Roger Ollerearnshaw was born in Penzance. He did his National Service in the RAF as a physical training instructor and for two years was the RAF’s high-jump champion.
He had a variety of jobs (lorry driver, barman, policeman (England and Malaya)) before joining Westward Television in April 1961 at its launch, when he shortened his surname to Shaw.
He took over the chief announcer’s job from Guy Corey, and remained until the company lost its franchise to TSW in 1981.
Like most of the station’s announcing and presenting staff, he moved to the new station when it officially picked up the reins from Westward in January 1982. Before the handover he presented a half-hour tribute to Westward Television – 20 Years of Westward.
He remained as chief announcer for TSW, until he retired in the late-1980s.
However, he seemed to restrict his role to the daytime continuity slot, leaving the primetime shifts to colleagues Ian Stirling and Ruth Langsford.
Roger was an announcer of the old school with perfect annunciation, authority, warmth and a great on-screen presence.
Post-retirement, he was largely absent from the airwaves. But if you look carefully he was there in the audience during TSW’s final broadcast on 31st December 1992.
He was also interviewed for Carlton TV’s 40 Years of ITV in the South West documentary.
In July 2019, he celebrated his diamond wedding anniversary to his wife Vivianne (nee Linfoot) at their home in Plymouth. They have two children, daughter Karen (born 1961) and their son Guy (born 1967).
Roger’s death, aged 92, was announced on 24th May 2024 in Plymouth’s Herald newspaper.
Personal information
Clips of Roger on The TV Room
Roger may be featured in video/audio clips on our other websites. Click the links below to display a listing (a 404 error will appear if no clips are found):
Online presence
Acknowledgements
PICTURED: Roger Shaw (TSW). SUPPLIED BY: Paul R. Jackson. COPYRIGHT: TSW.
Leave a Reply