Jenni worked as a continuity announcer for BBC TV Presentation (1978 – 1980).
…Caine, John
John was a zany Southern Television reporter (1979 – 1981). He joined Central in 1982 to present the Newshound slot on Central News. He was also a continuity announcer at Central.
Christie, Bob
Bob started off as an announcer with Scottish TV. He later joined the BBC Scotland announcing team in the mid-1970s and clocked up more than 25 years’ service before he retired in 2000. Like most of the other announcers of his generation, he regularly read the Scottish News summaries in-vision until 1988. In his last few years with the BBC, Bob tended to work on radio rather than TV.
Mae, Geri
Geri joined the RTÉ Network 2 announcing team in late-1997. She moved on to front children’s TV junctions – on Den 2 – in 1998.
Woods, Peter
Peter was born in Romford, Essex. He began in print journalism writing for the Yorkshire Post, Daily Mail and Daily Mirror, with only a break for military service as a commissioned officer in the Royal Horse Guards.
…Lithgoe, Lynette
Lynette started her television career as an in-vision announcer at Granada Television. She then moved to the BBC in the East Midlands as a presenter (1989) and later became a national BBC TV newsreader (February 1990 – October 1991), mostly on weekend bulletins and for BBC Two’s News View. She also presented the charity appeal programme Lifeline in the late-1980s. She left to join BBC World as a newsreader in 1991.
…Arnold, Andrea
Andrea was one of the presenters of children’s show No.73 (ITV).
…Austin, Wendy
Wendy joined BBC Northern Ireland in November 1976, fresh from her presenting duties on Downtown Radio. She joined the commercial radio station earlier in 1976, following four years as a newspaper journalist: initially with the East Antrim Times (1972 – 1974) and then the Belfast Telegraph (1974 – 1976). Wendy’s BBC career began as a TV reporter but by the 1980s, she was also presenting on Scene Around Six and later, Inside Ulster. She co-presented the BBC NI opt-outs during Children in Need and was also the face of a local supermarket chain’s advertising campaign in the 1980s.
As well as appearing on screen, Wendy was also involved with BBC Radio Ulster’s breakfast programme Good Morning Ulster, from the early 1980s. Since the late-1980s, Wendy has mostly stayed with radio. She has been one of the main presenters on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster and between 1988 and 1998, she presented nationally on BBC Radio 4, on programmes such as PM, Pick of the Week and Woman’s Hour. However, she did pop up on TV screens occasionally – she took over from former colleague Sean Rafferty as presenter of The DIY Show.
…Ford, Anna
Born in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, into a household steeped in the performing arts – both her parents were West End actors – Anna Ford forged an intellectual identity far removed from the stage.
…Bates, Simon
Simon was born in Birmingham and raised in Suffolk and Shropshire. He is perhaps best known for his long stint as a BBC Radio 1 DJ (1976 – 1993).
…Armour, Downie
Downie was a BBC TV national weather forecaster (1956 – 1958). He died in 1979.
Flood, Pamela
Pamela is a former Miss Ireland and was an in-vision announcer on RTÉ Network 2 from the late-1990s. She went on to present a late-night programme strand on RTÉ One in early 2000, appearing in-vision.
Pamela left RTÉ in early 2001 but returned c. 2003 to co-present RTÉ One’s fashion show, Off the Rails.
Fogarty, Noel
Noel was an announcer on RTÉ One and RTÉ Network 2 from 1988 until the mid-1990s. He also worked as a newsreader on RTÉ 2FM during 1992.
C. 1994, Noel spent a year fronting the in-vision junctions on RTÉ One’s daytime service; these segments included interviews with studio guests on a wide range of topics. He also worked on the RTÉ daytime magazine programme Live at 3, filling in for Derek Davis once a week for one year.
In 1997, Noel moved to the Irish News Network (INN), presenting radio news bulletins. In January 2005, he was appointed evening editor at INN.
