Jim is a former actor. He joined Tyne Tees Television as an announcer (1959) and later took up the same role at ATV (Midlands) (1961). He left to join BBC Birmingham’s Midlands Today as a presenter. In 1964, a meeting with the Spinners gave him his long-term interest in folk music which led him to join BBC Radio 2 in 1969 as a presenter.
Inskip, Gavin
Gavin presents a late-night radio show on Southern FM and also provides continuity announcements on Channel 5.
…Carson, Avril
Born in Belfast, Avril Carson graduated with a BA Honours degree from the University of Manchester.
…Morrison, Kevin
Kevin was an ATV in-vision continuity announcer (1970s). He was also a well-known radio presenter – his claim to fame being that he presented the first show on Birmingham’s BRMB Radio (1974).
Rhodes, Pam
Pam is perhaps best known as one of the presenters of the BBC’s Songs of Praise. She was a regular in-vision continuity announcer for London Weekend Television (1981 – TBC). Before that she was an announcer, reporter and presenter for Norwich-based Anglia Television; she co-presented on About Anglia (1976 – 1981).
Before embarking on a career as a presenter, Rhodes was a Black and White Minstrels Show girl, where, she says, she danced up to six miles a night! Fellow Anglia presenter Christine Webber was also a ‘minstrels’ show girl.
Todd, Alan
Alan is a former Scottish and Grampian TV announcer and Radio Clyde DJ. He went on to become a presenter on Grampian and Scottish TV.
Cairney, Alison
Alison is currently working as an announcer with BBC TV Scotland. She was a BBC network announcer in 1989.
Macintyre, Colin
Colin is a freelance announcer, and former continuity director/announcer with BBC Scotland. He works full-time for national air traffic control at Glasgow Airport.
Last, John
John started in continuity announcing as a freelancer for ITV 2 (January 2005 – 2007). He also worked as part of the Channel 5 continuity team (mid-2006 – early 2008).
As of late-2008, John was announcing for Virgin 1. His acting career was also taking off, with appearances in various short films behind him, such as Hammered, written by Noel Clarke (Doctor Who and Kidulthood). He also stars in the feature film, Do Elephants Pray?.
John has a BA (Hons) in media performance from the University of Salford.
Radford, Sue
Sue was a continuity announcer at Border (1988 – 1995). She then became a journalist at Border and left the company in 1997 to go freelance.
Bayer, Jane
Jane was a Channel TV continuity announcer (dates TBC).
Galloway, Robin
Robin was one of Grampian TV’s best-known in-vision continuity announcers (1980s and 1990s). He later became one of the main presenters on the Scottish version of Real Radio.
Pope, Jim
Jim’s professional journey commenced in radio before transitioning to television during the 1960s, where he presented continuity links for HTV West.
…Findlay, David
David was a BBC Radio Scotland announcer who did an occasional stint as a TV announcer in the 1970s.
He has since passed away (date unknown).
Hamilton, David
David started his television career as a continuity scriptwriter for ATV, but soon moved to the glamorous side of the camera as an announcer and programme presenter.
…Larcombe, Heather
Heather was an announcer (including in-vision links) with Border from 1994 until the end of regular regional continuity in October 2002. She has also voiced many programmes for Border, including Border Stories, Bordering on 40 and The Way We Were. Heather was also a regular newsreader, presenter and producer at the station.
Preedy, Bob
Until October 2002, Bob was one of the main announcers at Yorkshire Television at Granada Media Group’s northern transmission centre in Leeds. His voice was therefore also heard on Border, Granada and Tyne Tees Television.
…Paton, Isla
Isla was a BBC TV network announcer (mid-1990s). She then moved to Channel 4 (January 1999 – present) where she’s been an announcer on Channel 4, E4 (she was also the launch voice for the channel), 4Music and More4.
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).
…Radley, Gordon
Gordon was a continuity announcer for both TVS and Anglia Television. He later read the overnight news bulletins on Sky News. His career in broadcasting spans 30 years and has seen him present for ITN, Meridian, Grampian, HTV, LBC, BBC West and BBC South.
