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).
…Offer, Peter
Peter was born in July 1963. He joined the BBC in November 1985 as an assistant sound recordist, BBC TV. He worked in post-production for a wide variety of programmes, including many long-running series such as Miss Marple, Bergerac and Lovejoy.
…Roslin, Clive
Born in Zimbabwe, Clive began broadcasting on Rhodesian radio at the age of seven, on schools and children’s programmes. He listened to the BBC Overseas Service as a child.
…Martin, Keith
Keith was born in Sandwich and was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral. He trained in catering, then joined the Merchant Navy but illness brought him home and he started work in the advertising department of Granada Television in London.
…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.
…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.
…Yates, Alastair
Alastair was a broadcaster whose career spanned four decades. He was born and brought up in Burton-upon-Trent.
…Newmarch, Duncan
Duncan joined Grimsby Hospital Radio in 1990. He has a commercial radio background, having worked for Lincs FM (Lincolnshire), Invicta FM (Kent) and Trax FM (Yorkshire), where he presented the breakfast show.
…Coia, Paul
Born in Glasgow, Paul’s ambition was to become a dentist but as his exam results were, as he puts it “underwhelming”, he instead attended the University of Glasgow and Paisley College of Technology to do a BSc degree course.
…Brinton, Tim
Tim was educated at Summer Fields, Eton and went to the University of Geneva. After National Service, he trained as an actor at the Central School of Speech and Drama and in the early 1950s he joined the BBC as a radio announcer.
…Wartnaby, David
David is currently one of the voices of Channel 5.
…Doyle, Bernadette
Bernadette was a relief continuity announcer at RTÉ in the late-1960s. She was also a teacher.
Maxwell, Raymond
Raymond was an announcer/newsreader with UTV from the late-1960s. He later moved to RTÉ in Dublin, where he was one of the announcers appearing during the opening night of RTÉ 2. He was accompanied at the launch of RTÉ 2 by fellow announcers Bernadette Ní Ghallchóir and
Róisín Harkin.
Crowley, Sharon
Sharon joined RTÉ in 1979. She was a continuity announcer on RTÉ 2 from the early to mid-1980s.
Finnerty, John
John was an announcer on both RTÉ TV channels from the mid-1980s. In the early 1990s, he moved across to the newsroom to present TV and radio news bulletins. John was one of the main presenters of the RTÉ One One o’Clock News from 2005 until his retirement in June 2017.
Leonard, Aidan
Aidan joined the RTÉ TV continuity announcing staff in 1994, and worked mainly on RTÉ One. This was in addition to presenting his 2FM radio shows. Aidan left the TV job within a year or so.
Finucane, Marian
Marian was an RTÉ continuity announcer in the mid-1970s before moving on to present many radio and TV programmes at the station.
Dowling, Aoife
Aoife joined RTÉ in the late-1990s, working as a continuity announcer on both television channels, though mainly on RTÉ Network 2. She later went on to present RTÉ weather forecasts – on both channels – from 2002. She left RTÉ in summer 2003.
McDermott, Helen
Helen graced Westward TV screens in the 1970s, jumping ship in 1979 to the safer haven of Anglia Television, which she joined as a continuity announcer and newsreader. Helen was an anchor of the East edition of the company’s main evening topicality programme, Anglia News until 2001. Beyond that, she presented various other programmes for Anglia.
She was a presenter on Radio Norwich until 2010. In January 2011, she joined BBC Radio Norfolk in Norwich as presenter of the 11am to 1pm slot (Monday – Thursday). The programme was dropped in January 2012. In 2014, she took up a presenting role with Mustard TV.
Gladwell, Robert
Robert is a former Associated Rediffusion announcer.
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.
Westwood, Stephen
Stephen was a Carlton TV (London) announcer (1997 – TBC). He also covered the ITV Nighttime service.
Cronin, Cath
Cath joined the RTÉ One announcing team in summer 2005. She can also be heard occasionally on RTÉ 2.
O’Reilly, Brendan
Brendan joined RTÉ as a continuity announcer in 1961. Previously the Irish high jump and javelin champion, he went on to present Sports Stadium, RTÉ’s long-running Saturday afternoon sports magazine, from the 1970s to the 1990s.
…Sherwin, Jim
Jim was an RTÉ TV continuity announcer in the early 1970s.
He moved into sports broadcasting, where he had a long and successful career as a presenter, commentator and producer. He was RTÉ’s main commentator at eight Olympic Games.
