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).
…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. He was the narrator on the BBC children’s programme I Want to Be (1969). His daughter, Liz, was an in-vision announcer for Harlech Television, and is married to former TV news presenter Martyn Lewis.
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
Sarah was a BBC TV network announcer (1965 – 1966). She was also a presenter on BBC TV’s Junior Points of View (1964 – 1967, 1970).
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.”