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).
…Nichols, Trevor
Trevor started out as an actor. He was a long-serving Channel 4 announce (dates TBC). He departed the station to pursue freelance voiceover work.
Fisher, Evadne
Evadne is a former Central TV continuity announcer. From Central, she moved on to host the late-night Thames Television strand (mid-1980s – 1991), along with colleagues Patricia Yorston and Victoria Crawford.
After leaving Thames in 1991, Evadne worked as a freelance corporate presenter and voiceover artist. She later turned to teaching – firstly at The Avon Academy, where she subsequently became director of drama. She was also head LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art) teacher at Trent College in Long Eaton.
Evadne was a teacher and examiner for LAMDA.
Nunan, Michael
Michael was a BBC Northern Ireland TV continuity announcer in the 1970s and 1980s. He also announced and read the news on BBC Radio 4 Northern Ireland and BBC Radio Ulster. He retired from broadcasting c. 1988.
McLean, Kerry
Formerly Kerry Turner. Kerry joined the BBC in 1993, and during her first six years there, she worked on some of the corporation’s flagship news and current affairs radio programmes: Good Morning Ulster on BBC Radio Ulster; Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland; and the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. That was followed by stints in various sections of the BBC World Service, before returning home to Northern Ireland and to BBC Radio Ulster, where she worked on the John Bennett programme.
She had a brief foray into television – six months as a BBC Northern Ireland TV continuity announcer/director, starting in late-September 2003. Beyond that, she occasionally provided voiceovers for local programme trails. Back on BBC Radio Ulster, she presented Weekend Extra. In 2014, she was given her own afternoon slot (Monday to Thursday), 3pm – 5pm.
Kerry is married to BBC Northern Ireland presenter Ralph McLean. They have three children.
Birley, Michael
BBC TV continuity announcer (1968 – 1969).
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.
…Whitting, Robin
After starting at the BBC in the Gramophone Library in 1966, Robin trained as a BBC studio manager working in network radio, local radio and the World Service.
…Blair, Lesley
Lesley was one of the early Grampian TV announcers (1960s/1970s). She also worked with ATV (Midlands).
…Robbie, Christopher
Christopher was an announcer for Associated Rediffusion, Southern, Anglia and Thames TV. He had a friendly air and a great screen presence. He presented Southern’s final programme, It’s Goodbye from Us with great panache, and was one of only two continuity announcers featured, the other one being veteran colleague Brian Nissen. After Southern lost its contract, Christopher popped up from time-to-time as an announcer on TVS, before going into theatre.
He later went on tour with a one-man play about Charles Darwin. He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. In the theatre he has achieved notable success in the plays of Shakespeare, Ibsen, Lope de Vega, Calderon, Euripedes and Miller. For four years he was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, during which time he played the title role in King Lear. On television his portrayal of the Cyberleader in the Doctor Who adventure The Revenge of the Cyberman won him a cult following. Christopher has also worked as a director and designer and his play The Sirens of Eroc, was written under the nom-de-plume of James Alan. As an artist he has held successful exhibitions of his photographs.
Palmer, Maggie
Maggie is a former Grampian and Scottish TV announcer.
Bailey, Earle
Earle was an in-vision Anglia Television continuity announcer in 1968. Before that, he announced for TWW in Wales and the West of England.
O’Brien, Margaret
Margaret was an RTÉ TV continuity announcer in the 1960s. She went on to become RTÉ Radio assistant head of presentation.
Rebbeck, Judith
Judith was a newsreader on BBC Northern Ireland TV and radio in the 1980s. In the early 1990s, she joined the TV continuity team. She remained in that role until 1995, when she retired from broadcasting.
Bolger, Lucy
BBC TV network announcer in 1995.
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).
…Matheson, Rob
Rob was a continuity director/announcer with BBC Scotland (1995 – July 2008), covering TV and radio. He was also involved in managing the transition from analogue to digital transmission systems. Currently, Rob is a news presenter and reporter for BBC Scotland TV and radio.
He has also worked as a freelance reporter at Westsound FM and presented for QFM. Other posts include: reporter for Stirling Sports Agency, Glasgow; reporter for Slough, Windsor and Eton Observer; reporter/financial editor for Drapers Record business-to-business magazine.
Ross, Pam
Pam is a former BBC Scotland Tv announcer.
Cresswell, Ian
Ian was a BBC Wales TV continuity director/announcer (1994 – 1998). He had previously worked at the BBC World Service. He later moved into management in the BBC Wales TV scheduling department.
Willis, Simon
Simon was a Central TV continuity announcer (dates TBC). He moved to BBC Newcastle’s Look North (1983). By the early 2000s, Simon was a correspondent for BBC Scotland’s Newsnight Scotland.
Lauder, Victoria
Victoria currently works as a continuity announcer/director on BBC One Scotland. The role previously also covered BBC Two Scotland but that channel was replaced by the network version of BBC Two, just prior to the launch of the BBC Scotland channel. Although the dedicated Scottish content channel has its own team of announcers, some BBC One Scotland voices can also be heard on the BBC Scotland channel.