He also now adds investment banker to his repertoire.
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.
Macleod, Lesley
Lesley was a long-serving Grampian Television in-vision continuity announcer (dates TBC) and occasional programme presenter.
Fawcett, Martin
Martin worked as an announcer on both RTÉ TV channels – although mainly on RTÉ Network 2 – from the late-1980s until c. 1996. He now works within television production at RTÉ.
Marren, Domhnall
Domhnall was an RTÉ continuity announcer in the late-1960s. He was also a teacher.
Watkins, Kathleen
Kathleen was the first continuity announcer to appear on Teilifís Éireann on 31st December 1961. She joined the station at the same time as fellow announcers Marie O’Sullivan and Nuala Donnelly. Kathleen also presented programmes for Radio Éireann in the early 1960s. She is married to Gay Byrne.
LeFevre, Steve
Steve was born in Larne, Northern Ireland. His broadcasting career began with BBC Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. He started off as a TV continuity announcer and also read the news on TV and on BBC Radio Ulster. He later fronted many sports programmes for BBC Northern Ireland, such as Grandstand and Sportsnight. He also produced and presented for BBC Radio Ulster.
In the late-1980s, Steve moved to Yorkshire to present a radio talk show on BBC Radio Leeds (for which he won a Sony Gold). Over the years, he has presented on various radio stations, including: BBC Radio Newcastle; BBC Radio Three Counties; BBC Radio WM. He also worked at BBC Radio 5 Live, where he wrote and hosted The Media Show and presented on Late Night Live, and Breakfast.
In the early 1990s, Steve started work with Yorkshire TV as a reporter and presenter. Among the programmes he presented: Calendar, Scoreline, Tonight and Live Lunch.
…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.
Morgan, Lyn
Lyn’s broadcasting career began in radio, with a presenting job at Swansea Sound (May 1978 – July 1982). He then moved to BBC Wales TV, to a continuity director/announcer position (1982 – mid-1990s). He then switched from an on-air role to management. In July 2000, he set up Lyn Morgan Media Consulting and went freelance as a crisis communications and media specialist.
He then spent a number of years at Aberystwyth University (September 2009 – December 2013), initially as head of communications and public affairs and then director of communications. He returned to BBC Wales in February 2014, as an interim senior communications manager, and then communications and engagement manager.
In August 2016, Lyn returned to an on-air role at BBC Wales.
Sweet, Mike
Mike was a continuity director/announcer with BBC Wales TV (1997 – 2000) and was one of the regular team of BBC Choice Wales announcers. In 2000, he moved to ETV Bangladesh, where he was executive producer, news; he remained there until 2002. Later, he was an independent producer in Darwin, Australia (2003 – 2006). By 2008, Mike was working as an independent producer in Athens, Greece.
Tracy, Sheila
Born as Sheila Lugg in Mullion, Cornwall. Sheila studied piano, violin and trombone at the Royal Academy of Music.
…Easton, Peter
Peter 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.
Dutfield, Steve
Steve was a presenter with Red Dragon FM, Touch radio and AA Roadwatch. He joined BBC Wales TV presentation in March 1999, as a continuity director/announcer.
Mitchley, Richard
Richard is a narrator and actor, who has been freelancing as an announcer with S4C (early 1990s – TBC). Has also worked as an announcer at Channel 4 (dates TBC).
White, Stewart
Stewart’s broadcasting career began with a very short pre-programme announcement on the BBC World Service. He went on to work at BBC Radio Brighton and later BBC Radio Derby, where he produced and presented various news and entertainment programmes.
…Cartner, Allan
Allan was one of the Border TV veteran announcers, working at the station from 1961 to 1988. He is well-remembered for his authority and clarity when reading the news on Border; he was also the voice of the station’s start-up sequence. As well as being a main announcer on Border, Allan also did some work for Tyne Tees TV during the 1970s.
…Marriott, Andy
Andy was an LWT out-of-vision announcer (1990s). He also announced for Central Television. He’s also a radio presenter.
Sherwin, Allan
Allan was a continuity announcer for Central. In 2008, he was the series producer on Through the Keyhole (BBC).
