Kay, Ian

Ian Kay was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, and graduated with a BA (Hons) in acting from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in Wigan.

In 2020, he became a member of the National Youth Theatre.

Possessing a distinctive voice that exudes enthusiasm and warmth, Ian was selected as one of the channel announcers for the newly relaunched BBC Three in 2022.

He typically introduces his evening announcements with the phrase, “Hi, it’s little Ian.”

Theatre credits include:

• Rules for Living (2017);
• Punk Rock (2017);
• Top of the Chops (2018);
• Macbeth (2018);
• To Old Trafford, My First Love and Me (2018);
• Oppenheimer (2018);
• Afore Night Come (2019);
• Pomona (2019);
• Sirens (2019);
• The Devil Loves Silver (2021);
• Auntie’s House (2023);
• Sugar Sugar Daddy (2025).

Ian is represented by Henry Alexander Talent for acting roles and by Nordlings for voice work.

Interview

Paul R. Jackson interviewed Ian about his career over the phone in July 2025.

“I got a scholarship and graduated from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in 2019.

“I then went to drama school full-time. Whilst a member of the National Youth Theatre, I didn’t appear in any shows.”

How did you get the BBC Three announcing job?

“The open casting call appeared on Twitter, without stating who it was for.

“The casting director Andrew Davis was looking for quirky young voices for an exciting project.

“Two to three months later, my agent asked me to send a 30-second clip telling a friend about watching a programme – I choose Squid Game and recorded it whilst on holiday in Lanzarote.

“I got a call saying I was down to the final 70. I had initially thought continuity was about moving the props about!

“I was asked to submit another 30-second clip on different programmes. I was then down to the final thirteen and then the final nine.

“It took four to five months, before being told I had got it, but had to keep it quiet until the official announcement in January 2022. I learnt later that 1,000 people had applied.

“The bosses didn’t want to go down the traditional route of an announcer on the channel.

“We used to write/record on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. But we now write in the studio continuity booth on Friday, and record announcement for the next seven days.

“I’m from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, and our usual shift is Friday 8am – 6pm.

“But because I live in Mansfield, Phil Vowels agreed I could start at 10am. There is a pressure to be creative all the time, and it can be difficult introducing a show that’s repeated several times during a shift.

“I was trained by Ash and we report to Phil Vowels. He signs off all scripts for compliance etc and then we record them.

“I have dyslexia and OCD, so sometimes writing and recording can take more time, but I have a great team who support me.

“I do get tongue-tied and occasionally pronounce names or places wrong, so I just have to take extra precautions.

“We can watch a show before it airs, to get the tone right. We don’t see the finished sound until it plays out.

“Once on an Actionline back reference, I was told I sounded too happy, so I was asked to re-record the voiceover.”

I have heard Ashleigh Whitfield and Duncan Newmarch on BBC Three

“Occasionally they might be used to do a pick-up after the main pre-records have been done.

“I was once asked to do a voiceover on BBC Four at short notice, because I think it wasn’t on the system.

“There are currently three of us from the original team that started in February 2022, based in Salford – Christie, Louise and myself. 

“We do see the other announcers who are in Salford who are working on BBC One and BBC Two.”

Finally, I asked about his trademark “Hi, it’s little Ian” introductions

“My Dad was also called Ian, so I was always referred to as ‘little Ian’ as a kid, and also due to my height of 5ft 1in!”

 

Personal information

Clips of Ian on The TV Room

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Online presence

Acknowledgements