Baird, Brian
Long-serving Ulster Television announcer and newsreader. Brian was a regular face on the station during the 1970s and well into the 1980s. He retired from this role c. 1986. He was also a teacher and lecturer at Stranmillis Teacher Training College and a former president of the Ulster Society of Rugby Football Referees.
Brian died in December 1998 after a long illness. He was 69.
Steel, Bill
Bill Steel is mainly remembered as Tyne Tees Television’s chief announcer and one of the main presenters of the evening news magazine programme, Northern Life, when it started in 1976.
…Bagguley, John
Southern Television presenter and in-vision continuity announcer in the 1960s.
…Oldfield, Valerie
Valerie was an Anglia Television and Tyne Tees Television in-vision continuity announcer in the 1960s. She also presented the Anglia children’s programme Afternoon Club (1960 – 1963).
Harrison, Keith
Keith worked at BBC Radio Cleveland in the late-1970s, including presenting the early morning show On the Move (1978).
…Stuart, Vivien
Vivien was born in 1957. Following university, she accepted a place on the Broadcast Journalist Training Scheme in 1975, which led to several years working as a studio manager.
…Copland, Jane
Jane was a continuity announcer with BBC Scotland TV (1986) and could also be seen reading the news in-vision at lunchtime. She then moved to Channel 4, where she worked on the announcing rota in the late-1980s and during the 1990s. In more recent times, as well as being the voice of Orange, Jane also provides continuity announcements for UKTV History.
Hookey, Russell
Russell moved to Channel TV from the Chrysalis Group in London where he had been newsreading on London radio stations Heart 106.2 and LBC 97.3 (often heard as a regular member of Sandi Toksvig’s team) and also presenting on LBC News 1152. Prior to that he worked in commercial and BBC radio in the regions for more than twelve years as a newsreader, producer and reporter and occasionally popped up covering stories for television with BBC South Today.
At Channel TV, Russell was initially a stand-in presenter on Channel Report; he later became one of the programme’s regular presenters. He also provided continuity announcements at Channel TV.
Russell later moved to ITV Border, where he presented bulletins and filled in on the main Lookaround programme.
Gosney, Kerrie
Kerrie grew up in the Peak District. She graduated in cultural studies, media, film and communication from Sheffield Hallam University in 1998.
…Armah, Claudia-Liza
Claudia-Liza is a TV news presenter. She has worked for Sky News and the BBC (60 Seconds, BBC Three). Since 2014, she has worked for the London Live television channel, where she hosts Headline London.
…Mansfield, Thelma
Thelma was one of the early RTÉ TV announcers. She was a TV announcer from 1964 until September 1986 when she moved into daytime television presenting, with the popular afternoon show, Live at 3, which ran until May 1997. Thelma subsequently returned to TV presentation, voicing RTÉ One programme promotions until c. 2003.
Austin, Mark
Mark was a BBC TV sports reporter (1985 – 1986) before joining ITN in October 1986 as a sports correspondent. His first assignments for ITN were to cover England’s successful Ashes tour of Australia, as well as the America’s Cup.
He stayed for four months in Australia and unexpectedly found himself reporting on the extraordinary Spycatcher trial.
He has covered all the major sporting events for ITN, including the Olympics, Wimbledon, the British Open and Rugby internationals.
In 1995 he was seconded to ITV to report from South Africa on the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Since joining ITN he has specialised in covering foreign events, travelling all around the globe. Based in Hong Kong in 1993 as Asia correspondent, he returned in 1996 (until 1998), reporting on major events in the region, including the handover of the island to the Chinese in July 1997.
From 1994 until 1996 he was based in Johannesburg as Africa correspondent. He returned to London in mid-1998 and from 1999 he was a special/senior correspondent. He was an occasional newscaster of weekend news bulletins on ITV and the ITN News Channel in August 1998 and again from October 1999.
In May 2001 he presented ITV’s reality game show Survivor.