She previously worked in radio, on Q96.
James, Steve
Steve is a regular sports presenter and commentator for BBC Wales TV and radio. He was also an occasional TV announcer.
Wilson, Peter
Peter is a former ATV (Midlands) announcer.
Barnes, Richard
Richard Barnes was born in 1943. He is a former continuity announcer at Anglia Television (1971 – 1975 and c. 1983), Westward TV, ATV, TSW, Central TV (c. 1985) and BFBS.
…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.
Boccaccio, Susanna
Susanna is a former Wave FM (Blackpool) journalist who moved to Border Television as an in-vision continuity announcer. She later became a producer/presenter at Border Television. In the mid-1990s, Susanna was also an in-vision announcer at UK Gold.
Duncan, Kay
Kay was a Grampian Television in-vision continuity announcer (1980). She was later an Aberdeen-based drama teacher.
Clews, Maggie
Maggie was a BBC TV network announcer (1965 – 1968) and a presenter on the BBC Light Programme (1967).
Grey, Monica
Monica was an actress.
…Shotter, Winifred
Winifred was a BBC TV announcer (1946 – October 1947). She died on 4th April 1996.
Darval, John
John was one of the original team of announcers at Channel 5 when it launched in March 1997. He was responsible for the Sunset Beach cult craze on Channel 5 daytime. John operated Beaver the puppet on Milkshake, where he was also known as John the Voice, when the childrens’ strand launched in September 1997.
John left Channel 5 in 2002, although he still provided relief cover occasionally. He later worked for Smooth Radio in the West Midlands and BFBS TV continuity and transmission control.
Duncanson, John
John was born in Prestwick. After a BBC course in broadcasting, his first TV appearance was as a continuity announcer on ABC Television (early 1960s), the weekend contractor for the north of England and the Midlands.
…Ballantine, Pamela
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.
Gordon, Nigel
Nigel was a continuity announcer on RTÉ One from c. 1996 until TBC. He stills works with RTÉ, within the television promotions department.
Phoenix, Nicola
Originally from Northern Ireland, Nicola graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in art and design from Ulster University before pursuing a Master’s degree in creative writing at Goldsmith’s, University of London.
…Thomas, Linda
Olumide was born in London. Her name derives from the Yoruba tribe in West Africa and roughly translates as ‘child of God’.
…Currie, Maura
Born Maura McManus in Paisley, Currie holds degrees in Chemical Engineering from Strathclyde University and radio journalism from UWS.
…Mackenzie, Gary
Gary is a former ILR presenter with CBC, Red Dragon Radio and Touch radio in Cardiff. He then moved to BBC Wales TV, where he took on a continuity director/announcer role (1997 – TBC). He also presented some editions of the daily Livetime programme for BBC Radio Wales.
Ngqobougwana, Vuyiswa
Vuyiswa was a Channel 4 announcer (1995 – TBC). She also announced on E4.
Wanless, Neville
Neville was born in Wallsend-on-Tyne. He began his working life as a financial director in his father’s engineering company. He did National Service and was stationed in Germany in the Royal Horse Artillery.
…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!!!)”
Layzell, Alastair
Alastair is a former Channel Television in-vision continuity announcer (1970s and 1980s). He went on to start his own independent production TV company in 1988 after leaving Channel Television. Since then he has produced and directed hundreds of documentaries which have been aired by networks worldwide. He is also active in island life – he co-founded Save Jersey’s Heritage in 1990 and has been Chairman of The National Air Pageant since 1997. He is a former deputy of Jersey and stood again in the senatorial elections of 2003.
Lavender, Maggie
Maggie Lavender is a senior announcer for Scottish Television. Before joining STV, she was based at Glasgow Airport, presenting morning reports for Flightwatch. Her voice was also heard in the Grampian TV area for a number of years prior to its rebranding as STV.
Maggie is also a trained actress.
Lowe, Teresa
Teresa joined the announcing staff on RTÉ One in 1984. She also worked on the new RTÉ Network 2 service. She went on to host the popular Sunday night quiz show Where in the World in the early 1990s. Teresa left TV continuity c. 1992. Her younger sister, Mary Lowe, was also a continuity announcer on RTÉ TV.
Ford, Jerome
Jerome was a continuity announcer on RTÉ One from 1997 until the early 2000s.
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.
Hofman, David
David was a BBC TV in-vision announcer at Alexandra Palace briefly during the pre-World War II years. His voice was also heard on radio, on the BBC Empire Service.
Davison, Eleri
Eleri was an assistant in the BBC Wales TV Presentation dept for many years. She moved into the continuity director/announcer role in 1998.
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.
Raison, Caroline
Caroline was an announcer with Anglia in the 1970s and 1980s and a newsreader on About Anglia (1977 – 1982), often alternating with veteran John Bacon.
McInerney, Geraldine
Geraldine was an RTÉ continuity announcer in the early 1970s. She went on to became the first woman to read the news on RTÉ Television in October 1975.