Born in Manchester on 4th January (year unknown), Leigh holds an MA in voice studies from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (2011) and is a master practitioner of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).
…Glover, Jon
Jon completed his training at the Central School of Speech and Drama between 1968 and 1971, subsequently embarking on a distinguished career across radio, television, and theatrical platforms.
…Briggs, Jon
Jon Briggs is a London-born broadcaster and voiceover artist whose career has spanned radio, television and digital media over four decades.
…Blake, Dan
Daniel was born in Lewisham. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in music from the University of Westminster (2012).
…Twining, Sasha
Sasha was born in Yorkshire. She is a presenter, journalist, conference host and facilitator. She began her career in radio and worked as a DJ for several years at various local and regional radio stations, including BBC Radio Solent.
…Dickson, Peter
Peter was born in Belfast. His name and face may not be as familiar as his voice, which has featured in some of the biggest UK TV entertainment shows.
…Scott-Joynt, Hannah
Hannah’s love of radio began in her teenage years. She gained a degree in radio, film and TV at Canterbury Christ Church University. Her first broadcasting job was with BBC Radio in Herts, Beds and Bucks. She moved into television as a network announcer on BBC One and BBC Two (1997 – 2000). She was the launch announcer on BBC Choice. In 2000, she appeared on BBC One’s daytime show Talking TV and showed presenter Vanessa Feltz behind-the-scenes of network control – and Vanessa even did two short daytime BBC One links.
…Macintosh, Alex
Alex was born in Fulham. He was a former actor. His voice was heard on the very first advert for Gibbs SR Toothpaste shown at 8.12pm on the opening night of ITV on 22nd September 1955.
…Edwards, Tom
Tom was born in Norwich. He began his career as a newspaper journalist on the Eastern Evening News and when Anglia TV opened, he worked on in-house commercials and even had a small role in one of their dramas. He compered a weekly live pop show, Beat on the Border, from Border TV in Carlisle and returned years later to the ITV regional company as an announcer/newsreader.
…Hulland, Louise
Louise was born in Burnley and graduated from Durham University. She is a Sony Award-winning presenter, journalist and documentary maker specialising in presenting programmes on crime and social issues. Since 2014, Louise has travelled round the country presenting for various BBC local radio stations (from Lancashire to London, Devon to Berkshire). She’s also been a news presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music, a reporter for Newsbeat (BBC Radio 1) and The Arts Show (BBC Radio 2), and has spent years behind-the-scenes at BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, including working with Sir Terry Wogan, Steve Wright, Chris Moyles, Jo Whiley, Sara Cox and The Sunday Surgery.
…Crane, Jenni
Jenni was born in Pontypool, South Wales. She is a Welsh TV producer/presenter and voiceover artist.
…Carlton, Amanda
Amanda has voiced English language audio courses (e.g. Linguaphone, Pearsons, Hugo, Longmans, de Agostini) since 1986. From 1988, she voiced trails for Anglia TV, Living, Granada Plus, Disney and TVS. Amanda got an attachment as a BBC TV network announcer (1988 – 1990) and was one of the voices on BBC TV’s Points of View (1987 – 1990). She also voiced BBC TV programme trails (1991).
…Clugston, Kathy
Born in Belfast in 1970, Kathy attended Methodist College and studied French and Russian at Queen’s University Belfast. The degree course included periods in France and Russia.
…Johnson, Chyna
Chyna has been a presenter on Westside FM since 2015. She has also freelanced as a continuity announcer on E4 (2018 – present) and BBC One (2019).
Walsh, Kate
Kate is a native Lancastrian with a husky, lilting quality to her voice. She studied at the Central School of Speech and graduated from the University of Birmingham with a bachelor’s in psychology.
…Kyle, Redvers
Redvers is regarded as one of ITV’s announcing greats. He was born in Germiston, South Africa and named after General Sir Redvers Buller, British military commander in the Anglo-Boer War. He began his broadcasting career as a student at Johannesburg University, where he presented for SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation).