In 2004, Mark became a regular face in the newscaster’s chair. He took over from Sir Trevor McDonald as the main anchor of the late-night weekday news programme on ITV in December 2005.
Guha, Isa
Isa is a cricket commentator/presenter for the BBC and Sky Sports.
…Kelley, Jon
Jon was one of the 1960s in-vision announcing team at Tyne Tees Television. He also presented TTTV’s globe-trotting travel programme Faraway Places and, closer to home, Your Heritage.
…Batey, Derek
Born in Brampton, Cumberland, Derek Batey won a scholarship and, aged 12, began appearing in clubs as a ventriloquist with a “cheeky boy” called Alfie.
…Harvey, David
David’s broadcasting career began in radio: he was a producer and presenter with Irish stations Radio Nova and Century Radio. Around the mid-1980s, David was a continuity announcer on RTÉ One. He went on to become the presenter of RTÉ One’s Crimeline.
He was CEO of the Irish-based City Channel and was a founder of Star Broadcasting, the company that owns Sunshine 106.8.
Chapman, Mark
Mark was born in Rochdale and grew up in Altrincham.
…Wheal, David
David was born in December 1955. He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
…Baker, Peter
During the 1980s, Peter worked at BBC West in Bristol, presenting news bulletins and filling in as co-host on the main Points West programme alongside Viv Creegor and Graham Purches.
In 1988 he moved to Granada TV In Manchester where he hosted the nightly Granada Action social information programme. He also presented the breakfast show on Key 103 radio.
…Armstrong, Jack
Jack was a BBC TV national weather forecaster (1956 – 1965). He worked at the Met Office for 36 years (1947 – 1983). He died in 1984.
Escolme, John
John obtained a BA (Hons) in communication, cultural studies and public media from the University of Leeds.
…Marshall, Peter
Peter was a continuity announcer in various ITV regions: Ulster TV (1967 – 1969); Anglia TV (1970 – 1973); Southern (dates TBC); Thames Television (dates TBC); ATV (Midlands) (dates TBC); HTV West (dates TBC). He was also the national host of the TV Times Awards and Miss United Kingdom on the ITV network (1970s and 1980s). He also presented the BBC’s Come Dancing (1980 – 1983), and regularly reported for ITV’s Wish You Were Here? Marshall originally trained as a teacher, and then an actor with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, before joining a Bournemouth rep company.
Manners, Lesley
Previously known as Lesley Cairney, Lesley was an in-vision continuity announcer and newsreader at Border Television (1980s) and also at Tyne Tees Television.
…James, Mark
Mark joined BBC Wales TV Presentation from Swansea Sound radio (1989). He left the continuity director/announcer role in the mid-1990s to direct news, and would later concentrate on motorsports and front world rallying programmes for BBC network.
Shoesmith, Peter
Peter Shoesmith was born in 1936 and raised in the south coast town of Bexhill-on-Sea.
…Oldrey, Caroline
Caroline was briefly a TSW announcer before moving to Anglia as an announcer. She progressed to front the main evening Anglia News in the west of the region.
Other TV credits: About Anglia (ITV Anglia); Take It On (ITV Anglia).
De Barra, Máire
A familiar face on RTÉ TV, Máire was a continuity announcer and children’s presenter in the 1970s and 1980s. She left the station in 1990.
Presenting roles included Dilín Ó Deamhas, a 10-minute all-Irish weekly programme aimed at pre-schoolers, which ran from 1983 until 1988.
Máire trained as an actress in the Abbey School of Acting, before joining RTÉ Radio in 1972.
Mangold, Tom
Tom worked in BBC TV News and Current Affairs since 1964, working initially as a war reporter and later as an investigative journalist, on programmes such as Panorama. He is an international best-selling author and an award-winning travel writer.
…Tozer, Norman
Norman started in television in 1954 as a BBC OB stage manager. He joined ATV for the opening of commercial TV in 1955. In 1961, he moved from a senior floor manager position at ATV to being one of the station’s London on-screen announcers. The other announcers were Shaw Taylor and Arthur Adair. Norman replaced Peter Cockburn.
