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.
…Kendall, Kenneth
Born in India, Kenneth was educated at Felsted School and Oxford, where he gained a degree in modern languages. He was a school master and later captain in the Coldstream Guards during World War II. He was injured on D-Day.
…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.
…Guru-Murthy, Krishnan
Liverpool-born and educated at Oxford University, Krishnan’s broadcasting career began in 1988, when he presented discussion programme Open to Question (BBC Two, 1988 – 1989); he was also a reporter on youth current affairs programme Reportage (BBC Two, 1988 – 1989).
…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.
…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.
Arnold, Andrea
Andrea was one of the presenters of children’s show No.73 (ITV).
…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).
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.
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.
…Penny, Daphne
Daphne was a Grampian TV continuity announcer and presenter (1961 – 1965). She presented The Rogies and Romper Room.
Daphne died in 1993.
Farnham, Jane
Jane started out as ‘Pippa Horn’, the travel and breakfast co-presenter at Red Dragon FM in Cardiff. Whilst working on the breakfast show she was approached by HTV Wales to present Time Out, a holiday programme based in Wales. She then went on to present her own drivetime show at Medway FM in Kent, which also involved producing features and organising competitions and roadshows.
In 1998, Jane started work at Metro Networks presenting travel reports for the Chris Evans breakfast show on Virgin FM and she also landed a job on the continuity sofa at ITV 2.
In May 2000, she started working for Earth and Space at NOW – a pioneering convergence channel broadcasting to Asia and worldwide on the web. The work involved anchoring live science programmes, interviewing guest scientists, writing web pages and occasionally working on location for special reports.
During 2001, Jane worked in Holland and Athens for five weeks at a time directing and presenting travel programmes for a new broadband/linear channel called Viewing 4 Leisure.
In 2002, she worked with Ant and Dec on ITV 1 as a regional presenter on Record of the Year.
In 2004, Jane filmed kids show X-perimental for BBC One. Working as the science reporter, it was Jane’s responsibility to get the science across in an unpatronising, no-nonsense, yet easily understood manner.
Also in 2004, Jane worked as a studio/location presenter for TV Travel Shop, which involved a shoot in America filming Go Florida.
Jane has also worked as a continuity announcer on Channel 5 and Challenge (dates TBC).
Jane is currently a freelance presenter.
She has also worked at Price Drop TV, where she had to talk and sell non-stop for three hours at a time. She has guest-presented on QVC. She is also a children’s presenter for British Forces TV.
Edmunds, John
John was born in Aberystwyth. He attended the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth in the late-1940s and early 1950s, studying English and French.
…Heath, Tina
Tina is a former actress and Blue Peter presenter (BBC One, 1979 – 1980).
…Mayclem, Liam
Liam is a former continuity announcer and news reporter for Channel Television (1989 – 1994). He also reported for the religious news magazine programme Link-Up and produced the station’s Weekend Diary. He later became the channel’s youth features reporter and producer.
Liam moved to the US to host Tomorrow’s World America and a music show, Audiofile, both of which are broadcast across the States on techtv. He later became head of arts and entertainment for KRON TV – an independent television station in San Francisco.
…Taylor, Shaw
Born Eric Stanley in Hackney, London, Taylor was known professionally by his stage name Shaw throughout his career.
…Rippon, Angela
Angela was born in Plymouth. On leaving school at 17, she began her journalistic career in newspapers in Devon.
…Inskip, Gavin
Gavin presents a late-night radio show on Southern FM and also provides continuity announcements on Channel 5.
…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.
Carrad, Jeremy
Jeremy was a news presenter on Points West (BBC One West, 1962 – 1976). He also presented the network children’s science show Tom Tom (BBC One, 1966 – 1969).
…Chapman, Lindsey
Lindsey graduated with a BA in drama and theatre arts from the University of Birmingham (2005) before completing a diploma from the Birmingham School of Acting (2007).
…Mulhern, Stephen
Stephen was a continuity presenter on CITV (1998 – 2002). He also presented a number of programmes for CITV, including The Quick Trick Show and SM:TV Live. He currently presents Big Star’s Little Star (ITV) and Catchphrase (ITV).
…Astley, Pat
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.
Lynch, Sinead
Sinead’s career in broadcasting began as a researcher on TV Three’s Ireland AM in 2003; she was also a reporter for the programme’s lifestyle segment.
In 2005, she took up a researcher position on The Brendan Courtney Show, also for TV Three. During 2006, Sinead performed a similar role on RTÉ 2’s popular Podge and Rodge Show. Production work included children’s shows with Adare Productions and the entertainment show The Panel, with Happy Endings Productions. She was also assistant producer on I Want a Garden – Vision Independent Productions for RTÉ ( January 2007 – June 2007).
In addition to her various other roles, Sinead has been working as a continuity announcer on RTÉ One and RTÉ 2 since summer 2005.