…Jaque, Natalie
Natalie gained a degree in journalism with distinction and then backpacked around the world for a while (before the days of e-mail, iPad or mobile phone). She worked as a staff announcer with the BBC from 1997 until 2004, mainly live on BBC Two. Since March 2015, she has been a freelancing voice on both BBC One and BBC Two. Natalie was also the first female voice on BBC Knowledge and BBC Choice, and went on to become the BBC’s first freelance announcer.
…Terzza, Gary
Gary graduated from Keele University. He began his voiceover career at ITV Central (based in the Midlands), in 1982, as an in-vision announcer.
…Hammal, Bruce
Bruce was born in 1951. He’s a former studio manager and BBC TV announcer (1975 – 1984). He also appeared in-vision on BBC TV’s Breakfast Time‘ in 1983, in the TV Choice slot and as the out-of-vision commentator on Come Dancing (1980 – 1984).
…Allan, David
Born Gordon Allan in Manchester, David is a broadcaster with over 50 years’ experience and, for people of a certain generation, is a very recognisable voice. Certainly one of the great broadcast voices of all time.
…Aspel, Michael
Michael was born in London. He was evacuated during World War II, for four-and-a-half years, to Chard in Somerset. He worked as a tea boy at William Collins publishers and completed his National Service in the ranks of the King’s Royal Rifle Corps (1951 – 1953).
…Polhill-Thomas, Siân
Born on The Wirral, Siân is an ex-international sprint hurdler. She gained a BA (hons) in acting from LIPA.
…Bertram, Trish
Born in Royston, Herts, Trish started out as a stage manager in the theatre and was the longest-serving female TV announcer in the UK. She announced live for LWT, ITV, Channel 5, BBC World, BSB Galaxy, Super Channel, TVS, Westcountry TV and The Family Channel.
…McKechnie, Vera
Born in 1929, Vera worked as an actress in the theatre and began her broadcasting career in Children’s Hour on BBC Radio in Manchester (1948 – 1954), working with Violet Carson and Uncle Mac, before going for an audition for BBC Children’s Television in London.
…Baker, Richard
Born and educated in London, Richard graduated from Cambridge University and served in the Royal Navy during World War II, returning to London to work as an actor and teacher.
…Didsbury, Neil
Neil’s broadcasting experience dates back to 1995 when he joined the team at a hospital radio station in Norwich. In 1996, he moved to 103.4 The Beach in Lowestoft; he remained there for a year.
Neil’s voice has also been heard on Pirate FM in Cornwall and on Topshop TV at the clothes store’s main Oxford Street branch. As well as being head of music and producer at his university radio station during his three years study, Neil also has experience of working with the teams at Blue Peter and BBC Radio 1.
Having graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in broadcasting studies, Neil joined Granada TV’s northern transmission centre in March 2001, as a continuity announcer; his voice was heard on Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees and Border Television between March 2001 and October 2002. He also voiced programme promotions across the Granada Media Group, including LWT, Anglia and Meridian.
Neil stayed in Yorkshire for a year after being made redundant in October 2002, presenting radio shows for the Teamtalk group and Magic 828AM.
In 2003 he was approached by Vibe 105-8FM, a regional dance radio station in the east of England, to front their breakfast news. Twelve months after arriving, Neil also became the voice on all of the station’s imaging.
After a company takeover, Vibe 105-8FM was rebranded in September 2006 as Kiss 105-8FM.
Neil also regularly voices commercials on both television and radio across the UK and Europe.
Fleming, Arlene
Arlene Fleming was born around 1965 in Paisley, in the west of Scotland.
…Hayden-Smith, Andrew
Andrew is a former CBBC presenter. He’s currently an announcer on ITV.
Austin, Craig
Craig Austin combines roles as a broadcaster, writer and producer. He started his media career in radio and moved on to television, dipping his toes in ink along the way.
Craig is from Uddingston, on the outskirts of Glasgow, and is the youngest of four boys. He started a career in medical laboratory sciences but after three years he returned to student life to study media. He does miss the white coat though!