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.
Balshaw, Samantha
(Formerly Samantha Howkins). Samantha was a TSW in-vision continuity announcer and assistant transmission controller. She moved to London to work for Carlton in 1993 and then for Meridian in Southampton. In 2003, eight years after joining Meridian, Samantha took some time off to look after her children. In 2006, she joined Sky as a transmission controller, working on the movie channels.
Kennedy, Mary
Mary was born in 1956 in Clondalkin, Dublin. She was an announcer on RTÉ TV from 1978 until 1992, covering both channels. She moved to the news division, fronting news bulletins on TV and radio from 1992. In 1995 Mary presented the Eurovision Song Contest from Dublin. She went on to become involved in a number of TV productions, including her own Saturday night chat show, Kennedy in 1997. From the late-1990s until 2004, Mary co-hosted the daytime TV programme, Open House. She is now a presenter on the regional magazine programme, Nationwide.
Cowell, Elizabeth
Cowell was among the original trio of BBC TV in-vision announcers at Alexandra Palace (31st August 1936 – 28th August 1939).
…Haynes, Delroy
Delroy has been a BBC TV network announcer since the late-1990s.
Jackson, Matthew
Matthew has been a BBC TV network announcer since 1993.
Surgenor, Sarah
Sarah was a continuity announcer on RTÉ One and RTÉ Network 2/RTÉ 2 (September 2001 – June 2006). Other roles include: programme developer and segment producer, Green Inc Film & Television (Belfast/Dublin, March 2006 – June 2008); head of communications and fundraising, St Patrick’s Mental Heath Services (July 2008 – May 2017); marketing and communications consultant, Just Add Firewater (Washington DC, March 2018 – December 2018); director of communications, Georgetown University Medical Center (Washington DC, January 2019 – present).
Macmuiris, Lorcan
Lorcan was an RTÉ One continuity announcer from 2001 until 2002. His was the voice that interrupted Oprah Winfrey to go to a newsflash reporting the tragic events of 11th September 2001. Prior to joining RTÉ One, Lorcan was a presenter on Lyric FM during its first year. He later worked as a new media journalist for UTV’s website u.tv and was also a web administrator and newsreader for the UTV-owned Cork radio station 96FM.
Fashola, Jumoke
Jumoke was a BBC TV network announcer (late-1990s – c. 2002). She then moved to radio, presenting Inspirit, BBC London’s multi-faith magazine programme taking an ethical look at the week’s top news stories – tackling a wide range of religious and ethical subjects from abortion to gay bishops, sacred cows to UFO religions.
Miles, David
David was born in 1954. He joined the BBC in 1975, working initially as a studio manager in Bush House.
…Young, Lynsey
Lynsey graduated from the University of Manchester. She began her broadcasting career co-presenting and producing the Breakfast Show for Heart 106.2 (January 1997 – February 1997). She then became a national reporter (October 1997 – December 1999), fronting travel news on Kiss 100, Virgin Radio, TalkSport, Magic 105.4 and GMTV.
…Cockburn, Peter
Peter was an ATV (London) in-vision continuity announcer (1955 – 1959).
McKenzie, John
John is a former in-vision announcer with Granada TV. He also announced for Carlton Television (London) (May 2000 – October 2002). He went on to study to be a journalist.
Foster, Charles
Every station has an announcer that everyone remembers and actor Charles Foster performs that role for Granada Television, where he was one of the main in-vision announcers throughout the 1970s and 1980s. One of the old school, the avuncular Foster had great warmth and a terrific on-screen presence. As well as announcing for Granada, Foster also narrated several schools programmes for the company, as well as being the voiceover man on game shows such as Connections.
…De Ste Criox, Gordon
Gordon joined Channel Television in 1972 as an in-vision announcer and newsreader. He went on to edit the station’s listings magazine The Channel TV Times and Channel Text, the one-hundred-page Teletext magazine for the Channel Islands. Gordon has also been head of Creative Channel, Channel Television’s commercial and corporate production company, and director of sales. He’s on the station’s board of directors.