His rugby commentaries on radio and TV began in 1970 and ended at the Rugby World Cup in Sydney Australia in 2003. He commentated for over 20 years on racquet sports for RTÉ TV including Wimbledon and Roland Garros and was RTÉ’s main commentator on all major non-sporting outside broadcasts, including installation of presidents, live transmissions of visiting celebrities and state funerals.
Higgins, Michael
Michael worked in BBC Radio Ulster continuity before moving to the same role on BBC Northern Ireland television in 2000. After a short break, he returned to the TV continuity job in late-2001.
Willighan, Roy
Roy joined the BBC Northern Ireland TV announcing staff in August 2002, having worked previously with BBC Radio Ulster’s Traffic and Travel Unit. Before joining the BBC, Roy was a newsreader at Belfast Citybeat. In 1997, he spent three months working for Radio France Loire-Atlantic in Nantes.
Ap Brinley, Alun
Alun is an actor who has occasionally freelanced as an announcer. Announcing jobs include S4C and BBC Wales TV.
O’Shea, Neil
Neil is a former RTÉ Radio 1 presenter and announcer. He moved to TV presentation in the early 1990s, where he was an announcer on RTÉ Network 2. He also had occasional shifts on RTÉ One.
Taylor, Andy
Andy was a BBC TV network announcer (1989 – November 1997). He also voiced BBC TV presentation trails (1990 – TBC). Andy’s last day with BBC network presentation was Saturday 8th November 1997. When closing down BBC Two just before 3am on 8th November 1997, his colleague Michaela Saunders gave Andy a mention: “That’s it from BBC Two tonight. Just time to remind you of BBC Radios 1 through to 5, where you can find music, news and chat right through the night. And as the witching hour of 3 o’clock approaches, all of us on the team thank you for being with us tonight and would like to say a fond farewell to one of our announcing colleagues – Andy Taylor left us this evening. And he’s off to find the sun – we wish him Bon Voyage and we wish you a good night.”
Smith, Alister
Alister was a continuity announcer in the presentation department at BBC Scotland (April 1981 – December 1989); starting in radio before moving to television, then back to radio again.
Speaking to us in February 2006, Alister recalled his radio days at BBC Scotland: “In radio, the pace was more relaxed and the work far more varied than the TV side. Apart from straight continuity announcing I often presented Leisure Trail, a programme for outdoor enthusiasts broadcast on Saturday mornings and produced by the late Murdoch McPherson. Then, for a good while, I had my own show called The Light Programme – easy-listening music and chat for Friday afternoons with many interesting guests from the world of music and entertainment. There was also Alister Smith’s Christmas Lights – broadcast early on Christmas morning and featuring young local musicians of all ages.
“At the same time I was also the person behind Leslie McQueen, Tom Ferrie’s charismatically camp visitor to the late chart show that went out Mondays to Thursdays on BBC Radio Scotland between 10pm and midnight. Much to my surprise, Tom’s teenage audience quickly embraced this gay little baker from Rutherglen until he soon became a regular guest: with his accordion, his trumpet and those awful renditions of country and western songs accompanied and sung excruciatingly. Furthermore, Lesley was a prominent feature of Tom Ferrie’s Christmas and New Year specials, as illustrated by Tom and Leslie’s New Year Party etc.
“In a different domain, presenting orchestral concerts for BBC Radio 3 was another of my many privileges, taken along with all the additional things I was allowed to do at BBC Scotland, made my entire time there highly satisfying and eminently enjoyable. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
“After leaving the BBC, I went into commercial radio as head of production at CentreSound 96.7 in Stirling (now Central FM), where I was ever so fortunate to have as my boss Mr Colin Lamont – aka Scottie McClue – surely one of the most affable men you will ever meet. But commercial radio was not my bag. Thus I drifted into tertiary education and IT where I remained until retirement.”
Griffith, Mari
Mari was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1980s and 1990s). She then went freelance and was heard regularly on BBC Radio Wales.
Donat, Chris
Chris was an Anglia TV announcer (1989 – 1991).
Webb, Gillian
Gillian was a BBC TV in-vision network announcer (1946 – 1947). Born in Leicester, in 1926, Gillian became a student at RADA soon after she left school in 1943. When she was called up for National Service she enlisted in ENSA and began touring England with Twelfth Night. She then toured the Middle East with the play Nine to Six, in which her part was of a mannequin with a few lines, but it took her to Cairo, Alexandra, Basra, Damascus, Aleppo, Beirut and Jerusalem.