It was during his final year as a student that he got his first professional broadcasting gigs, writing and presenting travel and traffic reports on a number of Scotland’s radio stations, as well as doing commercial voiceovers. A short spell hosting his own shows on Radio Tay in Dundee followed, before Craig found himself in Carlisle, working as an announcer, presenter and producer for Border Television.
…Starling, Sara
Sara’s broadcasting career began at the BBC in London, where she was a radio studio manager (1989 – 1994), working on network radio output, live and pre-recorded – drama, sport and features.
…Griffiths, Tracey-Anne
Now Tracey-Anne McCoy. Tracey-Anne started off with Downtown Radio as a newsreader (late-1980s – 1992). She then moved into television, becoming a continuity announcer and newsreader on Ulster Television (1992 – 1996).
Tracey-Anne moved to London in 1997 to take up an announcing role with Channel 4; she is also heard on E4 and regularly voices Film4 programme trails. She remained at Channel 4 until 2015.
Tracey-Anne has also worked for Sky News, Living TV and Discovery.
Brydon, Rob
Rob was a continuity director/announcer with BBC Wales TV (late-1980s). He also presented The Chart Show and Rave on BBC Radio Wales into the early 1990s. Rob also voiced network BBC TV programme trails (late-1980s/early 1990s). These days, Rob is better known for his stand-up, presenting and acting roles: Human Remains (BBC); Marion and Geoff (BBC); Gavin and Stacey (BBC); presenter, Would I Lie to You? (BBC); Live from the Apollo (BBC).
Doody, Pat
Pat announced for Border and Tyne Tees Television (1970s) and also voiced ads for Metro Radio (mid-1980s). He also announced for LWT (dates TBC). He was the voiceover for the Border TV version of Mr and Mrs – his inimitable introduction used for each show: “It’s Mr and Mrs – and here’s your host, Derek Batey”. Most of his time from the late-1970s up until his death in 1990 was spent at Border Television and indeed he was announcing on Border on 27th February 1990, the night before his death.
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).
…Buckley, Lola
One of the pre-recorded voices of BBC Three from its launch in 2003 until its disappearance from linear television in February 2016. Lola was also a regular voice on BBC Choice continuity from early 2000.
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.
…Braban, John
John was an announcer with ABC Television and ATV London. He also worked as a network announcer with BBC TV (1969 – 1974) and voiced BBC TV presentation trails (1972 – 1990).
Jensen, Rebecca
Rebecca is a former BBC America announcer. She has also voiced trails for BBC One, BBC Radio and ITV 2.
Leeson, John
He was born John Ducker in Leicester. He is an actor who is best known as the much-loved voice of computer dog K9, trusty sidekick to Doctor Who (1977 – 1981, 1983, 2006 and 2008).
…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).
…Prebble, Simon
In 1960, Simon attended Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London and began his acting career in one of Britain’s first television soap operas, Home Tonight with David Hemmings. For the next eleven years he worked extensively on radio and television and in provincial repertory theatre, including a year with Ian McKellen’s Hamlet.
After working as a continuity announcer and newsreader at Southern TV (1970), Prebble joined the newsroom at Capital Radio, the second commercial radio station in Britain, where he hosted London’s Day. He then embarked on a career as a presenter and voiceover, including thirteen years as the promo voice of Thames Television, as well as regular promo work for HTV and Anglia TV. He was also an announcer for Anglia TV. From 1984 he was the announcer for the British version of the phenomenally successful game show The Price Is Right with Leslie Crowther.
In 1990, Prebble moved to New York where he continued doing voiceover work. As well as recording numerous radio and television commercials, he also character-voiced cartoon series, such as Courage the Cowardly Dog; he hosted and presented several television documentary series, notably Target Mafia; and narrated the IMAX film Endurance about the Shackleton expedition. In 1996, he was a lead actor for a year (as villain Martin Chedwyn) on the American daily soap opera As the World Turns.
