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Ballantine, Pamela

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Pamela’s broadcasting career started off in radio: she read the news on Downtown Radio in the early 1980s. She also presented on BBC Radio Ulster. Pamela’s first appearance on Ulster Television – as a continuity announcer – was in 1984. As part of the announcer’s role, she also read the news.

She left the announcing team around the start of the new franchise period in 1993 and went on to co-anchor the station’s main news programme. She presented the lifestyle and leisure programme UTV Life (1999 – 2009). In May 2009, Pamela returned to UTV’s continuity department, after seventeen years. As well as the announcing role, she was also a relief weather presenter. A year later, her staff contract with the station was not renewed. Press reports claimed UTV had told Ballantine that her role was no longer available and had offered her freelance work which she later accepted.

Pamela continues to freelance at the station and act in an ambassador role. Since 2016, she has presented the new incarnation of UTV Life.


Rafferty, Sean

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A familiar face on BBC Northern Ireland in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Sean was one of the main presenter on the local news programmes Scene Around Six and later, Inside Ulster.

Other TV work for BBC Northern Ireland in the 1980s/90s included arts magazines Prospect and 29 Bedford Street. He co-presented thirty editions of The DIY Show with Denise Waterman. In 1995, Sean left BBC Northern Ireland to become the presenter of BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme, where he remains today.


Barbour, Sharon

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Sharon was brought up in New Zealand. She went to the Australian Film and TV School and worked as a reporter and presenter across Australia and New Zealand.

Her UK broadcasting career began at BBC Radio Humberside. She then joined BBC Radio 4’s File on 4, based in Manchester and the BBC’s Special Documentaries Unit where she worked on stories all around the world.

She later moved to Newcastle and read the Night Network News for BBC Radios Newcastle, Cumbria and Cleveland. Next stop was BBC News 24 where she performed a reporting role.

Sharon went on to present Look North for BBC North East/Cumbria. She’s currently a health correspondent with BBC network news.


McKee, Seamus

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Seamus has presented current affairs programming on BBC Radio Ulster since c. the mid-1980s, with occasional stints on television on the Spotlight programme. In 1992 he took on a more regular TV role when he became one of the lead presenters on the local news programme Inside Ulster. He continued with presenting on BBC Radio Ulster. Seamus departed Inside Ulster ahead of the relaunch of the programme in spring 1996.

Seamus continued as a regular presenter on BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster and Evening Extra. He still makes occasional appearances on television; he presented a local schools quiz series in 2001 – School Challenge. Seamus has also presented the BBC Radio 2 Arts Programme.


Rhodes, Pam

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Pam is perhaps best known as one of the presenters of the BBC’s Songs of Praise. She was a regular in-vision continuity announcer for London Weekend Television (1981 – TBC). Before that she was an announcer, reporter and presenter for Norwich-based Anglia Television; she co-presented on About Anglia (1976 – 1981).

Before embarking on a career as a presenter, Rhodes was a Black and White Minstrels Show girl, where, she says, she danced up to six miles a night! Fellow Anglia presenter Christine Webber was also a ‘minstrels’ show girl.

Beaven, Steven

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Steve was a regular voice on BBC One Wales, BBC Two Wales and BBC Choice Wales (2000 – 2002). Shortly after leaving BBC Wales, he moved to TV Centre as a network director on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four.

Steve later returned to his roots and worked at ITV News in the Central South region. On any given day he might be production assisting, reporting, and/or producing.

Kee, Robert

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During a long career in TV news and current affairs, Robert was associated with a number of BBC and ITV programmes: reporter, BBC TV’s Panorama (1958 – 1962) and presenter in 1982; reporter, This Week (1965 – 1968); ITN newscaster on lunchtime programme First Report (October 1972 – January 1976). In 1980 he both wrote and presented Ireland – A Television History.

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Barker, Ellie

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Ellie studied sociology at Bath University. On leaving university, Ellie’s aspirations to work in television got off to a good start with a work placement on the BBC’s Kilroy programme; she later became Robert Kilroy-Silk’s PA. She moved on to join GMTV, as a runner initially but went on to become a trainee producer.

It was then back to the books to study for a post-graduate diploma in broadcast journalism at Birmingham University. Ellie subsequently got a position as a trainee journalist with Carlton. She later moved to HTV West as a journalist, followed by a return to GMTV as Scotland correspondent.

In October 2003, she joined BBC Look East as a presenter and reporter, covering the west of the region.