He continued announcing and presenting programmes for ATV London until April 1965. He then went on to become a radio and TV presenter/reporter, and advisor on consumer affairs. In the early 1980s, he moved into video directing.
In 2001, Norman became the director of William Poel Events for the Society for Theatre Research.
Mezetti, Angie
Angie was an announcer on RTÉ Network 2 from the early 1990s until c. mid-1997. She then moved to the newsroom and became a news presenter, fronting programmes on RTÉ One. Angie now runs Ocarina – a digital media company specialising in the production of high quality DVD, CD and print media content.
Gregg, Anne
Anne was born in Belfast. In October 1959, aged 19, she joined Ulster TV at its launch, as an announcer. She later presented the local news magazine programme Roundabout.
…Avery, Philip
Philip – born in 1959 – served with the Royal Navy as a forecaster (1984 – 1994). His broadcasting career began in 1996 with The Weather Network, based in Birmingham. Within months he moved to London to appear on The Weather Channel. He joined the BBC Weather Centre in April 1998 and became a BBC TV national weather forecaster in March 1999. He appeared on BBC TV’s Breakfast News and international TV channels, BBC Prime and BBC World.
Robbie, Christopher
Christopher was an announcer for Associated Rediffusion, Southern, Anglia and Thames TV. He had a friendly air and a great screen presence. He presented Southern’s final programme, It’s Goodbye from Us with great panache, and was one of only two continuity announcers featured, the other one being veteran colleague Brian Nissen. After Southern lost its contract, Christopher popped up from time-to-time as an announcer on TVS, before going into theatre.
He later went on tour with a one-man play about Charles Darwin. He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. In the theatre he has achieved notable success in the plays of Shakespeare, Ibsen, Lope de Vega, Calderon, Euripedes and Miller. For four years he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, during which time he played the title role in King Lear. On television his portrayal of the Cyberleader in the Doctor Who adventure The Revenge of the Cyberman won him a cult following. Christopher has also worked as a director and designer and his play The Sirens of Eroc, was written under the nom-de-plume of James Alan. As an artist he has held successful exhibitions of his photographs.
Elwes, Polly
Born Mary Freya Elwes and known as Polly. She attended the Central School of Speech and Drama, now part of the University of London.
…Matheson, Rob
Rob was a continuity director/announcer with BBC Scotland (1995 – July 2008), covering TV and radio. He was also involved in managing the transition from analogue to digital transmission systems. Currently, Rob is a news presenter and reporter for BBC Scotland TV and radio.
He has also worked as a freelance reporter at Westsound FM and presented for QFM. Other posts include: reporter for Stirling Sports Agency, Glasgow; reporter for Slough, Windsor and Eton Observer; reporter/financial editor for Drapers Record business-to-business magazine.
Rebbeck, Judith
Judith was a newsreader on BBC Northern Ireland TV and radio in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, she joined the TV continuity team. She remained in that role until 1995, when she retired from broadcasting.
Burn, Christine
Christine was born in Birmingham. She attended the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama (1961 – 1963) and the Lucie Clayton Modelling School (spring 1964).
…Willis, Simon
Simon was a Central TV continuity announcer (dates TBC). He moved to BBC Newcastle’s Look North (1983). By the early 2000s, Simon was a correspondent for BBC Scotland’s Newsnight Scotland.
Armstrong, Fiona
Fiona began her career as a reporter/presenter for Border Television in the early 1980s before becoming one of ITN’s main newscasters (March 1987 – 1992). She was the first co-anchor on GMTV in 1993, and later returned to Border TV as one of the anchors of the relaunched Lookaround news programme.
She also fronted a cookery series called Easy as Pie for Carlton Food Network where she demonstrated her skills in the kitchen. Fiona has also featured in a series of programmes for Granada TV on Health and Slimming. She also regularly chairs major conferences and award ceremonies.