In the US, he also began narrating audio books. His work has gained him more than eighteen Earphone awards, nine nominations for the Audies (the audiobook Oscars), and in 2005, he was named Narrator of the Year by Publishers Weekly.
Apart from his acting career, in 1967 Prebble designed and produced the ‘executive toy’ called Newton’s Cradle.
In 2003, at Chiswick House London, he married Swedish graphic artist, Marie-Janine Hellstrom. In 2007, along with his wife, he became a US citizen.
Haslam, Pete
Pete joined the Yorkshire Television announcing team in November 1999; he went part-time in late-2000. Based at the northern transmission centre in Leeds, his voice was also heard in the Tyne Tees, Border and Granada regions. Pete also became the voice of all Granada Media Group trailers for Granada, Yorkshire, Tyne Tees, Border, Anglia, Meridian and LWT. Pete’s voice was also heard on the ITV Night Network; he would pre-record the announcements on tape in Leeds; the tape was then despatched to LWT in the overnight van for transmission that particular weekend.
By January 2006, Pete was the last professional announcer in Leeds and he was still voicing regional trailers on a freelance basis.
Pete spoke to Showreel in January 2006 about other projects: “Since leaving YTV full-time, I’ve appeared in several radio plays, alongside Maggie and, in one, with Redvers. I’m currently working on a pilot radio thriller series Into the Shadows as writer, producer and actor, and I’m still around, doing the occasional bit of presenting for music-based radio stations.
“I’ve been in radio since the mid-1970s, starting at Radio City (Nottingham Hospital Radio). After much hard work, I managed to get the green light to form Millside Hospital Radio at the King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield, in October 1989. Joined Viking FM shortly after that, as commercial producer/writer/voiceover. Also worked on air on YRN’s (Yorkshire Radio Network) Classic Gold AM service.
“I can still be heard throughout the country and abroad, on various commercial radio stations, as voiceover. I also write and voice radio commercials for the Lincs FM Group (in fact I was the first voiceover on air at Lincs FM, on their first ad break on day one, in 1992). Well known for versatility when it comes to commercials, all sorts of voices, from old men (and old women!!!) through to wacky, character sound-a-likes and singers, which keeps me active!!! (It’s also very useful when it comes to radio plays!!!)”
Smith, Oliver
Oliver has been a continuity announcer on Turner Classic Movies, BBC America, Sci-Fi Channel and The History Channel. He has also voiced trails for television including BBC, ITV, Sky, UKTV Gold and Zone Thriller.
Slattery, Jon
Jon was one of the original team of announcers on the relaunched RTÉ Network 2 in late-1997. By 2000, Jon moved had moved to RTÉ One and was also by this stage voicing many RTÉ One and RTÉ Network 2 programme promotions.
Jon later provided voiceovers for a number of UK TV networks.
Moore, Ray
Ray was born in Liverpool. On leaving school his first job was at Liverpool docks.
…Jones, Geraint
Geraint was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1970s – 1990s). Although retired, he announced on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru for quite some time later. He also provided snooker commentary and read the classified results for Wales on Saturday – the BBC One Wales opt out of Final Score.
Brittain, Andrew
Andrew was an announcer with Granada from the late-1980s until the late-1990s. He was also the voice of Stars in Their Eyes. He was a daytime newsreader and also a reporter for Granada Reports. In the 1990s, Andrew also narrated some of the later World in Action documentaries. He also did voiceover work for radio commercials and corporate clients.
Fox, Andrea
Andrea graduated with BA in English Literature and Media Studies from the University of Sussex. In 2006, she completed work experience at Global Radio on the XFM breakfast show with Lauren Laverne and Shaun Keaveny.
…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.
Pope, Jim
Jim’s professional journey commenced in radio before transitioning to television during the 1960s, where he presented continuity links for HTV West.
…Reed, David
David was a BBC TV (voice-only) network announcer (1968 – 1969). He later voiced BBC TV programme trails (1972). He is the brother of actor Oliver and sports broadcaster Simon.
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.