Nesbitt, Mike

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Mike’s journalistic career began within the BBC’s sports department in the mid-1980s. In 1986, he became one of the regular presenters on BBC Radio Ulster’s breakfast news and current affairs offering, Good Morning Ulster.

In 1990, he moved to PR company Anderson Kenny. By 1992 he had shifted back into regular TV presenting, becoming one of the main anchors on UTV’s regional news programme, Six Tonight. He quickly established himself as one of the key figures within the station’s news department.

However, in February 2006 came the shock announcement that Mike was not renewing his contract with UTV. Speaking at the time, he said: “I have decided to leave because I just feel very strongly that the time has come to move on.

“I believe it is time for a new challenge and I have several projects in the pipeline.

“I will be sorry to leave behind a very fine bunch of journalists, and above all, will miss working with my wife Lynda, who is a key factor in UTV’s success story.”

Other TV credits: Sunday Morning (ITV, 1999 2001), a religious affairs programme, co-presented with his wife Lynda Bryans; Counterpoint, and its successor Insight (UTV, 1992 – early 2000s), a current affairs programme; Home Sweet Home (UTV, 2004 – 2006), a home and garden series, co-presented with wife Lynda.

When he stepped away from on-screen roles, Nesbitt and his wife set up their own independent media services company.

In January 2008, Mike was confirmed as the Victims Commissioners for Northern Ireland – a role established by the Northern Ireland Assembly to highlight the interests of victims of The Troubles. He left that post in February 2010 to stand as a candidate for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists in the Strangford constituency in the 2010 General Election. He lost out to the Democratic Unionist Party’s Jim Shannon. A year later, Nesbitt stood in the 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election, again in Strangford. He was elected, along with 5 other MLAs in that constituency. On 31st March 2012, he was elected leader of the Ulster Unionist Party. He remained in that role until 2017.

Adams, Kaye

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Kaye was a Central News reporter in the mid-1980s.  She joined STV in the late-1980s as a reporter for Scotland Today. She was one of the first reporters on the scene at Lockerbie.

Kaye could also be seen presenting Scotland Today and also presented Scottish Women from the early to mid-1990s for STV.

Kaye was one of the regular faces of ITV daytime in the early 2000s – presenting Loose Women and Live Talk.  She also stood in for Fern Britton on This Morning c. 2001.

Other TV/radio credits: The Home Show (STV); Choice Cuts (BBC Radio Scotland).

Anderson, Andrew

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Andrew Anderson worked for Grampian Television as a reporter and presenter of North Tonight from February 1988 until October 1992.  He went on to work for Reuters Television as the first Scotland correspondent for the fledgling breakfast TV company GMTV.  He’s now working for BBC Scotland news and current affairs.

Ahmad, Asad

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Asad joined the BBC regional news trainee scheme in 1996.  In 1997 he got his first TV job reporting and presenting with the BBC in Birmingham.  He then moved to BBC Scotland where he was a reporter and presenter, working on programmes such as Newsnight Scotland, Reporting Scotland, and Newsline.

In 2000 he returned to London where he presented the news bulletins on Breakfast, sharing that role with Moira Stuart.  He also popped up occasionally on BBC News 24.

In May 2002, he became a presenter/reporter with BBC London News.

Ahmad, Tazeen

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Tazeen graduated from university with a 2:1 in communication studies.  She started off as a news assistant at ITN and later became involved in various projects for a number of radio stations.  At BBC GLR, she presented a live one-hour arts and entertainment show.  She presented a weekly three-hour show for BBC Thames Valley radio and later became involved with BBC Radio 5 Live, presenting and producing news, arts and entertainment features.

By the early 2000s, Tazeen was reporting for the BBC Choice entertainment magazine, Liquid News.  In July 2001, she became one of the regular presenters of the new BBC Choice news programme, 60 Seconds.  She continued to present the programme – and the new News Show – following the launch of BBC Three in February 2003.

Other TV projects: presenter/producer, East (BBC).

Alexander, Lucy

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Lucy’s journalistic career began as a reporter with BBC local radio – BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester and BBC Greater London Radio.  Her first TV job was with Anglia TV as a producer.  She soon moved on to reporting and presenting on Anglia News.

She later became a regular face on the ITV London regional news programme London Today and was soon co-anchoring the early evening London Tonight with Alastair Stewart.

Lucy later co-anchored the breakfast programme on the ITV News Channel with Andrew Harvey.  In 2006, she joined Sky News.