took over and was the only member of the Thames continuity team to move to the new station at its launch on 1st January 1993. Mark was Carlton’s senior announcer until October 2002 when the Carlton identity was dropped. However, Mark continued to present weekend bulletins for Central News (South) – a role he had been performing since 1991. He has also presented the main early evening news programme during the week.

Mark spoke to Showreel in January 2006: “Over the past three-and-a half-years I have had the opportunity of working on a number of projects at Central News. I was assistant producer on a few outside broadcasts including Central’s pan-regional Britain on the Move campaign and the Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo. More recently while our studio was being redesigned for the ITV rebranding, we took Central News outside and presented the programme from five of the region’s hospitals. I helped produce this and was also the roving reporter each night taking on a variety of tasks, from sampling the hospital Christmas dinners to being a cleaner for the day and hospital porter. My skills were also put to the test one night when due to sickness with one of our directors, I ended up directing the outside broadcast. It was a great week and well-received by the viewers. That together with some radio presenting and voiceover work, I have been a busy man since leaving Carlton.”

Bracken, Ursula

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Ursula joined RTÉ in 2007, working initially as a continuity announcer on RTÉ One. She later took on weather presenting duties.

Ursula worked as a secondary teacher for nine years before leaving the classroom to pursue a career in TV. She graduated from UCG Galway with a BA in French and English, an H Dip in Education and a Masters Degree in French. She returned to college ten years later to study Communications in NUI Maynooth.

Astley, Pat

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Well-known ATV continuity announcer. Pat worked at ATV from the 1950s until the early 1970s and is particularly remembered for his role as one of the presenters of regional children’s programme The Tingha and Tucker Club. His son, Gordon Astley, also became one of the presenters of ATV’s Saturday morning children’s spectacular, Tiswas.

Ashe, Anna-Maria

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Anna-Maria Ashe was a continuity announcer at BBC Scotland, TVS and Grampian Television in the mid-1980s. She also presented lunchtime news bulletins in-vision during her time with BBC Scotland (1986). She later moved to the TVS nightly news magazine Coast to Coast where she did a stint at presenting/newsreading for the Southampton edition, before moving to the Maidstone programme.

Anna-Maria was replaced at Maidstone by Liz Wickham when she moved to LWT as the main anchor of LWT News and LWT News Weekend. She was one of the main presenters on the London Tonight programme on ITV until February 2004.