Carse, Duncan
Duncan was a BBC Radio Overseas/Home Service announcer in 1941 and a BBC TV in-vision announcer in the 1950s.
…Imray, June
June was born in Aberdeen. She graduated with an MA arts degree from the University of Aberdeen and taught for two years in Aberdeen and Somerset.
…Ward, Sarah
Born Sarah Corbett Ward around 1941 in Kenya, Ward attended boarding school in the UK while her stepfather, a major in the army, was stationed abroad.
…Gourd, Peter
Peter was a children’s producer at Super Channel. He worked behind the microphone as a BBC TV network announcer in the late-1990s and was later head of presentation, BBC Scotland, based in Glasgow.
David-Caine, Richard
Richard is an actor and children’s TV presenter.
…Taylor, Alan
Eccentric, jovial, avuncular HTV West continuity announcer and programme presenter on both HTV West and HTV Wales who also found fame on the national ITV network, first as the presenter of one of the many incarnations of Mr and Mrs, and, secondly as Nancy Kominsky’s eager assistant in HTV West’s almost cult-status Paint Along with Nancy. Locally, he was well known for his Tinker and Taylor children’s slots. The Mr and Mrs programme went on to be produced by Tyne Tees Television, and, most famously, Border Television, when the host was Derek Batey.
Former colleague Guy Thomas told us: “Alan was the most popular and best-loved television personality in Wales and the west of England, establishing himself as a versatile, all round entertainer and he was admired as much by his colleagues as by the large audiences he won for the television programmes in which he appeared.
“After working in his family’s Cardiff electricity business and seeing active Navy service in the Mediterranean war zone he began entertaining in amateur variety bills, turning professional by appearing all over the country in pantomimes and music halls, including London’s West End. He joined TWW as an announcer in 1959. His popularity started to rise with an afternoon 10-minute slot for children which he shared with a glove puppet (a kind of not too distant relation of Sooty) for a birthday greetings show called Tinker and Taylor. TWW had a large audience for television quiz shows, most of them the idea of the Canadian TV personality Roy Ward Dickson. Alan became the ideal host for these shows, starting with Three Little Words, Try for Ten and the blockbuster of them all, Mr and Mrs, which ran year after year. It is probably true to say it was the most popular programme series TWW transmitted, rarely missing the number 1 spot in the ratings.
“For HTV, Alan began a series of programmes in which he learned to paint (his interest was already there) called ‘Painting With Nancy’ and the demand for the return of ‘Mr And Mrs’ was so great, the company, which had dismissed the idea of repeating their predecessor’s liking for the quiz show format, bowed to the inevitable. The success was repeated and HTV also brought back, again with Alan, ‘Try For Ten’. In 1982 Alan retired to open an antique shop in Bath and then went to live in Spain where he died in 1997.”
Campbell, Sharon
Sharon was an In-vision continuity announcer for Channel Television. She went on to work in sales and marketing for the station’s sister company, Creative Channel, which produces corporate and commercial video.
…Jago, Becky
Becky was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, and graduated from the University of Bedfordshire with a BA in Media Performance in 1997.
…Crane, Andy
Radio/TV presenter.
…Leslie, John
TV presenter.
…Jones, Rick
Born Frederick Joseph Jones in London, Ontario, Canada.
…Jones, Gethin
TV/radio presenter.
…Boulter, Ana
TV presenter.
…Speight, Mark
Former TV presenter.
…Boleto, Leah
Leah is a TV news presenter. She spent 11 years with Newsround (2009 – 2021) and has more recently been presenting for Sky News and 5 News.
…Keating, Caron
Former TV presenter.
…Anstis, Toby
TV/radio presenter and DJ.
…Greene, Sarah
Sarah was born in London. Her parents were DIY expert Harry Greene and actress Marjie Lawrence. Her younger sister is Laura, a former TV presenter.
…Hill, Katy
TV/radio presenter.
…Morton, Lionel
Lionel was born Lionel Walmsley in Blackburn. He sang in the local cathedral choir.
…Maguire, Sean
Actor and TV presenter.
…Andrews, Eamonn
Born in Dublin, Eamonn Andrews began sports commentating for Radio Éireann in 1939 and subsequently worked on various programmes for BBC Radio, including Sports Report (1950 – 1962).
On television he hosted the BBC’s parlour game What’s My Line? (1951 – 1963), Crackerjack (1955 – 1964), ABC Television’s World of Sport (1965 – 1968) and This is Your Life until his death in 1987.
He joined Thames Television from ABC in 1968 and was the first anchor of its nightly news magazine programme Today until 1977. At the same time, he was active as a chat show host and children’s programmes presenter, as well as being a keen businessman.
Hood, Morag
Morag was a presenter on STV children’s programme Roundup. She also spent a while as an announcer with STV before embarking on an acting career, which included the role of Natasha in the BBC’s lavish production of War and Peace. She had many TV and stage roles during her acting career.
Morag died in 2002.