It was at Habbaniya Airport in Iraq that she met her future husband, Lieutenant Wilson of the United States Army Air Force and, in the course of just seven days, got engaged to him. Upon returning to England in May 1946, Gillian began to see agents and film directors. It was after little success she was given an introduction to the BBC and she got the job of female television announcer. She began her new job on 17th July 1946.
Gillian never saw her announcing job as long term. In an interview published in December 1946 she stated that she was currently reading all she could about America and “has all the states off by heart and can point them out on the map.” In between reading about the US, Gillian also listed her interests as “reads thrillers, plays tennis, and waits for her visa to the United States which in any case won’t be of any use before January when she is twenty-one.” Gillian finally left Alexandra Palace and her announcing job on 20th March 1947 and never returned to television again. Her vacancy was filled by Sylvia Peters after an extensive search for a new female announcer. Sylvia was the youngest of the entrants at 21 years of age.
Gillian’s whereabouts at the current time are not known. Thanks to Simon Vaughan of the APTS for the background information above.
Bingham, Bill
Bill is a former Channel 4 announcer.
Jamieson, David
David was an ATV daytime out-of-vision announcer (1970s) who also presented a show for BRMB Radio in Birmingham. David went on to become head of presentation at ATV’s successor, Central Television in 1986 and remained in that role until Carlton Television took over in the mid-1990s. He now lives in Andalucia.
David told Showreel: “The regular daytime announcer was Peter Davies, an old friend with whom I’d worked in BBC local radio in Leicester. When he was on leave, or there were other gaps in the roster, I would fill in from sign-on at 9.25am (no breakfast telly then) until 6pm, when the evening announcer (usually Kevin Morrison or Peter Tomlinson) came on duty. Daytime was out-of-vision, which suited me fine! 9.25am to 12 noon was schools programmes which ATV networked to the rest of ITV, so suddenly I was speaking to the nation! Frightening stuff! After the shift, I’d scoot off and do my radio programme. I have to say that working at ATV was wonderful, and a part of my career which I treasure.”
Lloyd, Caroline
Caroline is a former ATV (Midlands) announcer.
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.
…Baines, Brian
Brian Baines was a regular presenter of Look North bulletins from Leeds during the late-1960s, 1970s and 1980s. In fact, Brian was the first voice to be heard on Look North. He was also one of the main continuity announcers for BBC North TV during the 1970s and early 1980s when BBC English regions had their own continuity. He still provided continuity into local programming on BBC North until the late-1980s.
He retired from BBC Leeds on 25th April 1988. Sadly, Brian passed away on 30th June 2006, aged 75.
Fleming, Arlene
Arlene Fleming was born around 1965 in Paisley, in the west of Scotland.
…Brooks, Rosemary
Rosemary was a BBC TV network announcer (1968 – 1969).
Comyn, Michael
Michael was an announcer on RTÉ One and RTÉ Network 2 from 1994 to 1997. He subsequently moved to RTÉ Radio 1 as an announcer. In May 1999, Michael was the first voice to be heard on the newly launched RTÉ Lyric FM; he hosted the breakfast show there until May 2000. For the next three years, Michael presented the Weekend Supplement on Dublin radio station 102.2 Lite FM.
Michael’s voice can be heard on the DART and at Irish rail stations.
In 2016, he returned to the TV airwaves, where he can still be heard introducing the programmes on RTÉ One and RTÉ 2. Michael also presents Leap of Faith on RTÉ Radio 1.
Michael is the manager of Comyn Communications Ltd and has been delivering courses in communications since 1986; he also presents in media skills, presentation skills and runs a popular life audit course.
Vance, Simon
Simon served an attachment as a BBC TV network announcer (1984 – 1985). He worked as a freelance presenter for BBC Radio Brighton (1976 – TBC), joining the staff there in 1980, until he moved to BBC Radio 4 (1983). He was there until early 1992 when he emigrated to San Francisco.
…Gower, Mike
Mike started his broadcasting career as a radio presenter on Radio Forth in 1974. In 1979, he joined BBC Scotland as a continuity announcer. The following year, he moved over to STV where he was a continuity announcer, newsreader and sub-editor, until 1990. Mike then moved into production for STV, working as a producer/director until 1999, when he went freelance.
Mike also lectures at Napier University and Glasgow Metropolitan College.
Phillips, John
John was a Border TV continuity announcer and newsreader (1990 – 1995). He has also worked as a freelance continuity announcer for BBC Scotland TV in Glasgow (1997 – TBC). John has presented for Radio Borders and combines his broadcasting work with a full-time job as a mathematics lecturer.
Jones, Phillip
Phillip was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1995 – TBC).
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.